Our first experience of the Gong was at a retreat many years ago. The Gong played was the Paiste Synodic New Moon which is said to bring in new beginnings amongst other things, and it was very appropriate as following that particular sound immersion we were hooked in the ways of the Gong! There has been some debate in the Gong community about the qualities associated with the different Gongs available nowadays, but in our humble opinion and experience, every time a new Gong has arrived with us to be worked with, we have benefitted from the different qualities it is said to embody.

Over the years we have followed both extensive training programmes in the Gong as well as sharing its powerful healing effects with thousands of people in group Gong baths and private one on one sessions. Our experience has led us to create and deliver our Harmony of the Spheres Gong Master Practitioner Training Programme, Introduction to the Gong, Sacred Sound & Light Immersion and Professional Diploma in Ceremonial Sound so that we can share the Gong teachings with even more people.

When we started to play the Gong there were very few professional players in the UK, however, in recent years the popularity of the Gong and Sound Baths has exploded. We always envisioned a community gong bath being offered in every village in the country, and this is starting to happen. We feel the Gong’s resurgence has come at an important pivotal time in history and mankind needs its healing benefits delivered on a large scale, even more so at our current stage of evolution than ever before.

This ancient instrument, estimated to have originated around 3500 BC has a myriad of benefits and uses. World centres for Gong making in ancient times were found predominantly in South East Asia, (Indonesia Java, Bali, Burma, Vietnam and Borneo) as well as China and Turkey. These cultures embraced the Gong for many different uses, particularly of a ceremonial nature in sacred rituals and ceremonies, marriages, funerals and religious festivals. The Gong was revered due to its ability to take the listener into an altered state and as a powerful tool of transformation. It did however have other uses such as the use during battle to frighten enemies, invoking rain, calling back the Sun and the Moon during eclipses, calling workers in from the fields, calling monks to prayer, helping the dying make their transition, as well as its supposed sonic ability to lift heavy objects.

What is it about the Gong that has made it such an object of respect and veneration? Within the Gong we hear the primordial Om sound, the sound of the Universe which contains all sounds within. As the Gong is played, its unpredictable sound envelope is quite unusual. The mind finds it difficult to analyse, determine and fathom out the different sounds after a while and tends to release its tight hold, bringing about a state of “no-mind”, which is known to be one of the gifts of the Gong. Everyone has a unique listening experience when experiencing the Gong and it’s not uncommon for some to experience drumming, chanting or other instruments during the same sound session. It has many benefits for both the listener and the player alike. We always explain to the students of our Gong programme that they will go through huge transformations during their training due to their continued use of the Gong.  

As old, stagnant energy is released during a sound bath, an individual will have more clarity and understanding, shifting their perception about their life challenges, letting go of lower vibrational thoughts and stuck emotions. It is not uncommon for people to have deeply meditative, psychic and spiritual experiences during a gong bath as we enter the place of “no-mind”. People often have visions, see colours or feel energy flowing through their physical and energy bodies. Gong baths are deeply relaxing, and our brainwaves slow down and entrain with the Gong sounds, moving from waking Beta state down into Alpha, Theta and Delta as we drop down into a relaxed state of being. This profound state of relaxation as well as the sounds of the Gong penetrating the physical body allows for deep level healing at a cellular level and our physical systems return to homeostasis.  

We are the Guardians of a wide variety of different high-quality gongs ranging from the Nickel Silver/Alpaka gongs which are manufactured in Germany, the bulk of which are the amazing Planetary Gongs, a Titanium Gong, as well as gongs originating from China and Nepal. These come out in full attendance at some of our larger concerts, pujas and trainings, but we also work with carefully selected Gongs at some of our smaller events.