It’s your Vortex virtuoso here and today it’s all about musings on the melodious world of music and its magical impact on our well-being. So, let’s tune in, shall we?

a symphony for the soul

As a life-long music lover (a major understatement) I’ve come to realize a lot of people underestimate the role of music in their lives and the power it has on us. I’ve always found it incredible that a combination of musical notes on various instruments can mingle with a voice singing some lyrics and create an immediate effect on us.

Have you ever noticed how a single song can transport you back in time, bring back a forgotten memory, or even alter your mood in an instant? If you’ve even been to a wedding, you know this feeling; the booze is flowing and then one electric guitar strike from the intro of “You Shook Me All Night Long” comes on and everyone is screaming. That’s not just nostalgia at play; it’s science in its most lyrical form. Music, with its amazing spectrum of harmonies and rhythms, speaks directly to our souls, orchestrating a symphony of emotional and physical responses.

But what does this have to do with wellness? Well, music can be a majorly magical tool in your self care toolbelt. We can use music as a tool to shift our state, get our heart rate up for a workout, process some serious emotion, and more. There’s a song for everything, whether you want to get pumped up for a wild night out… or turn off the lights, crack your heart open and cry your damn eyes out.

When we actively and consciously use music as a tool it can be transformative, helping us to create and/or process energy. The music we choose to fill our days with can set the tempo for our moods, our motivation, and even our mental health.

And it’s not just enjoyable or cathartic to listen to, either – music can be used to physically shift your state using technology – which we happen to know a little something about.

tuning into wellness

Being a musician, I was really excited to bring on a session that incorporated music in a whole new way.

If you didn’t already know, one of the coolest sessions we have at Vortex is called TUNE – it’s a vibroacoustic instrument that tunes your nervous system in the same way you would tune a guitar, piano or violin – in 15 beautiful minutes! Vibroacoustic technology is essentially a method that combines sound (audio) and vibration (vibro) to create an experience that can stimulate the body and mind in therapeutic ways. TUNE uses music composed by medical musicians (yes, that’s a real thing) and the sound waves and vibrations are transmitted directly into the body (aka you hear the music and, even better, you feel the music) to reduce anxiety and depression, improve relaxation, reduce pain, improve mood, sleep and more.

While for some people this might sound pretty far-fetched, it makes a lot of sense when you break it down: Music is a bunch of sounds. Sounds are a bunch of frequencies. We’re just a bunch of frequencies too! So this technology taps into the natural responsiveness of our bodies to vibrational and sound frequencies and helps to promote overall wellness. Isn’t musical science fun?

become a self care rockstar

We love using music as an additional way to shift into high-vibe mode here at the studio. Think about it – how many times have you heard a familiar tune that floods your system with a groovy nostalgia, or a beat that instantly makes you want to dance? The strong power music has to influence our state of being is exactly why we incorporate it into our sessions wherever possible. It just makes the experience better.

Here’s the best example – Before we opened the studio, I was using our red light system in our basement pretty frequently. It helped my muscles repair faster, gave me more energy and, most miraculously, cleared up the inflamed skin around my eyes (a problem I’d had for over 7 years!) All that said, standing in front of the panels doing nothing became a little boring for me.

One day I put on the light blocking glasses (which look like something from Bono’s personal collection), grabbed my headphones, threw on a playlist, turned on the lights and I had this awesome epiphany – it reminded me of performing on stage! The lights… the music… the rockstar sunglasses! I realized at that moment that we could make the red light session even more fun by incorporating music into the session… and that’s when Red Light Rockstar was born. It’s a series of playlists that time perfectly with your session featuring popular artists and a special 10 minute megamix of their hits. You press play at the same time you turn on the lights and boom – you have a lil’ 10 minute dance party in your birthday suit. And, when the lights go out, the crowd cheers for you. I cannot tell you how much fun this is.

Ain’t nothing better than soaking up the amazing benefits of red light while grooving to some good tunes. The point is – this session already feels amazing on its own, but music takes it to the next level by further improving your mood and, if you’re like me, it’ll get you into a serious cardio session while rocking out to Elton John, Journey or Taylor Swift.

So hey, if you ever feel out of harmony, now you know Vortex can help you find your rhythm again. Until next time, keep dancing to the beat of your own drum because, at the end of the day, life’s a movie —make sure you love the soundtrack.