The Six Months I Forgot to Listen to Music (and What It Taught Me About Healing)
After 6 months of silence, I rediscovered the healing power of music. Here’s why sound is medicine—and why we all need music to feel whole again.
The Six Months I Forgot to Listen to Music (and What It Taught Me About Healing)
I’ve always been the kind of person who has music playing. Like… always.
Growing up, the soundtrack of my life was everything from metal to hardcore to punk to hip hop to Bhakti kirtan, from the pop hits to the kind of indie folk you’d hear in a tiny coffee shop on a rainy Sunday. When I lived and worked in NYC, music was how I made it through the hustle. My headphones were my armor—on the train, walking to class, running between clients, and late at night on my way home. I’d press play and immediately feel something shift. Music was my companion, my therapist, my ritual. So, it’s wild to admit this, but for the last six months… I hardly listened to any music at all.
It wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t a decision I made one day. It just sort of happened. One podcast here, another class replay there (I’m deep in school for my Advanced Ayurveda Practitioner certification), and suddenly, my Spotify playlists were collecting dust. Instead of dancing in the kitchen, I was sitting with my notebook, listening to lectures on Ayurvedic neurology or catching up on client notes. Long drives meant listening to other people talk about the topics that interested them or nonstop yoga philosophy. Don’t get me wrong—I love learning, and I’m grateful for the way sound can carry wisdom. But somewhere along the way, I forgot how important music is. I forgot how important dancing is. I forgot the healing that happens when you let a song move through your body and let your body respond.
Why Did I Stop Listening?
Looking back, I can see a few things that contributed to lack of melodic sounds…
I went through a big move (hello, new house in the Hudson Valley!). I said goodbye to a version of my life that was familiar and comfortable. I started a deeper phase of my studies in Ayurveda, which required a lot of focus. And in the midst of all that change, I needed sound to teach me, to ground me—not necessarily to move me. Podcasts and recorded classes became my background noise. They were practical. They were structured. They kept my mind busy while the rest of my life was in flux. It’s almost like I temporarily forgot the medicine of music because I was reaching for a different kind of medicine: the comfort of information.
But something in me started to ache.
Music Is Medicine
Ayurveda teaches that sound—shabda—is one of the most subtle and powerful therapies available. It enters through the ears, bypasses our logical minds, and affects the heart directly. It influences the nervous system. It stirs the soul.
Sound is considered one of the five subtle elements and is connected to the element of space, or akasha. When we’re out of balance, especially when Vata is high (AKA: moving, changing routines, lots of mental energy), sound can either create more chaos—or offer a soothing balm. But only if we’re intentional about what we’re listening to.
Music has been used across cultures and healing traditions to shift energy, release emotion, and even rewire the brain. From Sanskrit mantra to sound baths to your favorite song from high school—sound has a way of waking us up to ourselves.
The Moment I Remembered
It wasn’t dramatic. I wasn’t sitting in meditation or journaling under a full moon. I was simply driving to a friend’s house and I clicked on a playlist I used to love. The first few notes hit, and I stopped in my tracks. My body softened. My breath deepened. And I thought “oh, this is what’s been missing!” and it made me literally laugh out loud.
It was one of those moments where you don’t even realize how much you’ve been missing something until it comes flooding back. I let the music play and remembered how good it feels to move through you, to let rhythm guide you.
Why We Need Music
We need music the same way we need rest. The same way we need joy. The same way we need connection.
Music brings us back to the present. It reminds us that we’re alive—not just thinking, doing, achieving, and crossing things off lists. It helps us feel. It helps us release. It helps us remember who we are when things get noisy, chaotic, or disconnected.
And listen—yes, there’s a time for silence. There’s a time for podcasts, lectures, teachings, and long periods of listening inward. But don’t forget to let sound move you. Don’t forget to let music in.
If you’ve been in a season of deep work or transformation, maybe you’ve unknowingly put music on the shelf too. Maybe, like me, you’ve needed sound to be structured instead of soothing, or informative instead of intuitive.
But I’m here to remind you—music is still waiting for you. It doesn’t care how long it’s been. It’s patient like that.
Your Invitation
Next time you’re making dinner or on a drive, turn on a playlist that lights you up. Next time you feel anxious or heavy, let music guide you back to your breath. Next time you clean the house or walk the dog or drive to your next thing—choose music, not just more noise.
Dance in your kitchen. Cry in your car. Sing out loud even if you’re off-key.
Sound heals.
And sometimes, the most powerful medicine is the one we forgot we needed.
If this resonated with you, share this post with someone who needs a little reminder to turn the music back on. And if you’re ready to explore the healing power of Ayurveda and sound on a deeper level, come check out my upcoming programs or book a private session.