Music beats have a very close relationship with heartbeats. Music having 70-75 beats per minute equivalent to the normal heartbeat of 72 has a very soothing effect. Likewise rhythms that are slower than 72 beats per minute create a positive suspense on the mind and body since the mind-body complex anticipates that the music will speed up and this restored vital energy gives a deep relaxation to the body. Rhythms that are faster than the heart rate excite and rejuvenate the body.
Hindustani classical music considers ragas as depicting specific moods. An appropriate mood is to be evoked in the listener’s mind before initiating the musical treatment. Kafi Raga evokes a humid, cool, soothing and deep mood, while Raga Pooriya Dhanasri evokes a sweet, deep, heavy, cloudy and stable state of mind.
Raga Mishra Mand has a very pleasing, refreshing, light and sweet touch, while Bageshwari arouses a feeling Tansen composed a of darkness, stability, depth and calmness.
Music is considered the best tranquilliser in modern lines of anxiety, tension and high blood pressure. Raga Durban is considered very effective in easing tension. It is a late-night raga composed by Tansen for Akbar to relieve his tension after a hectic day in court. This raga belongs to Asawari Thaat and is a complete raga containing all the seven notes.
The seven notes are taken from various natural sounds of birds and animals. Pandit Jasaraj’s Ram Ko Sumiran Kar in Vilambil Ek Tal is one of the best available recordings of this majestic raga. Pandit Raghunath Seth’s Raga Darbari (instrumental) in a music therapy cassette named Tanav is specially composed for easing tension.
Dr Balaji Tambe of Maharashtra has proved through his research that Raga Bhupali and Todi give tremendous relief to patients of high blood pressure. Raga Ahir Bhairav is supposed to sustain the chords, which automatically brings down blood pressure. This raga is a combination of Kofi and Bhairav. Pandit Jasaraj’s Aaj to Anand Hi Anand in Druti-Teen Tal is one of the best vocal performances of this beautiful raga.
Raga Malkauns and Raga Asawari help cure low blood pressure. Malkauns is a very prominent raga of Bhairavi Thaat (composition of musical notes from which the raga originates) and is one of the oldest ragas of Indian classical music. Re and pa are absent in this raga; all the other notes used are komal (soft). The timeless performance by Pandit Onkarnath Thakur in Paga ghunghroo baandh Meera nache re is one of the best-known examples of this raga.
For heart ailments Raga Chandrakauns is considered very helpful. Certain other prominent ragas for relaxation and easing tension are Raga Tilak-kamod, Hansdhwani, Kalavati Durga etc. They evoke a very pleasing effect on the nerves. For patients suffering from insomnia who need peaceful sonorous sleep, Raga Bihag and Bahar have a wonderful effect.
Ragas are closely related to different parts of the day according to changes in nature and development of a particular emotion, mood or sentiment in the human mind. Bhairav is sung an hour before dawn, Ramkali at dawn, Vilavali at sunrise, Sarang at noon, Nata and Malava in the afternoons, Gaudi in the evenings, Kalyan at night, Kedara, Chandra and Bihag late in the night.
Music therapy treatment is conducted either early morning, evening or night. One should avoid long music sessions on an empty stomach. Music sessions should be of one-hour duration with two or three short sessions with breaks.