Didgeridoo

One of my favourite sounds is the deep and mysterious sound that the didgeridoo makes; it’s very primal and it appeals to the same side of me that relaxes whenever I hear OM. The above shot is one of many photos that I took while in Central Park in New York City. Central Park is constantly alive with activity, weirdness, performers and such. However, when I heard the didgeridoo I immediately honed in on it.

One of my favourite memories of India came after the Holi Festival when a large group of westerners were all sitting atop a building in Orchha. We sat quietly and listened to the sound of one Australian play the didgeridoo as the sun set. The surreality of the moment was only enhanced by the fact that the streets below were quiet; an oddity in India (especially during a festival). It was like the world paused to listen to the didgeridoo.

I recently found this interesting study published by the British Medical Journal on sleep apnea. The findings in the study suggest that consistently playing the didgeridoo helps people who suffer from sleep apnea reduce both their snoring and breathing problems. Apparently, in playing the didgeridoo you are strengthening muscles in the upper airway and in doing this keep them from collapsing during sleep.

This is especially good news for us because La Niña suffers from sleep apnea and I’ve now decided that instead of enrolling her in violin or flute lessons that we will be travelling to Australia to learn the didgeridoo. This also means that Rob the Neighbour could have competition whenever he is playing the bagpipes — or perhaps they can play together. I’ve never heard the didgeridoo or bagpipes in concert together; it could be an interesting combination.