Sound Healing Gong Workshops with Sheila Whittaker
Sheila Whittaker - a classically trained musician, sound healer and teacher who in recent years has specialised in using large high quality gongs for her hugely popular gong bath workshops every day at World Yoga Festival. Read on to find out about her programme throughout the weekend!
Friday 7 July - "Gongs for the Mind".
Sheila will talk about the effect the gongs usually have on our minds and thoughts, then lead participants into a long deep gong meditation for enhanced perception and mental clarity.
Saturday 8 July - "Gongs for the Body".
The gongs are a wonderful and effective tool for relaxation and the relief of stress - one of the primary causes of dis-ease and dis-harmony in the body. Sheila will discuss this before leading everyone into a gongbath for deep relaxation and cellular renewal.
Sunday 9 July - "Gongs for the Spirit".
The gongs also work on the level of spirit - clearing blockages in our subtle energy body to take us into a more heightened spiritual awareness. Indeed they are capable of leading us to our ultimate destination - the realisation of our true nature. Sheila will talk on this subject, then take us on a gong-sound journey for a clearer vision of who we really are.
For those unfamiliar with the gong and how it works, read what Sheila has to say about its benefits.
THE GONG
The gong is arguably the ultimate Sound Healing tool, as it has the broadest range of tones of any instrument. When played sensitively and well, this vast range of sound literally bathes the human form and re-tunes us on every level - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual - thus bringing us back into harmony. Think of the body as being an orchestra comprised of many different instruments, some of which may be “off the note” and need re-tuning, and the gongs as being the tuning medium, and you have a pretty accurate picture of what happens during a gongbath.
SOUND HEALING IS ANCIENT! The use of sound and music for healing and re-balancing is not a new phenomenon. Sound has been used therapeutically for thousands of years to relax, soothe and de-stress, as well as to heal and alter consciousness. Many cultures have a tradition of using sound in this way, and ancient sound instruments, including gongs, have been found dating back many centuries. In some Eastern cultures it has long been realised that the beneficial effect actually goes much deeper than just a sense of emotional well-being; harmonious sounds also have a healing effect on the body at a cellular level. In India the ancient science of the effect of musical vibrations on the human organism is called Nada Yoga. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks also realised the remarkable healing power of sound, and often composed and performed music with the purpose of healing. In modern times Sound Healing has begun to enjoy a renaissance, and we are starting to recall the ancient wisdom of our ancestors in the use of these sacred old instruments.
HOW IT WORKS
To enable an understanding of how Sound Healing works, it is useful to realise that everything in creation is actually energy, vibrating at different frequencies. Modern physicists continue to find evidence to support this belief. For instance - dense, apparently inanimate objects like rocks, look like solid matter, but are in fact forms of energy vibrating at lower frequencies. At the other end of the spectrum, light vibrates at a very high frequency. Everything in the universe is vibrating energy.
As human beings we are also vibrating energy forms. Our bodies consist of around 70% water, which is an excellent conductor for sound. When bathed in sound, different areas of the body respond to the sounds made, by locking in or "entraining" to the sound and beginning to vibrate at the same frequencies, thus bringing harmony and healing. Every part of the body has its own resonant frequency. If there is an imbalance or stagnation (stuck energy) anywhere, the vast array of sounds made by the gongs will stimulate the body cells to vibrate in sympathy and literally tune them up. Sound also works on the subtle energy body that surrounds the physical body, which is where imbalance and dis-ease manifest first, before appearing in the physical dimension. Using the gongs we can help to clear energy blockages and thus prevent illness and disease before it reaches 3D reality. This is very sacred work.
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