Welcome Sleep

Sometime back I was going through a very stressful phase. It got to be so bad that I couldn't sleep nights. Though I tried to deny the fact that i was turning into an insomniac. There were times when all I could think of was sleep and when i did lie down I couldn't. It started taking a toll on my health. That was when I finally accepted that I required treatment. It was a toss between taking sleeping pills or an alternate therapy. I decided to take the alternate route. I had read about and attended Pt. Shashank Katti's music therapy programme. It was here that I came to know how sitar (a stringed instrument made famous by Pt.Ravi Shankar) can be used therapeutically. Panditji was doing a lot of research in music therapy and was also administering it. On meeting him, he advised me to use his CD on insomnia. (Manufactured by Guru Ganesh cassettes and CDs under the title Sur Sanjeevan.) The concept and music therapy is administered by Pandit Shashank Katti himself under medical guidance of Dr. Himalaya Pantvaidya M.D and ayurvedic guidance of Vd. Sanjay Chhajed M.D. The first time I listened to this CD I needed to listen to the full CD before I finally slept. After that I was sleeping better and within a couple of days I could sleep within 5mins. of playing the CD. Not only did I sleep better I would wake up alert. There was no sluggishness. I didn't need 8-10hrs sleep. The 5-6 hrs were refreshing. I would look forward to my day. It was really a weight off my chest so to say. After taking this therapy, I really got interested in this therapy because it's non invasive. There are no side effects. Music is never bad for anyone. As panditji told me and which I agreed to in Hindi our music is called Hindustani shashtriya sangeet..... which when translated in English actually means Indian scientific music. In earlier times there was a solid ayurvedic base to our music. Thats why the particular timings maintained for renditions of different raags. It's a very interesting and path breaking therapy. Panditiji not only gives therapy for insomnia but also for different ailments like High BP, Diabetes, Asthama, Arthritis, Depression, pain relief,also for increasing concentration in students. Panditiji has a lot of success stories to tell. He has also done research in pre mature babies. Music therapy for pregnant women and during labour. Seeing is believing as is said.... and in my case listening to music therapy turned me into a believer. After my experience I recommended this therapy to a friend who had high BP and his BP which for months had been high got back to normal.With the National Seminar for music therapy coming up on the 9th September I thought I should write about this therapy, to create awareness.