Sound meditation is the use of sound as a tool to cultivate and support deep relaxation. Ultimately, the purpose is to create a gentle, yet powerful, experience that heals the body, clears the mind and helps rein your attention to the present. Switch off your mind and tune into yourself.
There are thousands of scientific studies that prove the health benefits of meditation – it’s indisputable. Research has found that it decreases anxiety, reduces stress, increases efficiency, decreases depression, improves memory and reduces both physical and psychological pain.
Physiological benefits include a reduction in heart rate, cortisol, lactate, epinephrine and blood pressure, and an increase in melatonin, skin resistance and blood flow to the brain. On the benefits of music more broadly, a review of 400 research papers has shown that listening to music has been found to reduce levels of stress and improve the body’s immune system function. Research has also found that binaural beats – two tones played in unison at slightly different frequencies, have been found to enhance mood states and reduce anxiety levels.
Where traditional meditation requires focus and an effort to stay present, sound meditation allows the participant to stay passive and be led by the sounds and vibrations. Tuning out can be quite difficult in standard meditation – in sound meditation it’s easy to get out of your head.
Researchers have found that sound waves affect the human nervous system and decrease blood pressure more than traditional meditation does, and one study found that a low-frequency stimulation improved sleep and decreased pain in people with fibromyalgia, which allowed almost three quarters of participants to reduce their pain medication.
“I had the best sleep in months afterwards” – Heather, VIC
Further, a study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine in 2016 examined the effects of sound meditation classes, specifically Tibetan singing bowl meditation, and found participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue and depressed mood compared with the pre-meditation participants.
The study added that “Tibetan singing bowl meditation may be a feasible low-cost low technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well-being.”
Hosted throughout Melbourne, sound meditation classes at Mirosuna use Tibetan and Alchemy singing bowls to create powerful, long-lasting harmonic tones. These have been used for centuries by Buddhist monks in their meditation practice.
Mirosuna’s goal throughout your sound meditation is to switch the frequency of your brain waves to allow you to drift off in a dream-like state to achieve the maximum levels of deep relaxation.
We understand that it’s hard to find the time to factor another ‘to do’ into the already frantic lives you lead – but the benefits you’ll receive in sound meditation far outweigh the time it takes out of your day. See my Beginners Guide to Sound Meditations here.
”I left feeling nurtured, relaxed & this has stayed with me since.” – Ashleigh, VIC