We’ve all experienced the way a certain song can change our mood in an instant. From our favorite upbeat pop tune to a mellow meditation mix, music has the power to change how we feel.
But did you know that the vibrations in music are actually affecting us at a cellular level?
It’s true. Sound vibrations can change not only our mood, but also our brains and bodies.
Your Brain & Stress
The cells in our brains communicate via electrical impulses. This electricity is measured in the amplitude and frequency of waves. Thus, the state of our brains is often described in wave states. Our brain wave state is essentially how active our brains are.
Most of the time, our brains are in what is called a beta state. This is the electrical state of being awake, alert, and able to focus. Sounds great, right? Well, it is. Mostly. But there’s a drawback: in order to remain focused and alert, our brain cells are also putting themselves under stress.
Your brain needs downtime to rest and repair. And since the brain is the control center, if we don’t help our brains get into their relaxed states, our bodies and minds don’t get to relax either.
You’ve probably experienced this: you’ve had a long, tiring day. You want nothing more than to drift off to peaceful sleep. But as soon as your head hits the pillow, your mind begins to race. It opens every mental drawer and begins pulling out all the things that went wrong in the past, or all the things the need to be done in the future.
Your overactive mind sends signals to the body to stay on high alert, and in turn, your body sends signals to the brain that there’s a ton going on and those little gray cells had better continue pumping electricity like it’s going out of style. You’re stuck in a “high alert” feedback loop.
If you’ve experienced meditation, you’ve used breath and focus shifts to relax your body. This in turn relaxes your mind and sends your brain the message that it’s OK to turn down the electrical storm. Your brain relaxes, and this sends the message to your body to relax even further. And presto! You’ve got a “relax” feedback loop.
Your Brain & Sound
Changing your brain wave state can actually alter how you are being in the world. For example, the alpha brain wave state you enter in meditation is associated with not only with decreased anxiety, but also greater creativity and insight.
Going into an alpha state helps you reduce anxiety, access deep memory, and feel greater connection to your spiritual self.
While meditation is an effective way to enter the alpha brain wave state and receive greater well-being through reduced stress and increased intuition, meditation combined with sound can accelerate and enhance the onset of the alpha state.
The frequency of our brain waves is actually influenced by the vibrations in our environment. That means that the sound vibrations around us (whether within our hearing range or not) have the power to sway our brain waves.
The Healing Vibrations of Crystal Bowls
One effective and fast way to help your brain into its calm, relaxed alpha state is through the resonant, healing frequencies of crystal bowls.
Crafted from quartz, these unique bowls produce a full range of frequencies that act on not only the electrical frequencies in our brains, but also on the cells and energy receptors throughout our whole bodies.
Remember, the human body is electric. Electricity courses through our brains and through our bodies. It makes our hearts beat, our muscles contract, and our nerves send messages.
Since we’re electrical beings, we have electromagnetic fields, just like magnets or the Earth itself.
Sound waves have the power to affect our electromagnetic fields — for better and for worse! Have you ever been driven nearly mad by fluorescent lights? Their disruptive frequency can make sensitive people feel the same prickly sensation induced by dragging your feet on a carpet or being in an ionized wind.
Crystal bowls are specially tuned to enhance the natural frequencies of the human brain and body. The powerful vibrations resonate with the body systems, promoting homeostasis and the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
Here is Tim Costa demonstrating crystal bowl playing to enhance meditation. Tim will be offering crystal bowl sound therapy at the upcoming Reflecting Together Workshop in San Luis Obispo, CA.