Have you ever noticed how difficult it becomes to hold onto feelings of anger toward another person when we hear a song which reminds us of good times spent with them? Times when we were in a state of openness to their positive qualities?
Not only does music raise our vibration, it also puts our ego in a low state of resistance when we listen to it. Music is a universal healing tool, and can transcend not only a yoga practice or a running routine, but also can inspire our self-care practice.
Here are 3 song titles that can be used as mantras in your self-care practice. (For those who don’t know: A mantra is a repeated phrase to bring your awareness back to a certain mindset or goal when we forget.)
1) All You Need Is Love
Nothing you can know that isn’t known.
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown.
Nothing you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be
It’s easy
Just as it is difficult to stay angry at someone when we hear a song from a happier time, we can also try that method with ourselves. We are so hard on ourselves at times. Our existence is a collection of conditioned responses that determined when we feel good, when we feel insulted, when we feel hurt, etc. They are all choices, not rules.
There is an abundance of self-love available to us in any given moment, yet we fall into the ego trap of comparisons and calculations under the mindset of lack. If a person looks beautiful today, we somehow determine that we cannot also look beautiful. If someone gets their dream job, we tell ourselves that they are “luckier” and are destined for more abundance in life than we are. In those moments, all we need is love.
When we begin thinking thoughts that steal our joy, we can play a song which inspires love. Visualization is a lovely way to offer love to ourselves and others. We can envision ourselves at our happiest, our most radiant, and our most loving self as we close our eyes, let the music penetrate our energy field, and let that ego fall away. We can, in any moment, offer ourselves love.
2) Yesterday
Yesterday
All my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday…
The pendulum always swings the other way. After all, life is a collection of emotions, moments, and experiences — beauty, pain, passion, monotony, tragedy, elation, and even knee-slapping belly laughter.
We are here for contrast. Our expansion cannot occur if we do not experience life in all of its layers. When life gets scary or feels hopeless, believe that it will pass. The snow will melt and the baron fields will bloom again. Let the seasons remind you of your own natural resilience. Remember your own beauty and growth and while you may not be enlivened by the scent of the ocean breeze against your face during winter, the vital force of nature is inside of you waiting to experience the vivid colors of spring. Believe in yesterday.
3) Let It Be
And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be…
I read somewhere that the key to happiness is to always accept the present moment as if we chose it. While this is a personal struggle for me because of my past suffering from anxiety (the greatest of which is being in a state of total powerlessness), it is imperative to our self-care practice that we understand it is perfectly okay to NOT have all the answers.
Uncertainty is part of life. Whether it is the health of a loved one, or the future of a relationship, we can uncover a state of true peace in stillness, in being a quiet observer of the present moment. Sometimes, trusting the abundance and wisdom in all things is the most self-loving thing that we can do for ourselves. Eventually, there will be an answer.
Music can inspire us to live from our heart’s center. We release, let go, and really lose ourselves in the healing vibration of music.
What healing song titles or lyrics do you use or want to use as mantras? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to read (and maybe even sing!) them!
Image credit: Sony Music
