^{The weather’s gonna change: a 3 minute guided musical meditation}

Singing Meditation

Singing meditation works for me. It can be a fun practice to sing this song acapella. I repeat the beginning melody phrase until I find a groove to sink into. Then, when I’m ready, I change the melody or rhythm in some way. I improvise for a while and then come back to the original melody and repeat. I can get out of my head and sing my heart out while exercising my lungs and feeling the vibration soothe my body. Singing is great breath work. Keep in mind that putting aside self-judgement is necessary. Listen to the recording, and sing along if you prefer. When you sing it alone acapella, you have the freedom to let the song unfold in a new way… your way in the moment. 

Singing in my Head

I can let myself fall into a song by singing out-loud. And I’ve learned that singing INSIDE my head comes in handy when I want to stay quiet, when I don’t have privacy, or I am too exhausted to exercise my lungs. “The weather’s gonna change” for me personally, is a grounding sound-track to my day… especially when something is troubling me or I’m feeling anxious. 

I’m reminded of the prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.“ 

Duo or group singing

It’s FUN to sing it with a friend or small group. Start by letting the repetitive, beginning melody ground you and sink into the groove… for as long as it takes. One by one, singers can trade off holding down the steady repeating melody and the next singer can explore singing a harmony, an alternate melody or percussive part. Get into a comfortable groove together, then try adding or changing a part, one person at a time. It’s ok if some parts are not “perfect”. Sometimes the off-notes help us get to the sweet ones. This is a good exercise for working on intuitive listening and improvisation and co-regulation with others. When a safe space has been created, this is a joyful activity! 

De-escalation tool

When the storm is dark, loud and scary, I use this song to comfort myself by listening to the recorded version on repeat. The first time, my brain is often still  racing and overwhelmed. I may not be able to “listen” right away. I just keep playing it. Get comfortable. Put my hand on my heart. And thankfully, after hearing it a few times, I can start to focus on one of the vocal parts or on the rain-like percussion. I get to decide in the moment where to put my attention and to BREATHE. When I lose focus, I remind myself to breathe and select something to follow in the song again. If I notice I’m judging myself, I remind myself to breathe and to change-the-channel… to a voice to follow in the song. This is an example of using mindfulness to de-escalate and calm down a brain in distress. The song accompanies me through the storm. The song takes me through feeling the impending storm, being in the eye of the storm and then getting through it. It takes gumption.

Contemplation – alone, or for small group discussion 

What does “the weather’s gonna change” mean to you? 

In your life, what does “the only constant is change” mean to you? 

Can I accept the weather instead of judging it for being “good” weather or “bad” weather? Can I watch the weather, instead of getting caught in a storm? Can I let the weather simply BE: “it is what it is”? If so, are there other areas in my life that I have no control over? Can I let them BE, and think of them like the weather? Noticing and watching the weather-symptoms instead of becoming the storm?

I have found it helpful to notice and get curious about the weather “on the inside”. Practicing mindfulness helps to prepare me. When I can notice signs of anxiety in my body… then I have a chance to change the channel or to take a pause or do something else I need in the moment.  It’s like noticing the clouds and rain drops and then dressing for the weather. (Or like wearing “dos pantalones” in the winter. LOL)

My body clues may include nausea, twitching, talking louder, intrusive thoughts, laboured breathing, palpitations, irritability, hunger, tight jaw or exhaustion, for example. What are your body clues? Sometimes I just cannot enjoy the things I used to and this is frustrating. Noticing doesn’t make my symptoms immediately disappear, but it can slow down potentially flooding emotions and prevent worse reactions and symptoms. It helps me to develop a tolerance for my symptoms. I can’t change my symptoms, but I can notice and choose which tools to best support me in the moment. It takes practice. And gumption. 

May this song be a musical guide to support you to get through the storm.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit”  
Yukon Minister Bev Brazier asks us: “So……how are the winds of the Spirit blowing in your life? “