There are many benefits to attending a vibrational sound meditation concert. The first benefit is through the automatic relaxation response (proven by psychologist Dr Herbert Benson M.D.). This response is triggered at a certain threshold of relaxation when we engage in activities such as meditation. As a result, our breathing and heart rate slows down from the invoking of our parasympathetic nervous system. When deep relaxation is practiced on a regular basis, it has been even been shown in studies to strengthen the immune system. (NY Times 1986) The vibration from the Gongs travels through our body and the subtle movements of vibration can both ease tension in the underlying muscles and has the ability to create a body-wide sense of relaxation. If the body has experienced any injury, the relaxation of the surrounding muscles can help to reduce the inflammation and bring a reduction of pain to the affected area. In addition we can find a benefit of psychological relief due to problem solving resolution. As the instruments create their melodic overtones, these sounds naturally assist the mind through the REM dream state. The REM sleep state directly enhances our creativity and is a healthy way for us to relax and even relieve mental stress from the day. The REM state and dreaming has been proven to help us resolve difficult problems while we sleep using the subconscious mind. (UCSD.EDU 2009) There are even accounts of some entire great works such as films and books that have been mastered through translation of the author’s dreams. “Beatles legend has it that Paul McCartney composed the melody for “Yesterday” — the most-covered song in music history — in a dream one night in 1964. As Paul states, “‘I was living in a little flat at the top of a house and I had a piano by my bed. I woke up one morning with a tune in my head and I thought, ‘Hey, I don’t know this tune — or do I?’ It was like a jazz melody…. I went to the piano and found the chords to it, made sure I remembered it and then hawked it round to all my friends, asking what it was: ‘Do you know this? It’s a good little tune, but I couldn’t have written it because I dreamt it.’” (Huffington 2013)

Take a sound meditation journey with us this Friday and let the nature of sound be your new channel for the discovery in personal healing! –  See our upcoming events here

Sources:
Benson, Herbert. The Relaxation Response. New York: Avon, 1975. http://www.relaxationresponse.org

NY Times 1986. RELAXATION: Surprising Benefits Detected http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/13/science/relaxation-surprising-benefits-detected.html?pagewanted=all

UCSD.EDU 2009. Let Me Sleep On It: Creative Problem Solving Enhanced by REM Sleep – http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/archive/newsrel/health/06-09Mednick.asp

Huffington 2013. 8 Famous Ideas That Came from Dreams (Literally)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/16/famous-ideas-from-dreams_n_4276838.html