By: Kenny Kolter, Gong Meditation & Sound Healing

Why do people attend sound based meditations? Why are gongs and singing bowls becoming so popular? I get asked these questions quite a bit in my travels and, in my opinion, here’s why.

Our society on the whole is based on go, go, go. We are in constant motion heading to and from work, dropping kids off, running errands, grabbing a coffee or heading to a yoga class. Our society glorifies busy. I believe that there is a perception that the busier we are, the more important we are at home, at work etc. We seek approval and validation for our self-worth based on our own unique brand of productivity. I have friends/colleagues that are so busy we have to make an appointment just to have a fun catch up phone call.

My friend Kristin Brooks is self-employed, a mother of three and along with her husband Randall are the founders and core of the perpetually busy Bhakti House Band. Kristin recently told me “Randall and I had a day last week where we did absolutely nothing. It was a chilly day, we lit a fire, we napped on and off, we played with the kids, we barely got out of our PJ’s. I can’t remember the last time we as a family had a day like that.“  When was the last time YOU had a day that was just about you and your loved ones, being easy, fluid and relaxed ?

I believe sound based meditations and sound therapy are becoming more popular because people are finding the need to recharge and relax. It’s becoming essential in order to maintain good health both physiologically and mentally. From a recent online article from MN Network, “Various studies have shown that the use of low-frequency sounds can lessen the pain and anxiety associated with fibromyalgia, and the use of nature-based sounds can lessen the anxieties that arise when artery bypass graft patients are weaned off mechanical ventilation.”

So why gongs and singing bowls as a tool for meditation? Noted historian, antiquities expert and Sound Therapist Dr. Mitch Nur shares “The gong is a powerful and transformational instrument of sound, which has been used for ritual, ceremony, prayer, and meditation since the Bronze Age. Its sound is relaxing and calming, centering and energizing, transforming and healing. The gong resonates all the cells of the body simultaneously and is useful in resolving emotional and physical dissonance. “

Dr. Nur on the use of singing bowls – “Western uses include meditation, which has nearly 100 healthful benefits from stress reduction to increasing blood flow and lowering heart rate; to aiding the immune system and improvement for fibromyalgia and even psoriasis in patients who meditate. So, the mere act of listening to a Singing Bowl can be quite beneficial. Documented studies in Europe, show that the benefits of using Singing Bowls as a massage tool, coupled with their sound benefits, supports medical treatments for abdominal and digestive issues, heart conditions, damaged spinal discs and bone joints, and blood circulation issues. In Germany for example, they are used by qualified therapists in obstetrics, retirement and nursing homes, schools, speech therapy, and working with the handicapped and the care of the dying.”

So, I have an invitation for you. Slow down. Attend a sound based meditation and experience this for yourself. History and science are behind this method of relaxation therapy. This form of meditation is not associated with any religion or belief system; it’s simply based on sound. Who knows maybe by slowing down we can accomplish more, have greater satisfaction and maintain good health.

For more information: www.gongmeditation.com

Kenny’s Calendar for the Month of April:

1st – Sacred Sounds Meditation at Blue Anjou

2nd – Restorative, Reiki and Sound at Temple Road Yoga in Fort Worth with Angel Carithers-Brownlee

7th – Gong Meditation at The Dallas Yoga Center

8th – Restorative Yoga & Gong Meditation at Sacred Soul Yoga in Hurst with Lia Mata

9th – Double Gong Gonzo and Kriyas with Ashton Scally at Karmany Yoga Fort Worth

12th – Community Hospice of Texas Gong Meditation employee event

14th – Tibetan Bowl 101 at Karmany Yoga Dallas

15th – Gong Meditation ~ special event at The Dallas Yoga Center

18th  – Sacred Sounds Meditation at Unity Church Fort Worth

21st thru 23rd Yoga and Sound Healing retreat at  Retreat in the Pines with Theresa Mutchler Polley

28th – Gong Meditation at The Dallas Yoga Center

29th – Sound-Scapes: Yoga + Sound Healing At Sunrise & Sunset at The Sanctuary Yoga Room with Rebecca Butler