Movement Matters: Synchronicity Between Movement and Music

Want to work on your body? Get active and move. Want to work on your mind and firm up your brain? Listen to music.

There are very few things that stimulate the brain the way music does. Throughout the highs and lows of life, the changing landscape and activities we partake in, we age, and the body begins to deteriorate, including our brain. If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout this process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.

When I wake up feeling lethargic, unmotivated, uninspired, and straight-up agitated, I push myself to overcome my mind’s temper tantrum and not allow it to rule my mood for the day. I don’t want to let my low point stop me from reaching my high point, which I know I can achieve by getting active and moving my body. Movement in the muscles helps your body release endorphins, proteins (hope molecules), and dopamine. We know science has proven the long-term benefits of movement. However, we still need something that makes the stepping-out-of-bed part enjoyable. I don’t just believe; I know that music is my ritual that helps me achieve that.

One of the first things that happen to the brain when it interprets music is the triggering of pleasure centres in the brain that release dopamine and neurotransmitters that help you feel happy. The response is so quick the brain can anticipate the most pleasurable peaks in familiar music and prime itself with an early endorphin rush. Throwing on some headphones cranking up the tunes, and what happens? Your fingers begin to tap, and you might even find yourself bobbing your head, and before you know it, you are up on your feet, popping out some sweet moves that no one has seen since your first blue light disco.

My taste in music is broad. I have music for every mood I am in. I love discovering new artists that I can groove out to for a while, use in my yoga classes and pump out my morning run with the dogs, earbuds supplying the stream of motivation I need. Sometimes my inspiration comes from podcasts and lectures for a particular subject I am studying. Other times, it might even be a chat with a friend while I walk. However, knowing music not only lifts my mood but also exercises my brain and inspires me to use it as my go-to tool for motivation.

Stereo Systems put out vibrations that travel through the air and are interpreted by our eardrums. When the eardrum is impacted by these vibrations, they are then transmitted into an electrical signal. These travel to the brain stem, through the auditory, where it is then reassembled into something we perceive as music. You may not be aware, but the brain computes this experience to make sense of these vibrations. Music is based on a relationship between the notes, making it structural, mathematical, and architectural.

New music challenges the brain in a way that old music doesn’t. This process may feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first. However, the unfamiliarity forces the brain to understand the new sound. When teaming new music with exercise, choose a movement that brings you pleasure already and helps release happy hormones while the brain struggles to interpret the new sounds.

Pay attention to how your body reacts to the different forms of music. Pick the kind that works for you because what inspires one person might not gel with the next. After all, the reason to use music as a motivational tool is that it makes us feel better, not worse. Our taste in music is as unique as we are, which is something to be celebrated. On days I step into the yoga space with the incredible students who show up to their mats, we aren’t always down for meditation Zen notes. What works for us is a tune that transports all of us to a place where our minds and body can relax. Think beach vibes and alternative artists. Not every day, but there’s no denying it when it’s needed. The music inspires us to release any agitation we feel, the mind and body become more synchronised, and our movements flow. This process can be intuitive and connect us more to ourselves or those we share space with.

So, do you have a song that makes you want to move? To dance? To groove and move in a completely free and empowering way? Is there a song that will lift your spirits and take you to that place that inspires you to get active and will feed you in a full mind-body workout?

Schedule some time into your busy week to find your groove and utilise music as a tool to motivate you. Movement and music are powerful, and we can transform ourselves by integrating the two within our lives, creating beautiful synchronicity.

Leila Verban, Our Expert

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Leila Verban is a creative writer and a qualified Yoga teacher who is the sole owner of Earth Side Yoga. Situated at the base of the Eungella Range, she continues to evolve her practice and refine her skills to incorporate counselling, meditation, energy healing and positive manifestation.