The Role of Music in Breathwork

Music possesses an extraordinary power to transcend language and touch the deepest corners of our hearts and minds. Its ability to generate profound emotions, influence brain activity, and inspire transformative experiences is truly remarkable.

The use of carefully selected music during a breathwork experience can positively impact the ability of the client to engage with particular emotional landscapes that may otherwise be challenging to connect with.

Additionally, music selection may also allow the practitioner to tap into areas of focus and intuition to better support the client during a breathing session.

It's particularly important for the practitioner to have a basic understanding the mechanisms of music on health and well being, and equally important for the client to carefully consider what musical genres that align and resonate with the intention they may set during a breathwork session.

The Health Benefits of Music

Creating and listening to music is an ancient practice forged long before there were scientific studies to prove what our ancestors knew to be true; anyone who has listened to music will tell you that its effects on mood, energy levels, and cognition are undeniable, and can provide a particular kind of catharsis to the human experience that without, would be difficult to imagine.

While intuitively we know that music is an important aspect of being in this mortal flesh suit, we now have fascinating research to both back it up, and offer us even more information about how to create music that impacts how we connect to ourselves and to each other.

Research shows that listening to music alone can improve our capacity to learn and retain information and knowledge, as well as being able to slow the on-set of memory loss including Alzheimer's disease, and other forms of dementia.

Music is a helpful tool from patients suffering from mental illness, and folks managing mental health issues, as it can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety by altering the neurochemistry of the brain, releasing the "happy" neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin - increasing the ability to feel pleasure and calm.

The resulting physical health benefits include a reduction in fatigue, and improvement in physical and athletic performance, heart rate and blood pressure.

Breathwork and Music

Similarly to music, we know instinctively that control and manipulation of the breath can be a powerful tool for managing the physical and mental conditions associated with chronic stress, and we now have access to plenty of research to confirm this.

The combination of breathing techniques and music listening can provide a catalyst for deep emotional catharsis and the alleviation of physical discomfort and pain, while encouraging integration of traumatic experiences in the body, mind and spirit.

Whether you're practising breathing techniques on your own, or with a seasoned, competent practitioner, the role of music can be utilised to enhance the experience.

Daily life can be particularly stressful under the current systemic conditions that we live under, and the use of breathwork sessions and music may help to address and integrate a wide range of emotions, including sadness, anger and grief. There may be particular songs and lyrics that resonate with you or your client, depending on what the intention is for the breathwork session.

Some people may find that lyrics distract from the session, in which case, ambient, classical music may be more appropriate. You and/or your client may wish to find access to joy and calm, to which lighter, more upbeat or positive music can be used to tap into these states of being.

That being said, there's no guarantee that a particular genre will affect you or your client in the way you might expect, so it's important to do some experimentation to determine what works best and what might not suit you.

Music, Sound, Neurodivergence and Disability

People with a wide range of neurodivergence and disability can still experience the benefits of music and sound, and it's important for practitioners to be cognizant of who their client is and how they experience music.

While people with deafness or on the spectrum of hearing loss experience music and sound in a different capacity, they too can still find benefit in the emotional catharsis of music.

Rachel Elaine writes in this Medium article, that "People who are deaf can have this same sort of emotional connection to music, it would just be recognized from the bass notes or beat of the song rather than the (usually) higher pitched melody."

People on a spectrum of neurodivergence may find that volume and pitch present sensory issues that should be considered when practitioners are creating playlists for a breathwork session.

Creating a Playlist That Evolves

When considering creating a playlist for a breathwork session - and in this case, we're referring more specifically to the 2 part active breath practice (though this can also apply to other breathing practices) - it can be helpful to understand the trajectory of the session.

Generally speaking, it's understood that there is a "beginning, middle and end" plus rest time associated with the stages of a breathwork session.

Beginning

At the beginning of the practice, the client eases into the breathing technique and may experience some mental resistance to settling into the breath. The brain wants to keep doing what the brain does - thinking and spiraling and picking apart various parts of the past, present and future - this is ok, and totally normal.

Similarly to a meditative practice, the "goal" is not to completely empty the brain mind of all thought, but to consider what could happen if you were to shift the relationship to the thoughts that arise. You may struggle to stay present with the breath while the mind demands attention.

You may wish to choose music that matches this energy of easing in, or you may choose music that disrupts the so-called monkey mind from it's sometimes tyrannical processing - again, this is dependent on the intention, where you or the client may be emotionally and physically during the session, and various other aspects of the experience.

Middle

As you find your rhythm with the breath, the music choices may also "ramp" up to reflect a more active experience or tone that matches the rhythm of the breathing. T

This may include a crescendo period that activates a desire for movement or vocalization of emotions or physical sensation in the body.

End

Nearing the end of the session, you may choose to once again to "ramp down" the music, whether in volume or tone, or, you may consider that some clients required the duration of the session to get into the breath and the end may serve as the crescendo or "peak" of the experience.

Rest Period

Following the end of the active breath portion of the session, the client will enter a resting period where the breathing returns to normal or slows to a more relaxed, elongated pacing - ie: longer inhales and longer exhales, until it normalizes. This period can be marked with soothing, calming music that acts to integrate the active experience.

So, is music important for breathwork?

Yes! and also - the breath is the most important part! Some people may choose not to have music altogether; this definitely doesn't mean that the experience can be any less effective, and for some folks, it may even be more effective than if music is used.

To reiterate, it's vital that if you're practising solo, that you experiment to see what suits you best, and if you're a practitioner working with a client, it's important to ask questions regarding music and sound preferences.