Gong baths run every fortnight at 5pm and 7pm. They are £10/session. Everything is provided and you only need to bring a cushion for your head and there are spares. As the weather drops we will have underfloor heating and will switch to candlelight at the end of September. There is information on what to expect in a gong bath under the heading Sound Healing.
Regular attendees of the gong baths who never miss a session say that it has helped them feel more relaxed, sleep better, reduce migraines, help with depression and they have credited the gongs with pain management and a host of other ailments. But there is also an aspect that they cannot quite describe - something more healing and profound. There is now more and more scientific and metaphysical evidence in support of this ancient healing practice.
Stress in any form (physical, mental or emotional) activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers the release of hormones such as adrenaline (the “fight or flight” response) and cortisol, which directly impacts blood pressure, blood glucose, immune function and inflammation. Exercise and physical work allows the body and muscles to use the hormones but increasingly we are in jobs that mean we are office bound and sitting for large parts of the day. Stress needs movement to be released and the gongs are highly vibrational instruments whose resonance can be felt throughout the body, thereby moving energy within us. Stress can chronically activate the nervous system, thereby releasing an excess of circulating hormones and creating dysfunctions within the body.
The vibration of a gong is a powerful method for reducing stress. A Gong Bath creates an ocean of sound that is profoundly relaxing and in this state the parasympathetic nervous system is activated to balance the over-amped, over-taxed sympathetic nervous system. 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 meditative state in the mind, resulting in a sense of expanded awareness and wholeness.
Gong master and Kundalini yoga teacher, Don Contreaux, who is in his 46th year of gong healing and teaching says and who was my teacher says, “The sounds from the gong travel from the outer ear throughout the body via the vagus nerve—impacting brain waves, respiratory rate and heart rate. Sound enters the healing equation from several directions: It may alter cellular functions through energetic effects; it may entrain biological systems to function more homeostatically; it may calm the mind and therefore the body; or it may have emotional effects, which influence neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, which in turn help to regulate the immune system—the healer within.”
The wisdom traditions teach that illness is a symptom of imbalance, or dissonance rather than resonance. Sound energy healing focuses on creating vibrations that improve overall health and wellness. Contreaux adds, “Gongs open up your chakras and often release a lot of blocked energy, much like acupuncture or massage can do – it really is a sound massage.”
A gong bath is excellent therapy for depression, fatigue, feelings of separation, loneliness, anger, fear, hostility and many other conditions caused by a lack of balance and harmony in the body and mind. According to Contreaux, “A Gong Bath is the most powerful form of holistic resonance known to man.”
It is an experience that is definitely worth having and a gong bath is as scientifically sound as it is mysterious. It requires nothing but receptivity in order to be fully experienced, but it must be experienced in order to be understood.
Previous gong baths: August 4th & 18th, Seeptember 1st & 15th
My two teachers: Aidan McIntyre and the vnerable Master Don Conreaux. Dorset 2013
