A beginner guide to sound healing
Sound healing is a beautiful practice that combines numerous ancient instruments; like gongs, crystal singing bowls and Himalayan singing bowls to create a meditative journey of sound and vibration. It’s a very easy practice for people to experience and relax to, as it requires the receiver to simply lie down on a yoga mat with their eyes closed, while the practitioner plays the different instruments for around one hour at a time.
One of the benefits of this practice is the pure ease that it gives people to unwind and relax in a completely passive way. The sounds really do all the ‘work’ for you. As the sounds begin to play in the room, it’s common for people to quickly drift into a meditative state as soon as they close their eyes. This makes it a very accessible way to relax and restore the body from accumulated stress which is why this is becoming such a popular wellness experience.
The way sound healing affect us is not completely understood, but what has been hypothesised comes down to neuroscience and physics: the theories attempting to explain how sound healing works involve the impact of sound waves on the brain.
The scientific term for this is brainwave entrainment, a technology studied in the book ‘Super Brain’, co-authored by Deepak Chopra MD and the Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Rudi Tanzi.
Entrainment happens when the frequency of an external sound, vibration, or light wave — known as a periodic stimulus — synchronises with a frequency naturally produced in your brain. This synchronisation induces your brain it a specific state, such as a trance, enhanced focus, relaxation, meditation, or sleep.
When the external sound is a low frequency — like those produced by singing bowls and gong baths — the ‘frequency following’ response induces you into a deeply relaxed and meditative state. This is when your brain is literally operating at a slower pace compared to our normal, busy brain frequency of 13 to 30 cycles per second (Beta state). Our normal waking consciousness corresponds to the Beta state, which is our brain emitting waves between 13-30Hertz.
The feeling of relaxation and concentration is linked to the Alpha state, which sends waves between 8-13Hertz
Then we can go into Theta state (5-7Hertz), associated with Rapid Eye Movement and release of muscular spasms and energetic blockages.
Lastly, Delta state (0.5-4Hertz), emitting extremely low vibrations associated with deep sleep and other unconscious states.
To illustrate this frequency state, a lot of us tend to be on a full-on Beta state with a little dash of Alpha during the day, and if fortunate enough, a decent number of hours spent emitting Delta waves at night as you sleep.
We do not necessarily want 10 hours of Theta waving nevertheless, we all need considerably more time spent in Theta state, so that we are able to concentrate and relax on demand through Alpha waves.
Experiencing a sound bath will gently steer you through a meditative experience and lead your body into its Delta and Theta brainwave states.
INTERESTING GONG FACTS
The gong bath has been used for thousands of years to help facilitate shifts in brainwave state and vibrational frequency by listening to percussive instruments like gongs and tibetan singing bowls.
It is believed that the first gong was accidentally made over 4000 years ago.
A gong bath takes place on a mat, on the floor or on a thin mattress, using a blanket and pillows to ensure comfort and relaxation.
The gong has a great ability for internal healing.
The gong creates deep levels of mental calmness and harnesses positive vibrations.
It helps to reduce stress, anxiety, chronic pain and sleep disorders.
The sound of a gong helps the brain reach deep relaxation, creativity and natural healing.
Gong meditation is a powerful sonic practice that enables one to experience how it feels to step out of the reality we are all taught from a young age.
Gongs come in many different sizes, ranging from a few inches to about 84 inches.
Some gongs are symphonic, usually found in orchestras. Some are tuned to different planetary vibrations (all calculated by Swiss Musicologist and mathematician Hans Cousto), and some are more experimental sounding.
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Sources : Om Yoga magazine June 2018 , Science of sound meditation Find your Flows, Brainwave entertainment Huffpost.