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One of the seven day Kwanzaa holiday involves the singing of Kwanzaa music on the Kwanzaa feast. Singing or playing of Kwanzaa music is a way to commemorate the Kwanzaa holiday. The Kwanzaa music covers everything from the informative lyrics on the history and origin of Kwanzaa holiday to the educative sing-along lines in African languages. There are lots of sing-along Kwanzaa music for children and adults.

Kwanzaa music are composed by both African and non-African artiste. Most Kwanzaa songs, are played with the use of African instruments like the talking drums and rattles. Here are some interesting Kwanzaa songs and music.

Kwanzaa Theme Song

Chorus
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
This is a song about Kwanzaa (Kwanzaa)
This is a song about Kwanzaa (Kwanzaa)
This is a song about Kwanzaa (Kwanzaa)
This is a song about Kwanzaa (Kwanzaa)

Verse 1
This is a message for everybody
You, your bredren, your sistren and your family
The word Kwanzaa means First Fruits in Kiswahili
It’s a special time for you and for me
It’s from December 26th to the first of January
But we have to live it out daily-lee-lee-lee (Everyday)
A time to reaffirm our values and our identity
And fight the negative results of slavery
It’s start was 1966 by Maulana Karenga
I tell you that ya man he is a professor
He teaches Black studies inna California
The roots of Kwanzaa come from Afrika
We the Afrikans living in the diaspora
We pull upon this energy so we can prosper
That’s the Seven Principles called the Nguzo Saba

Principle number 1 - UMOJA
Principle number 2 - KUJICHAGULIA
Principle number 3 - UJIMA
Principle number 4 - UJAMAA
Principle number 5 - That’s the one NIA
Principle number 6 - KUUMBA
And number 7 you see, is called IMANI

Chorus
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
You know that Kwanzaa (Kwanzaa)
Is for the people (People)
So let us tell you (Tell you)
About the symbols (Symbols)

(Repeat)
The place mat is the MKEKA
The candle holder is the KINARA
The 7 candles, the MISHUMAA SABA
The Unity cup, KIKOMOBE CHA UMOJA
The gifts that that we give are the ZAWADI
The corn is the children, it’s the MUHINDI
The fruits and veggies are the MAZAO
The BENDERA YA TAIFA are the colors that flow
Before the 7 days of celebration are through
We all have a feast called the KARAMU

Chorus
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa
(Repeat)

by Okera Ras I. Copyright 1994

Listening to music does wonder to alleviate stress. Everyone has different tastes in music. We should listen to the music that makes us feel comfortable. Sitting down and forcing yourself to listen to relaxation music that you don’t like may create stress, not alleviate it. Music is a significant mood-changer and reliever of stress, working on many levels at once.

The entire human energetic system is extremely influenced by sounds, the physical body and chakra centers respond specifically to certain tones and frequencies. Special consideration should be given to the positive effects of one actually playing or creating music themselves.

Among the first stress-fighting changes that take place when we hear a tune is an increase in deep breathing. The body’s production of serotonin also accelerates.

Playing music in the background while we are working, seemingly unaware of the music itself, has been found to reduce the stress of the workplace. That’s why so many retail places play music while you shop - to take your mind off the high prices!

Music was found to reduce heart rates and to promote higher body temperature - an indication of the onset of relaxation. Combining music with relaxation therapy was more effective than doing relaxation therapy alone.

Many experts suggest that it is the rhythm of the music or the beat that has the calming effect on us although we may not be very conscious about it. They point out that when we were a baby in our mother’s womb, we probably were influenced by the heartbeat of our mother. We respond to the soothing music at later stages in life, perhaps associating it with the safe, relaxing, protective environment provided by our mother.

Music can be one of the most soothing or nerve wracking experiences available. Choosing what will work for any individual is difficult, most will choose something they ‘like’ instead of what might be beneficial.

In doing extensive research on what any given piece of music produces in the physiological response system many unexpected things were found. Many of the so-called meditation and relaxation recordings actually produced adverse EEG patterns, just as bad as Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.

The surprising thing was many selections of Celtic, Native American as well as various music containing loud drums or flute were extremely soothing. The most profound finding was any music performed live and even at moderately loud volumes even if it was somewhat discordant had very a beneficial response.

As we mentioned before, there is not a single music that is good for everyone. People have different tastes. It is important that you like the music being played. I recently picked up a rest and relaxation CD at Wal-Mart that has done wonders for me. It has the sounds of the ocean in the background while beautiful piano music plays. It’s very soothing.

One notes here, it’s probably not a good idea to play certain types of ballads or songs that remind you of a sad time in your life when you’re trying to de-stress. The reason is obvious. You’re trying to relax and wash away the anxious thoughts. The last thing that you need is for a sad song to bring back memories you don’t need anyway.

Here are some general guidelines to follow when using music to de-stress.

• To wash away stress, try taking a 20-minute “sound bath.” Put some relaxing music on your stereo, and then lie in a comfortable position on a couch or on the floor near the speakers. For a deeper experience, you can wear headphones to focus your attention and to avoid distraction.
• Choose music with a slow rhythm - slower than the natural heart beat which is about 72 beats per minute. Music that has repeating or cyclical pattern is found to be effective in most people.
• As the music plays, allow it to wash over you, rinsing off the stress from the day. Focus on your breathing, letting it deepen, slow and become regular. Concentrate on the silence between the notes in the music; this keeps you from analyzing the music and makes relaxation more complete.
• If you need stimulation after a day of work, go for a faster music rather than slow calming music. Turn up the volume and DANCE! It doesn’t matter if you can actually dance or not. Just move along with the music and do what feels good. You’ll be shocked at the release you can feel!
• When going gets tough, go for a music you are familiar with - such as a childhood favorite or favorite oldies. Familiarity often breeds calmness.
• Take walks with your favorite music playing on the walkman. Inhale and exhale in tune with the music. Let the music takes you. This is a great stress reliever by combining exercise (brisk walk), imagery and music.
• Listening to the sounds of nature, such as ocean waves or the calm of a deep forest, can reduce stress. Try taking a 15- to 20-minute walk if you’re near the seashore or a quiet patch of woods. If not, you can buy tapes of these sounds in many music stores. This has been very calming for me - you should try it too!

1. When this mind thinks correctly, when it understands the truth, when the thoughts sent through the cerebra-spinal nervous system to the body are constructive, and these sensations are pleasant, harmonious.

2. We are related to the world within by the subconscious mind. The solar plexus is the organ of this mind; the sympathetic system of nerves presides over all subjective sensations, such as joy, fear, love, emotion, respiration, imagination and all other subconscious phenomena. It is through the subconscious that we are connected with the Universal Mind and brought into relation with the Infinite constructive forces of the Universe.

3. It is the coordination of these two centers of our being, and the understanding of their functions, which is the great secret of life. With this knowledge we can bring the objective and subjective minds into conscious cooperation and thus coordinate the finite and the infinite. Our future is entirely within our own control. It is not at the mercy of any capricious or uncertain external power.

4. All agree that there is but one Principle or Consciousness pervading the entire Universe, occupying all space, and being essentially the same in kind at every point of its presence. It is all powerful, all wisdom and always present. All thoughts and things are within it. It is all in all.

5. There is but one consciousness in the universe able to think; and when it thinks, its thoughts become objective things to it. As this Consciousness is omnipresent, it must be present within every individual; each individual must be a manifestation of that Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent Consciousness.

6. As there is only one Consciousness in the Universe that is able to think it necessarily follows that your consciousness is identical with the Universal Consciousness, or, in other words, all mind is one mind. There is no dodging this conclusion.

7. The consciousness that focuses in your brain cells is the same consciousness which focuses in the brain cells of every other individual.

Each individual is but the individualization of the Universal, the Cosmic Mind.

8. The Universal Mind is static or potential energy; it simply is; it can manifest only through the individual, and the individual can manifest only through the Universal. They are one.

9. The ability of the individual to think is his ability to act on the Universal and bring it into manifestation. Human consciousness consists only in the ability of man to think. Mind in itself is believed to be a subtle form of static energy, from which arises the activities called ‘thought, ‘ which is the dynamic phase of mind. Mind is static energy; thought is dynamic energy -the two phases of the same thing. Thought is therefore the vibratory force formed by converting static mind into dynamic mind.

10. As the sum of all attributes are contained in the Universal Mind, which is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, these attributes must be present at all times in their potential form in every individual. Therefore, when the individual thinks, the thought is compelled by its nature to embody itself in an objectivity or condition which will correspond with its origin.