Photo:  my dad! The Grand Gongmaster Don Conreaux

Gongmaster Don Conreaux on The Gong Experience: "Immersing yourself in the soundscape adventure of the heavenly bodies, the Spiritualization of Matter through Holistic Resonance is called the "gong experience." It is a meditational bath of sound healing “Where Soul Force Merges with Spirit”...  The gong playing begins. At first you hear soft throaty gong sounds & as you listen carefully, you become aware of the many tones within one sound. The sounds become louder & louder, & washes over & around you much as you would imagine the roar of a waterfall. The gong creates Waves of Sound that carry you into the past, into the future, to other countries, & even to other worlds. Many people experience something noticeable during a meditative Gong Bath. It can range from feeling their bodies twitch (as the energy meridians are cleared & balanced), seeing amazing splashes of color behind their closed eyes, past life recollections in full detail, a feeling of lifting out of their bodies & watching from above, to simply a feeling of total peace & connectedness. The underlying philosophy is that because the gong covers The Full Spectrum of Sound, it vibrates all the body's cells, bones and organs."

"The gong is a sacred threshold. It is the portal that links the finite and the infinite experience of the Self. As such, the gong is the most sublime instrument of the Yogi. It is a cauldron in which you can create alchemical blends of qualities that open and develop the Inner Self." 

- Gurucharan Singh Khalsa                    

 What you can expect at the Gong Bath:  A Gong Bath (also has been referred to as a Gong Meditation or Gong Savasana) usually entails some gentle movement and breath work. Sometimes I will incorporate some self-massage techniques to promote relaxation. I will address the season or cycle we are in according to 5 Element Theory. Then in a reclining or seated position, the receivers are “bathed” in the sound of the gong. The sound is organic, deep and nurturing. The “living tones” build upon each other and evolve on their own, producing a sea of sound that is both timeless and alive. We not only hear the sound through our ears but through our bodies. Affecting us at the deepest cellular levels. Within this experience, tensions are released, blockages cleared, and the mind is able to stop its chattering. 

History of The Gong:  Historic research provides us with four main centers - Burma, China, Annam, Java - at least 7 gong shapes and sound structures stem from these regions. Only few families knew the tradition of gong making as it was passed from generation to generation. The art of making gongs was veiled in a sense of magic. Gong makers believed that a gong could only succeed with the help of higher powers. The gong was an important element in the lives of the people. It still is today. In Asian families, the gong was an attribute of wealth and served as a status symbol. In rites, the gong was used in the evocation of ghosts and in the banning of demons. Touching a gong brought you fortune and strength. In rituals of the Far East, the gong has retained its special significance to this day. Gongs are found in temples, monasteries, private residences, restaurants, and shops.

Gong Usage: 'The Paiste Symphonic Gongs have a slightly raised surface with a harmonic and universal sound structure. The fundamental note of the gong is balanced with the instrument's complex overtones. The Symphonic contains even proportions of various gong characteristics, which can be brought forth using different mallets and striking points. 

The Planet Gongs resemble Symphonic Gongs in character, but feature a strong fundamental note tuned to represent a natural harmonic series based on the orbital properties of the Sun, the Earth, the Moon and the other planets as calculated by Hans Cousto. Planet Gongs resonate harmonically with the cycles of the cosmos, communicating to us what has been known since antiquity as the "music of the spheres". Mysterious in sound color, Planet Gongs convey an unusual atmosphere.' One buys a gong through a distributor. I got mine through Don Conreaux at the Gong Master's Training Retreat in Dorset, England 2004. I play a 28" Paiste Symphonic Gong. Paiste has the largest Gong in the world at 80". I can just imagine the sound of that gong!

 My father and teacher: Gongmaster Don Conreaux on "The Gong Experience":  

Gong vibrations are gifts from the universe called:"free energy." Sonar energy comes through the gong in a continuous flow in every direction, emanating from its center. Dane Rudhyar, better-known for his astrological expertise than his musical philosophy, once speculated that a gong would have to be kept sounding for many thousands of years before it would finally dissolve, dematerialize and disappear. His theory was that the atomic lattices, the living particles that make up the gong would finally, after eons of gonging, be spent and burned up through natural friction, causing the gong to disappear. Therefore, as the body of the gong outlives a human by thousands of years, in comparison to our short lives, it is an immortal.
The gong is named after the sound that it makes: it "is" what it "does" which is the prerequisite of being considered a shamanic powertool, likened to the mythic philosopher's stone. Its energy of immortality, and re-youthing attributes, bestow upon us a sustained, heightened curiosity, an important gift that can enhance the quality needed for a productive "late" human life.' It is even possible that the process of aging may be suspended in a gong bath, and because of its element of unresolved suspense, the food of curiosity, is very much in abundance. So it stands to reason that as we soak up the vibrations of gong tones, our youthful curiosity is amply nourished as well.
Cleansing the mind and emotions with gong tones creates a sort of exorcism that results in what we call spontaneous healing and transformation. Initiation, as we know it, is a quickening of the soul which, when we look back along our memory time track, is always recognized as a higher sensory experience. When the senses of hearing and feeling sound are mixed, a blissful mood occurs which science calls "synaesthesia". In this altered state, with our eyes closed, it is possible to behold the Invisible Light of Illumination, and also experience various levels of samadhi, ecstasy and enlightenment.
During the gong experience, we are in the completely awake while completely asleep meditative state, what I call the 4th dimensional dreambody. In this state, which is also known as the completely neutral yogic state of "Turiya," we greatly increase the re-youthing efficiency of our innate intelligence that operates 24 hours a day. After a gong tone immersion, when the personal ego returns to material consciousness, one seems better able to attain a condition of non-judgment or neutrality, the quality of total body/mind harmony. 

I believe the gong experience improves our spiritual "quality of life" because it imprints the deep sound immersion event with special significance. It is in this mystical mood that we become a vessel for spontaneous creative thought and meaningful insight.'
-excerpt from Don Conreaux's informative website: www.holistic-resonance.com 

"The gong is an engine of power releasing tone resonance and complex harmonics that are transferred to the recipient. It is an etheric opening of fullness. It simulates the paranormal experiences of yogic samadhi... De-materialization, levitation, timelessness, bliss and rejuvenation."   -Gongmaster, Don Conreaux.