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DJs have often had a (sometimes deserved) reputation for being a fast-living bunch of people.

Loud music, partying, and jet-setting around the world might sound like fun, but it’s hardly a healthy lifestyle. And so the idea of DJing for well-being and mindfulness might cause you to raise an eyebrow.

But the truth is that DJing nowadays has moved on a long way. No longer something done only by modern-day rockstar types, now it is also an absorbing—and yes, healthful—hobby for millions.

Perhaps its popularity is no surprise. It is easier and cheaper than ever to grab an app or a cheap piece of equipment and start DJing with simply a subscription music service (no need to even download tracks any more). This removes so many of the barriers to entry that have always existed around this hobby. As the CEO of a big DJ school, I see students every day express themselves through DJing in similar ways to this, and it excites me to observe how many ways people manage to fit DJing into their lives, invariably improving them.

But in what ways does this happen? Firstly, I strongly believe that anything artistic—that involves creating rather than consuming, in other words—is good for the soul. Better to spend your spare time engaging with music than browsing on Amazon!

However, when it comes to DJing in particular, I believe that music has a net positive effect on people. It calms us, it inspires us, and it connects us to the spiritual. And DJing offers accessible engagement with music beyond just listening, because you don’t need any formal musical training or knowledge to do it. Playing music and engaging with that music through DJing relies on feel, and in short, if you like music (and especially if you like dancing to it), you’ve got what it takes to “do” DJing.

Not only that, but it is by definition a “team game” because DJing makes much more sense when there are other people engaged with what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter how many—could just be your family and friends or a wider audience. But the truth is that anything that connects us with other people helps to combat introspection and loneliness, things that cause so many issues for so many people.

Furthermore, as we see over and again with our students, there’s something about the actual act of DJing that encourages a state of mindfulness. DJing involves lots of small creative decisions, which are made seconds or minutes apart. Not only what song to play next, but what to do with the song that’s currently playing to improve your audience’s experience of it. This concentration on the here and now strongly encourages that sought-after “flow state,” that feeling that you’re in the zone with something and that time is flying by. It’s no surprise at all that many stressed people nowadays DJ at home just to unwind at the end of a hard day.

However, as a DJ school that formally teaches all of this, we see an even wider way that DJing encourages self-growth. Because DJing involves a range of tasks when it’s done properly, it engages many ways of thinking and encourages many types of action way beyond the creative and skilful side of it (that is to say what you actually do on the equipment).

There’s the technical side, understanding all the software and gear—the “left-brain” stuff. Then there’s learning to appreciate the culture, which connects with where the music comes in—what you choose to play, why, where you get it from, and so on. But there’s also a strong incentive to deal with imposter syndrome, to prioritise progress over perfection, and to lean boldly into the mild discomfort of performance, which all invariably help one to grow as a person.

And what’s beautiful about DJing and the way it’s done nowadays is that a lot of this engagement can be on your own terms. Only want to do it at home? You can use live streaming platforms to reach an audience without having to be there in person. Not a fan of “real time”? You can make and share DJ mixes on online platforms and find an audience that way. Like the idea of creating something new out of the songs you love? Today’s DJ equipment lets you move way beyond just playing the music and instead lets you engage with it in ways that couldn’t have been done even a couple of years ago. Now your “right brain” is in full flow.

So while DJing has sometimes rightfully had a reputation as being something that you’re going to pay for down the line (after a “lost decade” of partying or whatever), actually nowadays there is a lot to say for it as a healthy, absorbing, and engaging hobby, that—I can tell you from my own experience and that of my students—can offer you huge benefits for your well-being and mindfulness.

Oh, and it is also likely to win you instant kudos among your family and friends, which is an added bonus!

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