BENEFITS OF LEARNING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: THE BANSURIPosted by himanshunanda.com on December 1st, 2020 All of us understand that we are living at a critical and crucial time for humanity. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we deal with our normal life. We are all trying to get used to the new normal. The pandemic has instilled a fear to touch or get in contact with our loved ones. This fear is justifiable, but it does not have to take over our entire life. In the present scenario when the financial situation is a little bleak, learning music might be the perfect antidote to all the ills. Learning music, especially an instrument has proven to be beneficial for people’s minds who have a stressful daily routine. Time is the essence of life. So the question is, how to take out time from your busy schedule to learn to play a musical instrument. It makes sense to do something your mind and body will thank you for. It’s become essential now for many people to learn to play music to remain sane and to stay positive during these challenging times. Besides, learning to play a musical instrument releases the happy compound in the body. This elevates the mood, makes the brain sharp and reduces stress. The gray matter volume in the brain and neural pathways also increase when a person learns to play an instrument. The added benefits are improvement in memory and abstract reasoning skills. Now the question comes; which musical instrument to learn from among the plethora of options available. Learning to play a musical instrument is no easy task. It requires dedication, time and effort over a period. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to master a musical instrument. There are various instruments to choose from, but the one that stands out is the Bansuri or the bamboo flute. Why is this one the best musical instruments to learn, especially during this pandemic? Some of the reasons are: 1) Health benefits of playing the flute are enormous, the main one being strengthening the lungs and lung capacity. 2) Flute playing exercises the diaphragm, abdominal and core muscles of the body. 3) Increases dexterity and hand coordination. 4) Calmness and relaxation increases as flute playing is like doing Pranayama (inhaling and exhaling of breath). 5) Reduces stress as flute playing takes the brain into a meditative state. Having selected the flute to learn, the most important thing next is to find a good teacher. Since most of the music classes are now online due to the pandemic finding good online flute classes for beginners is imperative. This can be challenging as there are so many people who claim to be flute teachers nowadays. The ideal flute teacher would provide the below advantages to an online flute class learner. 1) The teacher or Guru should be learned and from a good music background. 2) The teaching methodology should be structured to facilitate easy learning for both beginner and intermediate flute class students. 3) The teaching style should be lucid and easy to understand. 4) The teacher should have immense patience to teach to online beginner flute students. Considering the above, the most prominent name of a flute teacher/Guru that strikes is ShriHimanshu Nandaji. He comes from the impeccable lineage of Guru ShriHari Prasad Chaurasia. He was one of the earliest disciples of revered Guruji. ShriHimanshuNandaji’s mastery over the bansuri or bamboo flute is exceptional and he conducts online bansuri classes through his The Mystic Bamboo platform. He has a passion for teaching music and his beginner and intermediate online flute courses are very structured, providing an ideal platform for easy and sustained learning. So, one can commence on their musical journey to heal the body and please the soul. We can please family, our friends and ourselves when we play the flute. It can thus provide immense happiness to your loved ones. By Ravi Shankar. T Student of The Mystic Bamboo Academy Like it? Share it! More by this author |