How to Use an Activity As Your Meditation
The power of motion to create peace
For decades, I played piano for work. As a high school choir director, I led rehearsals, accompanied concerts, and directed from the keyboard. The epitome of multi-tasking, my job required reading the score, finding the right keys, and monitoring teenagers all at once. Far from soothing.
Then, when stress from work was compounded by family chaos, I discovered meditation. I began daily sessions: fifteen or thirty minutes of guided practice focused on breathing and relaxation. It’s a common activity — Insight Timer says over 4.5 million people have downloaded their meditation app — that taught me how to quiet my mind.
After several months of tranquil sedentary practice, I incorporated walking meditations. They were easy to find. I tuned in while walking the wooded park near my home. Once I knew calm was possible, I craved it. I looked for other opportunities to make it happen.
That’s when I discovered the effects of playing the piano at home, without distraction.
Piano and meditation
I am familiar with the benefits of quiet, inactive meditation: less anxiety, lower stress levels, and other effects documented on the JAMA Internal Medicine site. I now experience the same outcomes when actively playing the piano.
A quiet mind
With apps on my phone, guided meditations direct my breathing. They encourage me to focus on natural movement in my abdomen and chest. With my mind on the breath, I abandon ruminative thoughts.
Similarly, time at the piano forces me to concentrate on the task at hand. I know how to read multiple notes for both hands, but all those little black dots require attention. There is a heap of information to be processed and executed, all in a prescribed tempo. In those minutes or hours, I can’t think about anything else. By diverting my thoughts, my mind is at peace.
Focus
Columbia University states on their site that most people are lost in thought 47% of the time. This dwelling on the past or worrying about the future disrupts focus.
My piano sessions demand attention. There is no time for dwelling or worrying. For 30 or 60 minutes, I must focus. Does this awareness transfer to other tasks? The researchers at Columbia claim meditating actually can change the brain’s structure and function.
Flow
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his TED talk describes the state of flow, where an artist is so immersed in an activity there is no room for anything else. He speaks of an intense focus that leads to ecstasy and clarity. In this flow, time disappears as the person forgets himself.
Csikszentmihalyi emphasizes that to achieve the state of flow, the person must be doing something they love. For me, that is piano. Time disappears as I immerse myself in the music. And what if you don’t play the piano? It could be immersion in whatever you love doing.
Repetitive Activity
Some people resist meditation. It seems strange to do nothing, to be quiet. Or they can’t find the time. But a variety of activities, like the piano for me, may offer the benefits of meditation without the need to sit quietly.
Running and walking are frequently combined with meditation. Other activities that lend themselves to quieting the mind are yoga, swimming, drawing, or coloring.
History of music and meditation
Using music or melody for meditation is not new. Music has long been associated with contemplation. Since the sixth century, Christians have worshipped with song. Early chants, known for their limited range and flowing phrases, were passed down orally and then in manuscripts. These Gregorian chants still function as religious meditations. Musical chants are also found in Jewish and Buddhist traditions.
Results
My sessions at the piano don’t always result in inflow or complete concentration. But when I immerse myself in the music and allow no opportunity for other thought, I experience the results most often sought in meditation:
- a greater sense of calm
- temporary and extended ability to focus
- reduced anxiety
- improved sleep quality
Active music-making offers an alternative approach to quiet meditation. Playing piano or another instrument requires concentration, which in turn occupies the mind. For those who truly love making music, or discover another pursuit that is equally engrossing, there is the opportunity to enter a state of flow and experience the benefits of meditation.
Nancy Jorgensen’s 2019 memoir, “Go, Gwen, Go: A Family’s Journey to Olympic Gold,” is co-written with daughter Elizabeth Jorgensen and published by Meyer & Meyer Sport.