Gongs for Healing

The Gong is one of the oldest instruments for healing and has been used for thousands of years in meditation, ceremonies and rituals. Today they are used in yoga and meditation classes, sound therapy and sound healing, group gong bath meditations and in palliative and cancer treatment centers to promote health and well-being.

The secret of the gong is its tremendous potential for healing and rejuvenation. Because the gong covers the full spectrum of sound, it vibrates all the cell levels, through bones and organs. You can feel an influx of energy coming from the gong's resonance, reaching your ears and hearing, and all of your body and soul.

The gong holds a force of energy, like a divine engine, affecting the body’s meridians. By and large, after it is over, you can feel a sense of calmness, relaxation and inner peace. You feel like you have been healed by the spirit of nature.

The sounds from the gongs travel from the outer ear throughout the body via the vagus nerve — impacting brain waves, respiratory rate and heart rate. Sound and vibration help facilitate a deep sense of peace, release tension and blocked energies, and balance the energy centers (chakras) of the body. The soundwaves of the gong are working at a cellular level to rebalance the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. The soothing effect of being bathed in an ocean of sound creates profound relaxation and is helpful in reducing the stress that is so harmful to healthy living.

Gong types

Gongs are flat bronze discs, with little fundamental pitch, heavily tuned overtones, and a long sustained sounding. The modern ones are made of (mostly) electrolytic copper and tin. 

Traditionally, a gong is played with a large soft mallet, which gives it a typical roaring crash to match its namesake. Gongs are lathed on both sides and are small, medium or large in size.

With our Chao Gongs and Wind Gongs, the middle size (around 60 cm) is most popular, due to its portability and large sound. They are commonly used with sound healings and also by drum-kit drummers in rock music. Played with a nylon tip drumstick, they sound rather like the coil chimes in an old-fashioned mantle clock. These Gongs are mounted -like all suspended gongs - by a chord that is put through two holes near the rim. To carry them around safely for sound healing sessions, we advise you also buy a Gong bag. We also sell a few Gong stands.

The smaller size gongs, like our table gongs are around 16-40 cm and have a more bell-like tone, due to their thickness and small diameter.