Personal growth and music 

Personal growth has probably been the major reason why New Age music has become widespread in the world.

It looks like the tremendous material growth in our societies has created it's opposite - a feeling of spiritual poverty and a need for a similar personal growth.

Millions of people now realize that a rich life must include mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, a personal growth towards greater joy, greater freedom, greater balance in your daily life and in your relations with other people.

New Age music has become a common part in personal growth courses and therapies. It is mainly being used for these 3 purposes:

• cleansing - releasing old and disturbing feelings and tensions

• balancing various parts of you, making you a whole person. Deep relaxation is a great balancing tool. 

• development - getting in touch with your deepest resources, such as unconditional love, wisdom and ability to heal. That's what meditation is all about.

Today let's take a look at the first one:

Personal growth: cleansing the path

All of us have some luggage from the past on our shoulders. 
It might be an experience you never quite "digested" that is still bothering you. It might be a feeling - even a recent feeling - that you didn't express, and that prevents you from feeling free or feeling good.

In a way you are like a garden. 

You can let nature take care of itself and see what happens. 
Your garden might become a wild jungle with new possibilities and wildlife. It can become an adventure, totally out of control. It may feel great. It may feel terrible.

Or you can choose which plants you want to support and which you'd like to weed. Maybe you want to create a path across the garden, so that you can go from the house to the shed where you keep your tools. That's cleansing.

You probably have several experiences with using music for releasing those past memories or feelings. Maybe you have played a certain song when you wanted to remember your first love. Maybe you played some wild rock when you were too frustrated to talk.

When you do something similar as a personal growth process, you might  go deeper than usually, and maybe end feeling more at peace with yourself.

Prepare for the process.
Ensure you have all the time and privacy you need while doing it. 

The first thing you'll do will be the releasing of pressure/frustration/pain - whatever bothers you.

Choose music that you can sense pushes the right buttons for you. That's a very individual thing and it is impossible to suggest anything general here. 

Now listen with all your senses, your whole body. 
Allow any feeling to arise, and let it express itself freely. 
Become aware of what is going on in you - and accept it.
Keep on doing this for as long as it feels right.

After the cleansing itself, take time to feel and understand and embrace whatever is going on in you. You need to feel unconditional love for yourself. You need to relax.

Do that. Play some music that expresses total accept and faith. 

Take all the time you need. And don't anything disturb you until you're ready to meet the world again. Then let go.

Now, like with a garden, if you weed regularly, the job will be easier and the garden will look better every day, not just from time to time.

Here are some great insights on the art of cultivating your path

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