"Sound is the medicine of the future”, by Edgar Cayce which introduces the topic of today pretty well. Sound has a powerful influence on our lives and it can be very therapeutic, helping us clear blockages, evade stress, and return to balance. We are going to be focusing on Gong baths and what the science behind them means in practice.
Everything has a vibrational frequency, including ourselves, so, this means that sound frequencies influence our emotions. That is why certain songs and types of music often trigger certain emotions in us. Sound healing, an ancient healing technique that uses sound frequencies to bring the body into a state of vibrational balance and harmony, also takes advantage of this. So, how does it work? In a Gong bath, you lie down on the floor, cover yourself with a cozy blanket and simply let yourself be lulled while we, the sound workers, play a series of instruments while you are allowed to bathe in the soothing sounds and vibrations.
A gong bath is an opportunity to take a moment for yourself. Within a very short time, you will be transported into a space of silence and inspiration.
Gong baths affect your bones, fluids, organs, muscles, and skin in ways that leave you better off than before. It is reported that with each gong bath, the vibrations of the gongs massage organs and muscles that are tense, stuck or blocked, promoting flow. This happens from the inside out: our bodies are mostly water, and the vibrations activate the fluids in your body to move into spaces it hasn’t before. This triggers a powerful healing response. It doesn't just work with the fluids in your body but also makes your bones vibrate. The bone vibrations create a basic response of hearing and feeling in your mind. By clearing this connection between feeling and hearing, a peaceful state is created. The benefits of sound baths range from physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. They include better sleep, reducing chronic pain and blood pressure, lowering cholesterol as well as the risk of heart disease. It has a balancing and clearing effect on the mind, leading to a new sense of purpose, well-being, calm and happiness. Deep relaxation is one of the most important and universal benefits of sound therapy. The sounds penetrate our system and bring it back into balance.
When it's over, a lot of people report it feeling like they’ve just been laying for a short 10 or 15 minutes, even though the gong bath lasts a whole hour, or even more in some cases! The gong bath takes away your sense of time. It is fascinating, amazing, and always different.