namaskaaram: a lovely topic for discussion! listening to music with some awareness helps a lot to gently persuade the listener through moods, even provide some healing and therapeutic effects to the mind and thereby the body -- i do firmly believe so, and keep reconfirming that blissful effect of music now and then! start the day, for eg., with a well rendered bilahari (or, thilak kambhoj, if you may) and bhoopalam to follow (bhoopalam and then bilahari, if you so choose): you have a cheerful, peaceful, at the same time, brisk start for the morning/the day. do listen to a little bit of music at short breaks right through the day, amidst your activities, choosing from raaga's and vocal or instrumental renderings to suit your moods and requirements (including all types and forms of music, as per your own perceptive skills and tastes -- all music has great power; i talk of indian classical, mainly carnatic, because of the intimacy i have with that kind of music over the years, though i listen to and like other forms, too): and, see the effect, unfailing, rewarding! when you want to contain some ecstasy, not immediately share the joy of a great news received for some reason, try gowrimanohari or keervani: and, when you are in good company, try kadanakuthoohalam and kundalavarali. relax in the evenings with mohanam (flute, nagaswaram, and wind instruments ideal!), saramathy followed by kapi and behag and sindhubhairavi......there is an ocean out there. i shall be grateful for more discussions on this: i have written the few lines, thoughts, above based on my experience, somewhat corroborated by views from a small band of music loving friends (some of them totally devoted to music - listening with missionary zeal!)...i am also trying to do some "research" at my own level, on the combination of music with meditation, reiki, simple chanting of sloka's and some mantra's: i see great potential in all this. i am grateful to the friends who initiated this discussion (Sri/Smt IraLakshmy and Sri/Smt RVR) -- rj