Meditation music

Short description: Music performed to aid in the practice of meditation

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Meditation music is music performed to aid in the practice of meditation. It can have a specific religious content, but also more recently has been associated with modern composers who use meditation techniques in their process of composition, or who compose such music with no particular religious group as a focus. The concept also includes music performed as an act of meditation.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Relational effects
* 3 Christian meditation music
* 4 Zen meditation music
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 6.1 Cited sources
* 7 Further reading

## History

Modern meditation music in the 20th century began when composers such as John Cage, Stuart Dempster, Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley, La Monte Young and Lawrence Ball began to combine meditation techniques and concepts, and music.

Specific works include Karlheinz Stockhausen's Hymnen (1966–67), Stimmung (1968), Aus den sieben Tagen (1968), Mantra (1970) and Inori (1974). Ben Johnston’s Visions and Spells, a realization of Vigil (1976), requires a meditation period prior to performance. R. Murray Schafer's concepts of “clairaudience” (clean hearing) as well as those found in his The Tuning of the World (1977) are meditative.[1]

John Cage was influenced by Zen, and pieces such as Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (1951) for twelve radios are "meditations that measure the passing of time".[2]

Stockhausen describes Aus den sieben Tagen as "intuitive music", and in the piece Es from this cycle the performers are instructed to play only when not thinking or in a state of non-thinking (Von Gunden asserts that this is contradictory and should be "while not thinking about your playing").

In the 21st century, Georges Lentz’ vast and immersive composition String Quartet(s) (2000-2023), permanently projected in the Cobar Sound Chapel in the Australian desert and influenced by the starry night sky, also contains many meditative aspects[3][4].

Cobar Sound Chapel, interior

## Relational effects

Music can provide many psychological benefits including stress reduction, improved memory, and general improvement to cognitive performance.[5] Research shows that the activity of listening to music can aid individuals in detaching from their surroundings[clarification needed] and help them focus on their own thoughts and actions.[6] When applied specifically to a meditative setting, music can aid in mindfulness, visualization, and contemplation. According to the NHS, these qualities can increase personal awareness and help identify signs of stress and anxiety.[7] Practicing mindfulness can help individuals be more observant of their present thoughts and actions.[8] Research shows that meditation music can improve confidence[clarification needed] during the practice of meditation.[9]

In a July 2018 study, volunteers between the ages of 60 and 80 who were listening to healing music, meditating for one to two hours a day, and eating a sugar-free healthy diet exhibited sharper memory and cognitive skills with happy and cheerful behavioral patterns compared to those who were not.[10]

Meditation music can help improve focus while performing mechanical tasks. A June 2019 study that observed neurosurgeons performing microsurgical training bypasses with and without meditation music showed a slight improvement in the total time utilized by novice surgeons. While the total time utilized by experienced surgeons remained unchanged, the thread length used in the training bypasses was significantly different[clarification needed] for both surgeons.[11]

Meditation music can have positive effects on people recovering from drug addiction. In general, spiritual meditation may promote addiction recovery and improve psychological and mental health outcomes by reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.[12] In a January 2020 study, it was concluded that meditation music conducted by Young-Dong Kim can be useful therapy to prevent the reinstatement of methamphetamine addiction during abstinence in rats.[13]

## Christian meditation music

Some Christian faiths, particularly the Catholic Church, reject meditation practice from outside their traditions, particularly new-age music.[14][15][16][17] On the other hand, Quartet for the End of Time (1941) by Olivier Messiaen, a practicing Catholic and church organist, is an explicitly Christian piece of meditation music.[clarification needed][citation needed]

## Zen meditation music

## See also

* Aesthetics of music
* Avant-garde music
* Introspection

## References

1. ↑ Von Gunden 1983, pp. 103–104.
2. ↑ Von Gunden 1983, p. 104.
3. ↑ Quackenbush, Casey (5 January 2022). "In the Australian Outback, an Abandoned Water Tank Quenches the Soul". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/t-magazine/cobar-sound-chapel.html.
4. ↑ Garzia, Ettore (December 31, 2024). "from "String Quartet(s)"". Percorsi Musicali Italy. https://www.percorsimusicali.eu/2024/12/31/georges-lentz-from-string-quartets/. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
5. ↑ Thoma, Myriam V.; La Marca, Roberto; Brönnimann, Rebecca; Finkel, Linda; Ehlert, Ulrike; Nater, Urs M. (2013-08-05). "The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response". PLOS ONE 8 (8). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0070156. ISSN 1932-6203. PMID 23940541. Bibcode: 2013PLoSO...870156T.
6. ↑ "The magic of mindfulness" (in en). 2013-09-01. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-magic-of-mindfulness.
7. ↑ "Mindfulness" (in en). 2021-02-01. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/.
8. ↑ PhD, James Cartreine (2018-11-06). "Mindfulness apps: How well do they work?" (in en). https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-apps-how-well-do-they-work-2018110615306.
9. ↑ "Meditation Music: The Science Behind How Music Helps us to Relax" (in en-US). 2017-08-17. https://blog.therachat.io/meditation-music/. [self-published source?]
10. ↑ Mruthinti, Shyamala (July 2018). "P4-198: Meditation-Music and Diet Are Effective Holistic Approaches to Strengthen Neuroplasticity, Boost Immune System and Maintain Synaptic Connections Between Neurons to Combat Alzheimer's, Depression and Other Related Disorders". Alzheimer's & Dementia 14 (7S_Part_29). doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2018.07.019.
11. ↑ Muhammad, Sajjad; Lehecka, Martin; Huhtakangas, Justiina; Jahromi, Behnam Rezai; Niemelä, Mika; Hafez, Ahmad (August 2019). "Meditation music improved the quality of suturing in an experimental bypass procedure". Acta Neurochirurgica 161 (8): 1515–1521. doi:10.1007/s00701-019-03976-4. PMID 31227967.
12. ↑ Kadri, Rozeeda; Husain, Rohayah; Omar, Syed Hadzrullathfi Syed (October 2020). "Impact of Spiritual Meditation on Drug Addiction Recovery and Wellbeing: A Systematic Review". International Journal of Human and Health Sciences 4 (4): 237–250. doi:10.31344/ijhhs.v4i4.208.
13. ↑ Yun, Sun Mo; Lee, Soo Min; Kim, Mi Seon; Lee, Sang Nam; Lee, Bong Hyo (January 2020). "Korean meditation music suppressed relapse to methamphetamine in rats". Neuroscience Letters 715. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134620. PMID 31711977.
14. ↑ Anon. 2003.
15. ↑ Arie 2003.
16. ↑ Krumboltz and Chan 2005, p. 358.
17. ↑ Pontifical Council for Culture, and Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue 2003.

### Cited sources

* Anon. (2003). "Vatican Book Is Offering Reflections On 'New Age'". The New York Times (4 February).
* Arie, Sophie (2003). "Beware New Age, Vatican Tells Flock". The Guardian (Thursday 30 January).
* Krumboltz, John D., and Anne Chan (2005). "Professional Issues in Vocational Psychology". In Handbook of Vocational Psychology: Theory, Research, and Practice, third edition, edited by W. Bruce Walsh and Mark L. Savickas, 345–68. Contemporary Topics in Vocational Psychology. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 978-0-8058-4517-4.
* Pontifical Council for Culture, and Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (2003). "Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water Of Life: A Christian Reflection on the 'New Age'". Vatican website (accessed 2 January 2014).
* Von Gunden, Heidi (1983). The Music of Pauline Oliveros. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1600-8.

## Further reading

* Johnson, Tom (1976). "Meditate on Sound", Village Voice (May 24).

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Meditation

Main topics|

* Brain activity and meditation
* History of meditation
* Meditation in popular culture
* Mind–body interventions
* Research on meditation

Traditions|

* Anapanasati (Buddhist breathing meditation)
* Buddhist meditation
* Christian meditation
* Taoist meditation
* Dancemeditation
* Dhyāna (Buddhist meditation)
* Dhyāna (Hindu meditation)
* Islamic meditation
* Jain meditation
* Jewish meditation
* Muraqabah (Sufi meditation)
* New Age meditation
* Naam Japo (Sikism meditation)
* Neigong
* Pranayama (yoga breathing practice)
* Qigong
* Shikantaza (Zen Buddhist seated meditation)
* Silva Method
* Tantra
* Transcendental meditation (TM)
* Vipassanā (Silent meditation)
* Yoga
* Zazen (Zen Buddhist seated meditation)
* Zhan zhuang (Qigong standing meditation)
* 5Rhythms

Techniques|

* Biofeedback
* Brainwave entrainment
* Breathing
* Chanting
* Concentration
* Emptiness
* Guided meditation
* Higher consciousness
* Mantra
* Mindfulness
* Mudra
* Music
* Oneness
* Poetry
* Postures
* Prayer
* Relaxation
* Samyama
* Sexuality
* Silence
* Sound
* Trance
* Visualization

Leaders|

* Focused attention
* Thich Nhat Hanh
* Open awareness
* Jon Kabat-Zinn
* Sam Harris
* Multiple methods
* Pema Chödrön
* Susan Piver
* S. N. Goenka
* Joseph Goldstein
* Yuval Harari
* 14th Dalai Lama
* Matthieu Ricard
* Sharon Salzberg
* Daniel Goleman
* Thubten Chodron
* Martine Batchelor
* Stephen Batchelor

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