What happens while drumming?

Rhythm and music have been an integral part of our lives throughout history. Drumming has always been associated with spirituality, songs of worship, rites of passage, chants, and praise and has also been accepted as a healing strategy. Music and rhythm bond people together; it is a way of communication and of celebration. Our first experience with rhythm began safely within in our mother’s womb. The two heartbeat rhythms joined together creating a peaceful and calming song. Rhythmically we are most drawn to the patterns that emulate the ongoing dance of life–the heartbeat, ocean tides, lunar cycles, and the rise and fall of our breath. Instinctively, everyone knows how to drum and there is no right or wrong way to drum.

What is important is to follow your own rhythm and feelings. Therefore, drumming is something that, from the beginning, belongs to everyone. In earlier times drumming was used to welcome guests, to declare war, to mark territory and to keep people informed about events. Drumming is a universal language without words, which many cultures hold highly and even estimate to be holy. Through its many associations, drumming speaks to the individual and fulfills many tasks for the collective. Drumming and dancing belong to every range of life, from birth through weddings and up to death, connecting individual experiences to the whole.

Drumming has been used for generations. Drumming is good medicine. It captures our innermost senses and provides us with the gift of rhythm and personal expression. Drumming connects our mind, body and soul with the deeper rhythms of life. Rhythm and music allow us to share our intimate dialogue and speak with a common tongue.

Drumming is a powerful experience and most simply, it is FUN! It reminds us of the experiences of our childhood and allows us to view the world in a new light, with opportunities for growth.

Two Feathers – 2004.