Gong baths: what they are
The sounds and songs have always accompanied the most ancient cultures of all latitudes during special celebrations.
The use of singing and musical instruments has been an important part of achieving states of recollection, to celebrate joy and, in general, has found use in many passing rituals, to emphasize certain feelings and induce particular emotional and physical conditions.
Think of the sung masses, the mantras of Buddhism and yoga, the sound of drums and other percussion instruments in popular cultures.
The church bells themselves constitute a musical and vibrational instrument to induce, and communicate, certain states in the listener.
The Gong baths consist of sessions of total immersion in the sound produced by these metallic plates, sometimes of very large dimensions, used in ancient times in oriental cultures to accompany meditation and religious ceremonies, and now also discovered by Western populations.
The purpose and result of listening to the sound of Gong, and therefore of immersion in a Gong bath, is the induction of the state of deep and total calm that invests body and mind. Taking part in a Gong bath allows you to overcome stress, soothe tensions, and get in touch with yourself and your inner life.
Many Buddhist temples accompany prayer sessions to the sound of gongs and bells.
During a Gong bath you find yourself immersed in these sounds that produce low-frequency waves, very close to the frequency that the brain waves emit when you are in a state of deep meditation, total calm and in moments of transition between sleep and the vigil, in that particular interregnum in which one is aware of the reality outside of us but also in contact with one's own unconscious and instinctive part .
Gong baths, how they work
The Gong bath occurs in a quiet place, often in groups of people, lying down or otherwise in a relaxed position, so that this sound wave can "wet" the whole body in conditions of rest and openness and availability.
The duration varies from half an hour to 60 minutes . There is usually a moment of recollection before, and after, and can be followed by a sharing of the experience.
The percussion of the Gongs, slow and rhythmic, punctuated by moments of brief silence, is performed with respect and reverence: one does not play the gong frantically, but expects that the vibration of the sound is exhausted slowly and with its own time, before playing a new note or a set of notes, the body and mind are given time to absorb their vibration .
The Gong bath is an experience that involves every muscle : the body is made up of water, and the water inside the body of each of us vibrates on the same frequencies as the notes played by the Gongs used. The body is massaged by the vibrations that invade the air, and suffers, so much when the mind, of the well-being that comes from resonating and tuning in with their frequencies.
Gong baths, in addition to relaxing, allow access to parts of your psyche that are hidden and little frequented: memories can re-emerge, or images can appear, you can have thoughts of all kinds, and insights about problem solving. It is believed that the gong baths bring to the surface even past traumas, which revitalize the innate joy that dwells in each and which life has led us to bury, and which therefore allows us to heal .
For those who participate with availability and openness, Gong's bath is a therapeutic tool in which the body massaged by sound relaxes and silences the logical mind, limiting beliefs and the automatic mechanisms by which experiences are answered.
This allows us to draw on a wider range of more constructive, more intuitive solutions and thoughts .
The Gong bath is an experience that can move much from an emotional point of view, so it is important to be prepared and confident, welcoming towards the experience, willing to let go, and be accompanied by operators who know how to play the Gongs according to the situation in which they operate.
