Sound Healing and Discovering Deep Relaxation

About a month ago I attended a course in Glastonbury on Sound Healing that quite simply dazzled me with its ability to relax the body, empty the mind and leave you feeling energised and completely at peace with the world.  Few things in life achieve this so i could not ignore it.

I will start at the beginning.  Back in April, I came across a work shop at Studio One called Sound Healing by Tony Nec.  It was a one day introduction to sound therapy instruments.  I had never heard of sound therapy although was aware from playing music in my massage room over the years how evocative a piece of music can be.  To find music that sends you into a state of relaxation is quite an art form as i have discovered.  Often the most beautiful classical CD will have one or two outrageously loud tracks which kind of ruin the mood when you feel yourself drifting off to another place!  Sound therapy is not "music" in this sense, it is the art of playing instruments like the Tibetan bowl, crystal bowl or drum which produce a certain state of relaxation in the mind and body.  That particular day on the course i warmed to Tony as he explained his background in Gregorian chanting and being told he could not sing by his music teacher at school.  Funny how he ended up as the head honcho of the Colour of Sound Institute. 



Crystal Bowl

Tibetan Bowl

His approach to introducing sound healing struck a chord with me. No pun intended.  First we loosened up by shaking ourselves, stretching,and  mobilising our joints.  There is nothing relaxing about launching into song in front of a group of strangers but i found myself "toning" quite happily.  The idea behind toning is that the body, from eastern philosophy, consists of 7 chakras or energy centres starting at your feet and ending up above your head.  We all know energy surrounds us day to day as we can feel energy deprived when we are staring at a computer screen for hours on end, in an airless environment or with certain people that leave us drained of energy.  Parts of the body can be affected too.   For example, stress can accumulate in the stomach area causing poor digestion and a stagnant energy in the solar plexus which covers the digestive system, autonomic nervous system, lower back and abdominal cavity.

The Sounds for each Chakra

 

The Chakras

So hopefully you can see the solar plexus chakra in yellow and its corresponding tone "oh" like go.  Imagine opening your mouth and making that sound at a certain pitch.  I was amazed that as we moved from the lowest sounding note at the root chakra up to the highest note in your crown chakra i could feel a definite change in my body.  Having started out quite cynical and apprehensive about this group "chanting", i could not believe how good i felt afterwards.  It only took a few minutes to tone the whole body and by the end i felt very relaxed, my mind was quiet and i was ready for the instruments with no apprehension or tension in my body.

It is interesting to look at some of these philosophies from the East as  means of relaxation in our fast paced world where everything is becoming instant. We all have our own ways of switching off but i can thoroughly recommend getting vocal.  You create this vibration in your body by creating the sounds which balance the body energetically, and physically.

From a more scientific perspective, sound is being used day- to -day in the medical world already.  Ultra sound is a sound so high that it is not audible to the human ear.  It is used in hospitals to see a baby foetus in the womb and by physiotherapists for injury treatment.  At the other end of the spectrum is the Infra sound which is incredibly low.  Sound is measured in Hz. Humans hear sounds with a frequency of between 20-20 000 Hz.  Ultra sound is above 20 000 Hz and Infrasound is below 20 Hz.  An elephant's range is 5-12 000 Hz while a dolphin's is 75-150 000 Hz.  This means that there are many sounds we simply don't hear as humans but they exist.  Infrasound through infrasonic therapy has been used in Japan to reduce pain, and help with headaches and migraines.  There have also been clinical trials on the affect music has on disease. Sound therapy plays a positive role treating the following conditions:

• insomnia
• chronic pain
• hearing difficulties
• depression
• stress (high BP etc)
• recovery from major ops

 

That one day work shop became a 4 day work shop in Glastonbury where i was introduced to the instruments properly.  I played a kaleidoscope of instruments from the Tibetan bowl, crystal bowl, tuning forks to drums, rattles and gongs.  It wasn't band practice! The most phenomenal feeling was having 16 drums being played close to your body.  The vibration runs down your entire spine.  Add in the booming gong and you have left this world entirely.  My particular favourite was during a rain ceremony where a multitude of instruments are played while you close your eyes.  The sounds play out a form of guided meditation by creating the gentle patter of rain falling, before it becomes a full on thunder storm.  As the rain gently recedes, the native American flute comes hauntingly across the room.  By that stage I was by a camp fire with the elders open to all their wisdom.  It was a beautiful moment.

I have begun to add a short sound healing experience at the end of a massage treatment for those who would like to receive it.  By all means, do ask me if i have not suggested it.  For pictures of the course and the instruments being played, please visit my facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Complete-Worx-Massage/469615179746536



 



If you would like to book a treatment, my contact details are 01491 577480 or vmansergh@hotmail.com.

Resources
Free Chakra Toning download:
http://www.healingsounds.com/