rhythm – The Movement Blog

Presenting you the 2nd dose of my current musical rotation.

About the playlist

I wanted a mixture of tunes to serve as an alarm clock (especially in the pitch black), a motivator (within the 3 hours of sunlight), and a relaxation tool (once I’ve finally wound my self up). So I’ve put together a combination of both gentle and driving beats. The following facts and suggestions have also been an inspiration to organisation this month’s current rotation during these short days and long nights. Shuffle, repeat, keep, and delete as you may.

Morning exercise is often the best exercise

Using upbeat music can help motivate your movement and/or morning boogie routine.
Early morning exercise can also help lower blood pressure and provide a good night’s sleep later on in the day.
Not a morning person? Fortunately, it can take as little as 5 minutes for movement to improve your mood.
Make and keep a morning routine, even on the weekends if possible (having a good playlist helps too).

Keep moving

Music can help distract the mind from sensations of fatigue (especially during high intensity movements) by narrowing one’s attention.
While music may not make the movements easier, the mover is more likely to have more of a pleasurable experience.
Using music for exercise is not only good for cardio but for the brain as it enhances our vestibular abilities.
Music and rhythm can be used as a therapeutic tool as it works on our autonomic nervous system, which allows the body to subconsciously enhance our well–being.

Calm it down

Before bed, choose music with less key changes and slower tempos to help you relax says Dr. Williamson. Getting adequate sleep plays a key role in waking up more refreshed in the morning (obviously, but often difficult to achieve).
Modified and slow yoga poses/stretches can help induce the parasympathetic nervous system, which means letting your fast paced, stressful day all behind you.
Classical music was previously found to reduce sleeping problems in participants with sleep disorders (oh why hello, Bach).
Just like a morning routine, try to maintain an evening routine by creating a ‘wind down’ period because sleep matters… a lot.

Now introducing Movement Playlists–

for teachers, choreographers, movers, anyone.

What a favorite pastime– listening to music. Maybe I was a musician in my past life or maybe I will be a DJ in the next one (ha). Either way, I love making and sharing playlists. Along with sharing music, I’ll also dish out a few facts about music and movement such as the possible links between the two and what research has found.

Music + Movement

When music enters the central nervous system, some information goes to the brain and some goes to our motor nerves and spinal cord. This means we tend to move to the rhythm without even trying.
Both music and dance deal with movements of the body measured in time. However, the body is often more time consuming than musical gestures (e.g. a violin trill).
Rhythm is classified in three groups: motor rhythm, breathing rhythm, and emotional rhythm.
Dance and movement may have rhythm in common, but it may not have melody in common.
An infamous research study has shown that music and movement do share a common structure that helps the brain process emotional expression due to their shared neural circuits, which became evident across cultures.

Stay tuned for more playlists and quick facts every month.

Enjoy!

Tag: rhythm

Movement Playlist #2: Short Days, Long Nights