Music & Meditation: Soundmaking as a Contemplative Practice

One of the primary means of focusing and stilling the mind in meditation is to assign a task, one involving concentration. Sometimes a meditator is asked to observe breathing patterns, focus on an object, or recite mantras. Historically, within various contemplative traditions, singing and sounding have been used to quiet mental chatter and thereby enable the practitioner to enter a heightened state of consciousness. Frequently we associate music making with the excitation of our bodies and emotions. However, if we take music out of a performance context, bring down the volume, and slow down the pace, we are left with a powerful process for invoking states of relaxation, concentration, and a highly meditative state.

In this evening workshop, Gary Diggins will engage us in both mindful listening and intentional sounding as a means of entering the present moment, sustaining our focus, and bringing purposeful sounds together with playful energy. Gary has applied this work in a wide range of contexts, from African communities affected by war to corporate organizations struggling with pervasive stress.  As a director for Mindfulness Without Borders, Gary brings decades of experience in the application of music and mindfulness.