The core of sound meditation lies in its secret to harness the intrinsic power of frequency and vibration, guiding participants toward more profound levels of consciousness and relaxation.

As the ancient Egyptians believed, ‘Music is the medicine of the mind.’

In the rich tapestry of ancient Egyptian culture, the sound played a vital role in their daily lives, from religious rituals to healing practices, as sacred vessels of healing energy.

There's 4 main ways that sound waves and sound baths affect our bodies:

• Sympathetic resonance

• Brainwave entrainment

• Frequency following response and

• Balancing left / right brain hemispheres

SYMPATHETIC RESONANCE

Resonance is by physics definition: the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object.

In simple terms this means that, a sound wave (frequency) that is similar to another weaker frequency can bring the weaker frequency into balance with the stronger frequency.

The cells of our bodies have their own vibrational patterns (or frequencies) and our bodies have areas of imbalance. These imbalanced areas have weakened frequencies. By applying a stronger frequency, we can balance the areas of our bodies and bring them back to their natural state.

BRAINWAVE ENTRAINMENT

Sound baths also work through entrainment, a law of physics. Entrainment is the predisposition that two oscillating bodies have whereby they will lock into phase so that they vibrate in harmony with one another. Entrainment occurs when two or more rhythmic cycles become synchronized.

Scientist Christian Huygens discovered entrainment in 1656. He put two unsynchronized clocks side by side and discovered that they gradually began to synchronize. The precision of this synchronization was so accurate that even mechanical intervention could not match it. Another example of this is when women's menstrual cycles sync up to each other if they spend a majority of their time together.

This same law applies to our brains. Brainwave entrainment is the brain’s electrical response to rhythmic sensory stimulation, such as pulses of sound or light. Another term for this is Frequency Following Response (FFR).

To sum this up, our brains respond to sounds via electrical responses and these responses ultimately become the things we see, hear, and feel.

FREQUENCY FOLLOWING RESPONSE

By using FFR, we can stimulate certain brainwaves that are linked to positive well being.

For example, when working with the 4–8 Hertz theta brainwave frequency, we can create positive changes. Theta is associated with both sleep and deep meditative states. Therefore, working with a 4–8 Hz sound pattern can be helpful in creating the sleep and meditative states which can help people with insomnia, stress, and anxiety.

Certain sounds will activate different brainwaves and can help manifest creativity, grounding sensations, relaxation, and more.

BALANCING LEFT / RIGHT BRAIN HEMISPHERES

The left brain hemisphere is known to correspond to reasoning and emotional objectivity. The right hemisphere is linked to creativity, intuition, and empathy.

Sound can help the two hemispheres of the brain to synchronize and can improve your health. Brain balancing with sound is referred to as ‘Hemi-Sync’ ® named by the Monroe Institute for the work of Dr. Robert Monroe, who pioneered the theory.

The brain is balanced through sound with the use of two different frequencies. For example, if a frequency of 100 Hz and another of 108 Hz are played in at the same time, a third frequency is created. The third frequency would be 8 Hz. 8 Hz is within the Theta / Alpha brain wave range which is linked to relaxation, light meditative states, and creativity.

Benefits of sound meditation:

1. It Lowers Stress and Anxiety

One of the most significant benefits of sound meditation is that it can help reduce your stress levels. For example, one study found that listening to soothing sounds and vibrations for an hour reduced cortisol — the stress hormone — in 86% of participants, helping to lower their stress levels and induce deep relaxation.

2. It Improves the Immune System and Heart Health

Because sound meditation reduces cortisol levels, it can also positively impact immune health. Chronic stress causes cortisol levels to stay high over time, which researchers say can provoke inflammation and inhibit immune function.

3. It Reduces Pain and Inflammation

A study into the effects of music on neurohormonal mechanisms found that passively listening to music can stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, indicating that sound may help manage physical pain.

4. It Enhances Mindfulness

Like all forms of meditation, sound meditation can help you to live more mindfully as you move through the world. Although mindfulness means different things to different people, essentially, it’s about staying connected to the present moment and choosing your responses instead of reacting.

5. It Improves Concentration and Focus

The study of the effects of binaural beats also found that its rhythmic sound patterns can help synchronize brainwaves, leading to increased focus and concentration.