4 Reasons to Try Mindful Singing

Alexander deVaron teaches music theory and composition at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Recently he wondered what would happen if he gave himself permission to sing during formal meditation—This is what he discovered:

1) Sometimes you need to break the rules. “I gave permission to break the rules a little bit. And during the practice of formal mindfulness, I wondered what it would be like if I just let myself vocalize. I think the interesting thing about this is that it’s really a process of exploration, giving one’s self permission to explore. It’s still mindfulness practice—It’s grounded in experiencing directly the sensations of present moments without judgment or interpretation.

Maybe it’s just that—A little bit of song that changes the experience of coming back to the present, because you’re no longer just here, you’re here and singing, and that’s a game changer, I think.

2) Singing is a gesture of self-compassion. “The other thing that happens when we vocalize, which is important, is we’re really massaging our body from the inside out—So it really is a gesture of self-compassion. If you sit and sing,…