Drums, Love and the Heart

The sound of drums has often been likened to the beating of a heart and vice versa. In fact, when we think of drumming (especially with regard to the bongos, conga, djembe, and other hand-beaten drums), we often simultaneously think of passion. The passion those drums conjures in our minds is usually of a loving and/or spiritual nature, giving it qualities of strength and endurance. It is perfectly natural for our minds to think of those things, as drums, love, and the heart are closely related.

Drumming, like love, has been shown to have wonderful effects upon our hearts. Most notably, it helps reduce stress levels, lessening the likelihood of stroke and cardiac arrest. In addition to lowering stress, drumming also reduces anxiety and lowers blood pressure. All of this gloriously affects the heart, since that muscle takes on a lot of strain when we are going through difficult times. Besides having an impact upon the mind that leads to lowered anxiety and the health benefits that come with it, drumming is a physical exercise that has a cardiovascular edge to it. You won’t lose weight beating on your bongos, but you will get your blood flowing a bit better. That’s a definite advantage.

While we’re thinking about how great drumming is for our physical hearts, we might want to take into consideration how it benefits our love lives, as well. While few people expect to hear a djembe rendition of “Let’s Get It On”, there is something to be said for tender emotions being expressed through hands beating on a drum. This applies to more than just personal love lives; we can show love for our communities, ancestors, and anyone else we choose to exalt for a few pulses of life. Drum circles are a way of transmitting those heart-healing vibrations to whole groups of people at once, drummers and audience alike.

When it comes to drums, love, and the heart, there is much to be said. Drums have an ability to transform our lives in ways that are largely unmatched. Through a drum, the aches, pains, and miseries of life can melt away. Whether the drum is helping mend our hearts using the power of love or the power of a strong beat, we can be carried away by it. Carried into a world that is not only a little healthier, but a world that is little kinder, as well.