Gong Meditation: The Ultimate Guide To Gong Meditation For Inner Peace & Healing

What is gong meditation?

And how do you begin practicing it?

Here’s our ultimate guide – including benefits, techniques and how to practice Gong Meditation for ultimate inner peace…

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What Is Gong Meditation?

Gong meditation involves listening to the sound of a gong, an ancient instrument, to delve into a meditative state or as a form of healing.

Other nicknames for gong meditation include “gong bathing,” “gong healing,” and “sound bath meditation.”

This type of meditation isn’t a modern approach to healing, but nonetheless, it’s still used today.

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Originally, it started thousands of years ago in Greek, Egyptian, and Aboriginal cultures.

Whilst meditating with a gong, several gongs and mallets are typically used.

This helps bring out the full potential of the frequencies and vibrations these instruments create.

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What Does Gong Meditation Do?

It’s said that the sound and vibrations of a gong have the power to provide healing on a mental, physical, and spiritual level.

Because approximately 70% of our body is made up of water, the vibrations provided by a gong can affect us on a cellular level.

In fact, each organ and cell in your body vibrates at a different frequency.

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By engaging in gong bathing, the cells and organs of your body are balanced as it helps realign your chi or qi.

That said, many consider gong meditation to be a very powerful approach to healing naturally.


Gong Meditation Benefits

Sound therapy provided by gong meditation has many benefits, such as the following:

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Deep Relaxation

One of the first benefits you may gain from a session of gong bathing is deep relaxation.

Both during and shortly after engaging in gong meditation, you may feel significant stress relief and reduced tension.

After all, engaging in gong meditation is a very back-to-basics technique.

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It helps clear the mind, induce a meditative state, and bring you back to the present, helping you set your future worries aside for a moment.

Generally, when you’re finished with a session of gong bathing, you may find yourself calmer and more revitalized for hours or even days after.


Relief from Mental Illness

While gong bathing isn’t a “cure” for mental illness, sufferers may find temporary or even long-term relief from their symptoms with regular gong bathing sessions.

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According to Kera News, gong bathing has the power to aid with the symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic disorder, and more.

The aid of mental symptoms provided by gong bathing is brought both by the physiological and psychological healing this practice provides.

In fact, according to the same source mentioned previously, a 1968 study by Olav Skille concluded that sound and healing are correlated.

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It was discovered in this study that sound directly affects the muscles and nerves in the body.

Because sound positively impacts the body’s sympathetic nervous system, gong bathing can help with a variety of mental ailments.


Lower Blood Pressure

Due to the relaxation provided by gong meditation, it’s no surprise that lower blood pressure is another benefit of this practice.

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As an extension of Skille’s 1968 study, he found that many of his participants who engaged in sound therapy did, in fact, obtain lower blood pressure.

But how does gong meditation impact blood pressure?

One possible reason is that the sound of the gong(s) during gong bathing balance brain frequencies, which in turn aid blood pressure.

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As a result of better blood pressure, this type of meditation can also provide reduced migraine symptoms and better heart rate variability.


Better Sleep

According to research, approximately 30% of Americans alone suffer from insomnia or difficulty falling asleep.

On top of the latter statistic, about 10 million U.S. residents are thought to have insomnia but not have an official diagnosis.

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While there are numerous sleep disorders out there, insomnia is the most common of them all.

Like other sleep disorders, insomnia can potentially lead to health problems including low oxygen levels and pain conditions.

While there are medications and other treatment methods to aid with sleep, gong meditation is one natural route.

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Because gong bathing aids with mental illness and helps provide relaxation, it makes sense that this practice also improves sleep in terms of ease of falling asleep, sleep length, and sleep quality.


Reduced Chronic Pain

Everyone at some point in their life will experience pain.

Someone might experience pain after, say, hitting their funny bone, stubbing their toe, or accidentally biting their tongue.

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While pain is normal and healthy to experience in certain scenarios (e.g., touching a hot pot by mistake), many folks experience chronic, debilitating pain, sometimes for no known cause.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 50 million U.S. adults struggle with chronic pain of some sort.

Often, pain killers are a common way people ease their chronic pain.

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However, gong meditation provides a more natural, safe approach to reducing physical pain.

In fact, a study by Dr. George Patrick discovered that 30- to 40-minute vibroacoustic sessions helped relieve pain in 61% to 74% of participants.

While more research needs to be conducted on sound and pain-healing, studies so far have demonstrated the power of acoustics, such as that provided by gongs, in benefiting the physical body.

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How To Do A Gong Meditation

How To Do A Gong Meditation

Although it might seem like there’s only one way to engage in gong meditation, there are a plethora of different techniques you can try.

Many techniques involve the combination of another type of natural healing practice.


Traditional Gong Meditation

This technique is exactly what you’d expect with an average gong meditation session: simple and traditional.

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  1. Sit or lie down on the floor.
  2. As the sound of the gong begins, close your eyes.
  3. Simply rest in place as the sounds and vibrations of the gong(s) fill the room. The instruments will do all the work.

Reiki Meditation

Reiki is a Japanese practice that involves healing through touch provided by an experienced Reiki specialist.

Because gong meditation induces a calm, meditative state, the light energy of Reiki goes through your body easier.

  1. Sit or lie down on the floor.
  2. As the sound of the gong begins, close your eyes.
  3. Allow the Reiki specialist to engage in their practice. They may place their hands on several different parts of your body throughout the session.
  4. Simply rest in place as the sounds and vibrations of the gong(s) fill the room. The instruments and the Reiki specialist will do all the work.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness is a mental technique that involves grounding in place and focusing on the present moment.

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Because mindfulness is a relaxing practice, gong meditation is great to try in combination with it.

  1. Sit or lie down on the floor.
  2. As the sounds and vibrations of the gong(s) fill the room, engage in a mindfulness exercise of your choice (e.g., body scanning, observing with your eyes closed, etc.).
  3. Depending on the mindfulness exercise you choose, you may wish to keep your eyes open or leave them closed.
  4. Continue engaging in mindfulness as long as the gong meditation session lasts.

Deep Breathing Gong

When engaging in gong meditation, there’s usually one of two things meditators focus on: their breathing or the sound of the gong(s).

Deep Breathing Gong Meditation

Since you may already be focusing on your breath during this practice, it makes sense why deep breathing is often done during gong meditation.

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But sometimes we focus on our breath when we’re nervous. Hypo- or hyper-ventilation can be a result of focusing on our breathing.

However, deep breathing has an opposing effect.

The purpose of deep breathing is to naturally relax the nervous system and to ensure the vital organs in the body get as much oxygen as possible to properly function.

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  1. Sit or lie down on the floor.
  2. As the sound of the gong begins, close your eyes.
  3. Begin to engage in a deep breathing exercise of your choice.
  4. Continue engaging in deep breathing as long as the gong meditation session lasts.

Meditating Using Crystal Healing & A Gong

While healing crystals might seem like a new-age practice, they’ve been used for approximately 6,000-plus years.

Different crystals have different benefits.

Due to their healing properties that often align with other forms of healing, crystals are frequently used alongside various forms of meditation.

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  1. Choose or crystal or few to use during gong meditation.
  2. To use a crystal during gong bathing, place it right in front of you, hold it in your hand(s), put it on a certain body part, or wear it on a piece of jewelry.
  3. Sit or lie down on the floor.
  4. As the sound of the gong begins, close your eyes.
  5. Simply rest in place as the sounds and vibrations of the gong(s) fill the room. The instruments and the crystal(s) will do all the work.

Visualization & Gong Technique

The process of visualization simply involves “seeing” an image or moving scene in your head for the purposes of relaxation.

During visualization, one might imagine a moving stream, an image of Buddha, or even their chakras getting aligned within their body.

Visualization is great to engage in while gong bathing as gong bathing involves no mental work on its own.

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  1. Sit or lie down on the floor.
  2. As the sound of the gong begins, close your eyes.
  3. Begin to engage in visualization by imagining a certain image or moving scene in your head.
  4. Continue engaging in visualization as long as the meditation session lasts.

Yoga Meditation With A Gong

Gong Meditation Yoga

For those who have difficulty getting into the right state of mind prior to engaging in gong meditation, coupling this practice with yoga is a great idea.

  1. Prior to gong meditating, engage in yoga for approximately 30 minutes. Try different yoga poses of your choice.
  2. Sit or lie down on the floor.
  3. As the sound of the gong begins, close your eyes.
  4. Simply rest in place as the sounds and vibrations of the gong(s) fill the room. The instruments will do all the work.

Gong Meditation: How To Get Started

  1. Although you can engage in the practice with little to no knowledge or experience, consider reading a book about meditation.
  2. Before meditating, put on loose, comfortable clothing.
  3. Find a silent, calm place to sit or lie down. Never settle for a noisy environment.
  4. For a more peaceful setting, turn off the lights in the room you plan on gong bathing in.
  5. Drink plenty of water before gong bathing as hydration is a vital component of this meditation practice.
  6. If sitting or lying down on the ground is too hard, you may sit or utilize a yoga mat, chair, cushion, pillow, and/or a blanket.
  7. Taking a meditation class? Verify that the place of the class will have the equipment (e.g. yoga mats, etc.) available. Otherwise, be sure to bring your own.
  8. Keep your mind open to the healing sounds of the gong.

Tips For Practicing Gong Meditation

  1. If you take a meditation class and don’t like the instructor, don’t give up on it altogether! Just find a new instructor.
  2. Combine this meditation with other forms of natural healing such as Reiki healing or deep breathing exercises for greater benefits.
  3. Try not to focus too much on the sounds of the gong(s) during meditation, but rather, on the act of “just being.”
  4. If you’re unable to attend meditation classes in person, download a gong bathing app. Many find that gong bathing apps have the same benefits as in person.
  5. Engage in meditation as frequently as possible. Frequency is important to obtain and maintain long-term benefits.
  6. Ask your friends or family members to try meditating with you. Involving loved ones can be motivating and exciting.

FAQs- The Short Answers

What Is Gong Meditation?

what is gong meditation?

It’s is an ancient sound practice in which meditators listen to the sound of a gong.

The sounds and vibrations provided by the gong provide physical, mental, and spiritual healing for the meditator on a cellular level.

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What Is Qi Gong Meditation? Is It Different From Gong Meditation?

Qi gong meditation and gong meditation have their fair share of differences.

The art of qi meditation involves controlled breathing and slow, steady movement.

Meanwhile, gong doesn’t involve movement.

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Likewise, unlike qi meditation, this involves the inclusion of the gong instrument.

Ultimately, both qi gong and gong meditation are ancient practices that realign the chi but in fairly different ways.


What Is Gong Bath Meditation?

This is a synonym for gong meditation.

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Despite its name, it doesn’t involve a bath at all!

The reason this type of meditation is often called “bath meditation” is because the mediator “bathes” in the vibrations of the gong.

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