On Music for Meditation, by East Forest

East Forest designed and created the music for the Art of Attention Audio Meditation Course. Here, he discusses his choices, uses and process.

On Music for Meditation by East Forest

Using music and sound for meditation is an ancient practice; this pairing is at the core of our human experience. Music is multi-dimensional, reaching across and linking realms of the brain to cultivate homeostasis, or a steady internal milieu. Collaborating with Elena on her first Art of Attention Audio Meditation course was an ideal marriage of intentions.

When I began curating and creating new music for the series, I wanted the music to be more than just a background element, yet didn’t want it to be overpowering. In order to make the music a kind of “technology” to intentionally deepen the meditative state, I used various sound healing techniques including alternate tunings, repetitive phrasing, and specific chordal structures to calm the mind and gently push the brain into slower states of being.

Beyond any mathematical or scientific qualities, I also wanted to invite and imbue the music with Spirit. One way I approached this was to feature tracks that were created live during sound healing journeys. In those settings, sounds flow flow freely and fluently through my hands and voice, expressing a definitively Universal energy, love and playfulness – and this opens up the sounds as vehicles to something higher. You’ll hear a new live track called “Azure Winds” at the beginning and end of Meditation Four [Harmony], and the drone that we’ve used during the silences in every meditation was also recorded live during such experiences. The slow, repetitive pace, along with the nature sounds that flow in and out of the soundscape, combine to form a truly meditative listening environment.

For Elena and me, our biggest asset in working together is our history of co-creation and collaboration. Having spent a few years teaching and practicing to my music, Elena had already selected from the East Forest catalogue a few tracks she wanted to integrate into her recordings.  The final combination of music and meditation creates a powerful piece of organic digital technology, intended to serve anyone looking for a doorway within.

Visit East Forest on iTunes.