Drumming offers many benefits, especially playing with other people, life has become so busy that we often don’t take time to relax, and if we do we think about what we should be doing instead of relaxing and as a result we forget to enjoy the moment. Playing the drums creates a state of being in the moment, the mind ceases its travels into the past and future, in fact I’ve noticed that if you think about what your hands are doing while playing the drums, you lose the rhythm. ‘Thinking’ takes you out of the moment.
Playing the drums gives you the freedom to live in the moment.
This obviously leads to relieving stress because you stop worrying about the past and the future, and it is also true that playing the drums helps release endorphins, which are our “feel good” hormones, reducing pain and stress. Often the life we lead and the food we eat do not favour the balance of biorhythms (bodily functions regulated by our internal clock), the interruption of our natural rhythms can lead to health problems. When we can’t sleep, it’s often because our mind won’t stop thinking, we get stressed about yesterday and tomorrow. So drumming can give your mind the rest it needs and remove some stress from your life, strengthening your immune system and filling you with positive emotions.
Drum/percussion circles bring people together and this builds a sense of community, the circle becomes a place where people can feel good and feel connected. In this way it can improve listening skills and empathy for others. The idea is to play together, to make music together, therefore you have to listen to the people around you so you can become part of the sound and join the rhythm, in the best way possible.
The drum/percussion circle should be a safe place, there is no judgement, everyone does their best to listen and participate. The rhythms don’t have to be complicated, in fact they shouldn’t be because simplicity gives everyone the chance to take part, whatever their level. It’s not about proving how good you can play the drums, but simply about being part of the music, the rhythm, a part of the whole. Once you are in that zone, it can become a very profound spiritual experience because you connect not only with the other members of the circle but also with universal rhythm, you connect with the rhythm of your body, nature and life.
Above all playing the drums is…
Great Fun!