Finding Rhythm: Inside the Music Therapy Session with Simran Ayanna - Adaiyalam'26 Chennai Mental Health Fest

Music therapy sits at a curious intersection (part science, part art) and few people embody that combination as naturally as Simran Ayanna, founder of Airaanah and a postgraduate in Medical Music Therapy. This session marked her first big outing with the initiative, and it showed in the best way: careful, warm, and genuinely experimental.

The session opened with something deceptively simple: an exploration of body percussion, the idea that any part of the body capable of producing a beat can become an instrument. For the next while, the only instrument in the room would be the body itself. Participants were split into four groups, each tasked with creating a sound they could play together using nothing but their bodies. What started as an icebreaker quickly became one of the most genuinely enjoyed parts of the session, with each group finding its own rhythm — literally.

The next activity shifted from movement to reflection. Two songs were played, and participants were asked to sit with the lyrics (really listen) before drawing or expressing whatever the song stirred in them. The prompt wasn't what does this song mean, but how do you connect to it. The song choices spanned a wide emotional range: from the high-energy hits of Anirudh and Honey Singh to the calmer, more introspective work of Yuvan and Iqbal. Moving between them took the room through a genuine rollercoaster of emotions like joy, calm, and quiet serenity, often within the space of a few minutes.

Along the way, Simran made a point that reframed much of what the session had already shown: music therapy isn't just about soft, instrumental, calming music. It's about connection — however that connection happens to sound for each individual. The session closed with a ten-minute guided imagery exercise, leaving participants in a deep, unhurried state of tranquility and a quiet, grounded end to a session that had covered a surprising emotional range in a short time.