NEWS
Man’s music is seen as a means of restoring the soul, as well as confused and discordant bodily afflictions, to the harmonic proportions that it shares with the world soul of the cosmos.
- Plato (Timaeus) (429-347 BC)
Sound Relaxation
I tried some of Healthy Tones' Sound Relaxation a few weeks back and I am now looking forward to another session. I've never experienced such a great feeling of relaxation.
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Here, Healthy Tones explain what it's all about. You can hear more music on Soundcloud & Bandcamp
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SOUND RELAXATION is a term I coined for the therapeutic application of sound to help relieve stress and anxiety and relax the body and mind. From a very young age, I was aware of the power of music and sound to invoke different states of mind and enhance our imaginations. From earliest civilisations, music and theatre was used to communicate new ideas and feelings around the community and my own experience in entertainment, through the writing, production and performance of various shows, at university and beyond, led me to understand how music and theatre can be great tools for education. After graduating in Biology from Oxford, I progressed in my studies by pursuing some yoga training. Combining my interest in health with my interest in music, I learnt about yoga and sound, and different ways that different cultures use sound as a centering tool, from experience with the American Indian Vision Quest to chanting Mantras in India, to singing Latin Chants in the Basilicas of Assisi.
I discovered that sound and music can be used to bring us back to ourselves. We already know this power, because I'm sure every one of us has turned on a CD or a music channel when we needed to find some comfort and found a song that spoke to us and brought us home, brought us some consolation at a difficult moment.
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A few years ago, the Director of the Anahata School of Yoga invited me to share some of my experience and knowledge of nada yoga (the yoga of sound) with her students, and this inspired me to start working more closely with Tibetan Sound Bowls, combined with some Chakra Chanting and Overtone Singing.
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As I started to share what I knew, and give individual sessions, some people noticed small improvements in their state of being after having a 'sound experience'. Some people with colds and sinus problems, noticed their headaches and sinuses clearing, some saw frozen shoulders easing. Others found some more long term energy problems improving after a sound session, and others just found themselves feeling more at peace than they had ever felt before. This was a very rewarding experience, but I do not believe it is connected with any special healing power.
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My understanding is that these sounds and combinations of sounds help to activate the deep relaxation responses of the body, by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, much like a hands-on massage would, helping people to naturally enter into a state of peace and well-being. This naturally relieves stress, and any bodily improvements are caused by the person being in a calm relaxed state. I believe anybody can work with sound as a tool to help relax their friends and families (as well as themselves) and help relieve some of the stress that can build up and cause states of dis-ease.
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I remember several years ago reading a scientific article that explained that each organ of the body resonated with a certain frequency when in a healthy state, and when it was unhealthy that frequency changed. The people who wrote the article said some studies had been done that showed when the frequency for the healthy organ was passed through the body at the appropriate point, that organ was reminded (or re-sounded) of its healthy state, and it started to balance itself.
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One day I believe sound will be the medicine of the future. In the meantime, I find that using the sound bowls and various sounds and tones, produces a state of relaxation that often helps people rebalance themselves from the stress of a busy life.
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Experiencing Sound Relaxation
To experience and learn more about Sound Relaxation, I give individual sessions, which last an hour and cost £40.
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Healthy Tones also offer training in Sound Therapy in Scotland to cover all aspects of Sound Relaxation, which will include learning to use the bowls, the voice and other instruments, as well as using sound for personal meditation, including some ancient chanting techniques for inner peace and greater awareness. For more details about the course or for booking individual sessions, please contact us on: soundissacred@hotmail.com
Sound therapy
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Sound therapists believe that our bodies contain 'energy frequencies' and that sonic frequencies can be used to reattune these energies when they go off key. All you have to do is lie down and bask in the tuneful beauty of 'pure' sound
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Testimaonials:
In November 2005 I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, only because no other reason could be found for my utter exhaustion, my inability to sleep and to function on a day to day basis.
I still continued to hold down a full time job, but it was very, very difficult and by early 2007 I had no life and was very down, utterly exhausted and almost at the point of giving up my job, selling my home and moving on to, I didn't know where to. In May 2007 I was told about a man who did “sound healing” and was then introduced to Healthy Tones. By the time we met, I had no life, was finding it increasingly difficult to hold on to my job, and I could barely look after myself.
I was sceptical about “sound healing” but I was at the stage where I knew I had nothing to lose in trying it out. I had my first session with Healthy Tones, and to be honest, I felt a fool lying down while hearing these various "sounds". After that first session I didn't feel any different, maybe a little bit disappointed that I wasn't able to run about. I slept that night for about 5 hours, and woke feeling optimistic and looking forward to my second session later that morning.
During my second session I became aware of "vibrations" within me and I suddenly felt a sensation shoot through my body. From that day on, I started to sleep better and to have more energy and as the weeks passed my life and health improved to the point that I was able to go out walking, do housework, to stand and cook, and to also have a social life. Since those first two sessions I have received a further 4 “sound healings” and my health continues to be good. I know I will never regain the energy and stamina that I had previously, but I do have a life now that I feel has been given back to me. I feel joy in life again and I know it is through this wonderful “sound healing”. I do bless the day Healthy Tones entered my life.
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Aileen Petrie
Haddington