Music for Meditation: 2 Playlists

Music is a powerful tool. It can boost your mood, change your mind, spark an emotion, and calm the soul … sometimes all at once. I’m a musician, so I’m a little biased … but I strongly believe in using music as a powerful tool in life.

With that said, silence is also beautiful, especially in meditation. So I struggle with the topic of music for meditation, because I’m not necessarily recommending it. But I do strongly recommend trying it. If you’re new to meditation, try your practice in silence, try guided meditations, and also try listening to meditation music. Take your time to assess, then you’ll know what works and what doesn’t for your personal practice.

And it might also depend on your mood or the day. Some days you may gravitate toward background music, while other days you might crave silence.

Find out for yourself. Here are two playlists perfect to set the mood for meditation and peace. Let me know if you like them, or share your favorite meditation music in the comments below.

Meditation Playlist #1: Mellow

This one has about 25 minutes of meditation music, perfect for dropping into stillness with some gentle background instrumental pieces. It starts slow and builds slightly in tempo and intensity, then draws back down again at the end.

1. Naked by Anoushka Shankar
2. Heart Center Either by Sound Ambassador
3. 1977 by Quentin Dujardin
4. Lonely Beach by Lemongrass
5. African Mood by African Tribal Orchestra
6. Three of Us by Ben Harper

Meditation Playlist #2: Still Mellow, But Some Vocals

While still mellow, this 35-minute playlist has a little more umph, and some songs have simple vocals. It would be a great backdrop for meditating, mindful movement, or turning your dishwashing routing into a relaxing experience.

1. Floating Sweetness by DJ Drez
2. Makombo by Geoffrey Oryema
3. Aad Guray Nameh by Deva Premal
4. Saya by Sona Jobarteh
5. Aqueous Transmission by Incubus
6. Be Here Now by Ray LaMontagne

Simple Practice

Explore with integrating music into your practice. Try a couple of days in silence, a couple of days with guided meditations, and a couple of days with each playlist. Then decide what you like best. Check out other songs by the artists listed above if you like what you hear.

Looking for a speaker for your guided meditations and meditation playlists? Try the BenQ tremolo S Wireless Bluetooth Portable Speaker. It sounds great for ambient music – perfect for meditators!