GONG MEDITATION
Returning soon - Keep checking back - Updated 2023
WHAT IS it
Simply put, a gong meditation is a form of sound therapy used for relaxation, meditation and healing. The gong traces its roots back to the Bronze Age around 3500 bc and is believed to have been used for healing and transformation ever since. A gong meditation may also be referred to as a gong bath.
HOW DOES IT WORK
Stress in any form (physical, mental or emotional) activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. When the nervous system is chronically activated by stress, an excess of circulating hormones create dysfunctions like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, depression, insomnia, digestive disorders, autoimmune diseases and other maladies resulting from chronic inflammation.
The vibration of a gong creates an ocean of sound that is profoundly relaxing; a state which activates the parasympathetic nervous system to balance the over-amped, over-taxed sympathetic nervous system. Water has often been used as an analogy for the rippling effect of the gong’s vibrations, partially because our bodies are mostly made of water and water serves to conduct sound waves. The gong's sound waves and vibrations are heard and felt in each cell of our body. Typically, the listener’s heart rate slows, blood pressure drops and breath is restored to its natural rhythm. The gong induces a holistic resonance in the body and a spontaneous effortless meditative state in the mind, resulting in a sense of expanded awareness and wholeness.
Combining the healing sound of a gong with sacred intention assists one in rediscovering their divine spiritual being and the gifts that knowledge brings. During this time of self-discovery, transformation and healing occur as one allows the gong to play the universe.
Benefits-at-a-glance:
Deep relaxation as the mind releases feelings of stress
Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system
Strengthening of the immune system
Stimulated movement of prana or chi (life force energy)
A releasing of blocks and tension
Balancing of chakras and normal vibratory frequencies
Stimulation of the glandular and circulatory systems
Effortless meditation resulting in higher awareness and a state of consciousness condusive to healing
The listener only has to let go and let the sound of the gong do the work as it bathes the body, mind and soul. Just as we bathe or shower daily to cleanse the physical body of the “stuff” of the day, so too shall we meditate daily to cleanse the mind of what no longer serves us.
"Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for education of its virtue." Plato