Meditation and musical creativity

Jimena Villegas appreciates the effect they have on her

“I read a book by a filmmaker who found that meditation helped him find new solutions when he felt stuck in the process of producing a movie. Though I work with music rather than film, the book inspired me to look for a chance to learn meditation, and my partner became interested as well. We searched the internet, and luckily we found an Acem Meditation course and signed up.”

Jimena Villegas was born in Argentina, but has been living in Spain for well over twenty years now. She and her partner José Alvarado must have been strongly motivated for the meditation course, which took place in Alicante, more than 300 kilometers away from their home town Cuenca.

An inspiring retreat

Both Jimena and José were delighted with the beginner’s course. They decided to take it one step further and signed up for a weeklong meditation retreat in the Pyrenees. The retreat also proved to be a good experience. Both of them enjoyed the long meditations and evening seminars and found that they deepened their understanding of the meditation process. They returned home with renewed motivation.

More open and creative

What are the effects of Acem Meditation in Jimena’s everyday life?

“Meditation reduces my nervousness a lot. I play the viola and often perform at various events—sometimes alone, sometimes with other musicians, and sometimes with a full orchestra. Once a week I conduct a family orchestra. When I perform, I am often nervous. Then it helps to meditate. Meditation also helps me become more creative and open to new solutions regarding how to perform a concert and how to let different parts of it work together.”

Coping better with challenges

Both Jimena and José now meditate daily and think it helps them a lot.

“I have three children from a former marriage and he has two. There are lots of things to organize. I have many activities and commitments and don’t have much spare time, but with meditation I manage to cope much better with all the challenges. The regularity of the habit makes it easier to organize our days—including finding time for meditation. Both of us feel meditation has become an important part of our lives.”

Nondirective meditation works well for me

The children have also come to appreciate what an important part meditation plays in Jimena’s life.

“Sometimes they tell me to go and meditate, because they notice that I am stressed. Many of my friends also notice that I have become less stressed and less nervous than before.”

Jimena has previously tried other forms of meditation, of the more directive type. “Acem Meditation is a nondirective kind of meditation, and that works much better for me.’’

Listen to Jimena play: