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Routine is good. Its helpful to brush our teeth when we wake up and go to bed, daily meditation or exercise, In this way, we give our bodies the message that we mean it when we want to embody a way of being.
Sometimes, however, the daily routine lulls us into a sleepy state. Driving to a location the same way, making our coffee, watching the news at night. Nothing too exciting, todo tranquilo, all good.
We receive a dopamine hit when we try new things, which is a wonderful way to combat depression.
So, how do we blend routine with the unknown?
STRUCTURE, REPETITION, and MYSTERY
Using various pre-selected structures is the doorway to the unknown, and if you repeat your practice, soon you will become adept. When you improvise, that song has never before existed, and it will never exist again.
“…the area of the brain related to self-monitoring and observation deactivates when musicians are improvising, while the region linked with self-expression lights up.”
How cool is that?! This means you forget yourself for a while in order to make space for something that is being birthed within you.
And when they say “use it or lose it” its no joke.
What’s the big deal about developing new neural pathways in your brain?
As we age, we can lose the ability to learn and perform tasks. By doing things we don’t normally do, or learning a new skill, we can change our chemistry, increase our learning speed, make connections between skill areas, adapt better to change, and here’s the real prize, we can prevent cognitive decline, which is related to demyelination in our brains.
And we can do this in a way that is fun, enlivening, and funky.
So, come on over to class and let’s drop into silence, move our bodies, play with our voices and our body’s rhythm. I can’t wait to hear your new songs!