Colour And Sound As Healing
How is the New Normal treating you? How different is yours from your Old Normal?
Crazier and more stressful?
It's said that if you have a normal life, 30 minutes of meditation and self-reflection is a
healthy tonic.
If, however you are super busy and lead particularly stressful lives, you need at least 60
minutes of the same.
To uncross the tangled wires and cluttered messages inside your head.
On one side they tell me that if you don't sleep enough - you will die. Now another hour wasted
on meditation. Tell that to my boss / client who demands 25 hours a day.
Viraf Pocha
What if I told you that there is a kind of meditation that is associated with our work?
Yup - It's called smoking and cheap biryani pizza.
Recently a DJ friend was extolling the virtues of a 'sound bath.' Ya Ya - Loco Koko was my reaction.
'Is that why you go to the bathroom every time you play your Techno Crap?' I had laughed.
That was until I chanced upon a sound bathing experience. I must confess it was the pretty lady's
eyes that got me to sign up more than any curiosity or need for more cacophony in my head.
We were led into a room, in the centre of which were a set of strange looking pipes and bowls.
Nothing even vaguely musical. Not a speaker in sight. There were a few mats radiating out of the
central cluster of metal and gongs. We were invited to lie down with our heads towards the middle,
so our feet looked like rays emanating from the sun.
Now I can't even look at her through my 'therapy'. In a gentle voice, she invited us to close our
eyes and open our ears and senses (if you've ever worked with me - this must have been barked at you
a million times). I giggled and followed instructions. This lady then started creating some soothing
sounds for about 5 minutes (I thought) and then in the uncomfortable silence, I opened my eyes. I
was the only one left in the room and the pretty lady was just finishing up packing all the jingle
and jangle stuff.
'Huh?' I asked. She smiled as only a deep Yogi can smile - from her belly. 'It was a 45-minute
experience that ended 15 minutes ago. You seemed so relaxed I let you be."
I could not get up. Really. I was in such a state of stupor that not a single muscle responded.
'Was I asleep?' I asked. 'No.' she said, 'your body was responding to every sound. You took in every
sound and it's clear that it resonated within you on a deeper level than anybody else.'
Over a simple meal after, she revealed some amazing ideas. I must confess. I would have probably
dismissed them as mumbo jumbo if I was not in this exuberant, ready-to-receive state.
Apparently, the entire Universe is in a state of vibration. This includes human beings. Every organ,
cell, bone, tissue and liquid of the body, and the electromagnetic fields which surround the body,
has a healthy vibratory frequency. If we are not resonating with some part of ourselves or our
surroundings, we become dissonant and therefore unhealthy, our naturally healthy frequency becomes a
frequency that vibrates without harmony, creating illness.
Sound Healing is the application of Healing frequencies to the physical and subtle energy fields
around the body. These healing or therapeutic frequencies and sounds are delivered via live sound
therapy sessions employing the Voice, Overtone Singing and a variety of sound healing tools such as
Tuning forks, Tibetan singing bowls, Quartz crystal bowls, Monochords as well as those from more
Shamanic Sound Healing traditions, such as Didgeridoo, Native drum, Native flute, Rattles, and other
Acoustic instruments.
Healing frequencies are often based on Natural Cycles. When these cycles are in tune with our own
personal and unique Biorhythms, we are in optimum good health. This is because sound is measured in
cycles per second, any cycle can be converted to a human-audible sound by raising it or lowering it
many octaves. Healing Sounds are those that through Sympathetic Resonance, bring the listener into
harmony with their surroundings, with Nature, with the natural rhythms of Creation and therefore
into a relaxed state of health and well-being.
I persuaded her to gift me some tiny rattles and got her to agree to send me a set of her chimes
that I seemed to have particularly responded to. I must confess to spending a few minutes every
morning lightly tapping those chimes to just listen. I can honestly say those few sounds every
morning are as cleansing as any bath you will ever have.
Of course, finding what sound you respond to must be a journey you must make for yourself.
"So, what do you do?" she asked at the end of our conversation. "I'm a lighting designer." I
sheepishly said. Immediately she brightened up. "So, what do you know about colour?"
"Well, if you mix blue and red you get purple. My favourite colour." I replied.
"Yeah. Do you know the meaning?"
"Don't tell me that colour too has energy?"
"You are the guy. Do your reading." So, when a pretty lady asks you to do something, you follow
instructions.
Everybody knows that Red is Anger, Blue is Peace, White is Emptiness and Black? Well, a tiny dress
at a nightclub.
Here's where I started. Black is Nothingness. That's true of most nightclubs (Now that I'm an
evolved human, I can make these wise statements).
But White? Emptiness. White is a combination of every colour on the spectrum.
Then I found that a life lived in its fullness brings peace. Peace is a state of being in harmony
with yourself and your surroundings. So your body and your mind and dare I say, soul, receives so
much stimulus from around us. Now it's up to us to process all these inputs. Keep what is healthy
and what we need. Discard the rest. Sounds simple?
Look around at all the stress and anxiety around us. Somehow, we have lost our way amidst the
clutter. So, I read. Found a few wonderful books on the pursuit of the perfect colour. This lady
went in pursuit of the perfect Blue, Yellow and Orange. She never explained why those three colours,
but told me it was an amazing journey through flowers, violins, and the sea. Loved her experience.
Google Ma filled in the facts. Dr. Axe website offered the simplest and clearest introduction to our
response to colour around us. I urge you to browse through.
You remember that wonderful ad on the environment where parents were asked to choose paints to
colour their world. They use up all the colours so that only the Blacks and Browns are left for
their children to paint with.
Fortunately, unlike petrol and certain metals, the world will never run out of colour - Unless you
drain it off yourself.
So, the next time at work, set up a colour. Any colour you like, that you respond to, just stare at
it single-mindedly for a few minutes. Quietly and by yourself. I tried it (after 40 odd years of
staring at stages) and it was a truly unique experience.
If we have worked together, you know my preference for clean lines. Never having more than two or
three colours on stage at a time. Reduce that now. Pick one light, one colour, and just stare at it
for a bit.
Here's what you may expect - though of course you will have your own unique take.
Red energizes, Green relaxes, Yellow brightens the mood, Orange brings both happiness and hunger.
I've deliberately left Blue out (at least initially), because Blue causes varied responses. To some
it brings relief, but it also creates anxiety and pain to an equal number. Be careful.
Blue Light that emanates off our device screens, we all know the harm that it causes.
Right now, I am reading up on our ancient wisdom of associating colours with the various chakras
within our bodies.
In my journey, I've come across other interesting use of colour in medicine. Of course, it's a
pseudo-science, so nothing is proved and so cannot be prescribed - But it may help.
Blue LED light stimulates hair growth.
Red LED light dissolves skin conditions.
Athletes use it to enhance performance. Students use it to focus on learning.
People use it to control breathing and blood pressure.
I've given enough people increase in blood pressure. Now maybe it's my time to lower it.
Enjoy the Journey.