Life, yoga and other adventures

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Monday 14 September 2015

Good vibrations

yogafreedom.co.uk
I've recently experienced several different ways to work with sound in a therapeutic sense. I've done a little more chanting, lain in a yurt to the accompaniment of a didgeridoo and been to several gong baths. This weekend, I took part in a gong relaxation with Carrie-Anne and Kenny from Yoga Freedom, which was, as always, wonderful. They have a 36in Symphonic, 28in Jupiter and a 24in Uranus gong.

Carrie-Anne says: 'Sound healing works holistically by helping to bring back a state of natural balance; as vibrations of sound pass through the body on a cellular level, the body begins to heal itself. The sounds of the gongs allow your mind to relax completely due to the fluidity of sound they produce allowing the mind to drift on the vibration, leaving nothing for the mind to attach to.

'On arrival at a gong bath, you can either remain seated or choose to lie down on a soft floor; you may wish to cover yourself with a blanket for comfort. The eyes would normally be closed to allow the body to relax completely as the gong and singing bowls are played.

'As the sound waves pass through you, you may feel as though you lose all sense of your physical body or gravity. You will experience shifts in consciousness similar to that of deep relaxation or sleep. Time seems to stand still as a sense of inner peace takes over.'

I've always found music in all its forms to be a powerful medium and mood-changer, but working with sound itself is extraordinary, and I urge you to try it if you have the chance.


7 comments:

  1. Not heard of this before, but I think it's good to try everything. Relaxation often comes from new opportunities

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    1. Maria, it really is an extraordinary thing. You just lie there and let the sound wrap itself around you. Sometimes it's energising, sometimes it makes me sleepy, but I always feel something.

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  2. I need to do this! I'm all stressed out over the next four days--way too much interacting with strangers and going into scary situations! I've been reading up on how you can close your eyes and focus on a shape while also focusing on your breathing...and by doing that, you can actually force your body into a calmer state, even when you're doing something that terrifies you.

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    1. Yes, Stephanie, something as simple as closing your eyes for a moment and just saying to yourself 'I breathe in, I breathe out' can work wonders. I hope you get through these stressful days and emerge unscathed on the other side.

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    2. I did--thank you so much for the advice!

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  3. It is true. The gong sound does produce a difference to the body. So does the Brahmi sound while exhaling (in Yoga)

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  4. Is that the bee breath? Yes, I love that, too.

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