Forest Harmony: Gong Meditation & Cacao

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

- A bespoke guided meditation
- A Gong sound immersion with selection of artisan 42" gongs delivered by an experienced professional musician and therapist.
- The opportunity to gather and share with a small community for the evening

By working with the sound of the gongs, we can experience the benefits of deep meditation - even those with no experience, or who feel unsure about meditaton.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞
 
- Reduction of stress;
- Forming new neural pathways;
- Calming the mind to reduce anxiety or depression;
- Access to better focus, concentration, and creativity;
- Improved self-esteem and self-awareness;
- Managing chronic pain.

Further than that, you will be bathed in the deep and soothing sounds of the gongs, which has beneficial physiological effects.

Joe will use a number of different gongs in this session, in various tunings and ranging from 22″ to 42″ in size. This provides a rich spectrum of tones and frequencies, for a powerful sound experience. The session will run at approximately 2 hours. Nothing is expected of you other than to make yourself comfortable. You will receive all of the joining instructions when you book.

𝐒𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝟏𝟐+. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐀𝐐’𝐬 at the bottom of the page 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝟎𝟕𝟕𝟕𝟓 𝟕𝟓𝟑𝟕𝟖𝟏 𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝟎𝟕𝟖𝟏𝟐 𝟓𝟖𝟐𝟔𝟐𝟖

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐞

Joe has dedicated his personal and professional life to wellness for over 20 years. This began with a special interest in the interaction between physical and psychological health, and has continued to evolve into areas such as the subconscious, communication, and relational psychology. Joe began his practice after graduating from the University of Southampton in 2004. He takes a humanist approach to psychotherapy and has developed Connected State Therapy.

Committed to continual exploration of the subject of wellness in the human experience, Joe continuously studies to enrich his offering, including encounter-centered couples therapy, relationship psychology, Jungian psychology, Gestalt therapy, sound therapy, a level 7 diploma in coaching and mentoring, advanced nutrition, and qualifications in Pilates, yoga, functional movement, and physical therapy. He has worked in one of the UK’s top naturopathic clinics, contributing written work to publications for both the public and natural health professionals.

Joe lives in the Hampshire countryside with his family. Music is his other vocation, performing professionally from 1996 with periods touring internationally and recording as a guitarist. This is the grounding for his continued work with sound. He has another project, Brotherhood, which is concerned with supporting young men on their journey with masculinity.

“What I offer is the culmination of a life long journey of active learning. I love my work and I am entirely committed to continually developing my understandings and practices, to get the best results for my clients, for my family, and for myself.” – Joe Summerfield

𝐅𝐀𝐐𝐒

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬?

My intention is to focus gently but powerfully on the benefits of the deep meditative state. Other instruments such as bowls, handpan drums, rattles, whistles and so on all offer very beautiful aural experiences but equally each sound is a fluctuation or disturbance. We are looking for focus – the state of Samadhi, or oneness with the object of meditation. Stillness, singularity, and total presence. So to bring the experience away from the ears and the mind, and deep into our body and spirit. Additionally, unlike these other tools, gongs uniquely offer extremely low frequencies, which work deeply.

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫?

Absolutely not. The term Gong Bath is a slight misnomer – technically we should refer to “gong meditation”. Gong baths can take place in water absolutely – but the vast majority do not. The term has come to refer to the idea of bathing in the sound of the gong. Our “Gong Baths” will be in the warm and dry, under blankets. So I suggest you wear loose, comfortable clothing.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Whatever you need to feel comfortable. I suggest:

• Something soft to lie on – a roll-out mattress, mat or sheep skin for example. The softer the better
• A pillow
• A blanket or duvet
• A bottle of water
• An eye mask if you like
• An optional cushion for under your feet and/or under your knees
• A journal if you wish.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞?

We will be creating a very sacred space together. So I invite you to come in to the space with your presence, an open heart, and an open mind. That said, whatever you come with will be welcomed with warmth, care, and understanding. All that will be required of you is to create a comfortable space in which to lie down. If you wish you can spend time prior to the gong meditation exploring intentions, but then being prepared to let the intentions.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?

It’s best not to arrive with a fixed idea of how you might experience your gong meditation. It’s a deeply personal experience, best received by totally submitting to presence with the experience.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞?

You will arrive, be welcomed into the circle. There will be the invitation to introduce yourself as we go around the circle. I will then talk a little about the process and offer some suggestions as to how you might be with the experience. There will then be a guided meditation of some kind, leaving you with the gong element. At the end, I will guide you back into the room, and the circle will open for optional sharing. We will then close the circle and the evening will conclude. It will be an evening of warmth, connection, and nourishment. If you have any concerns please get in touch.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫?

Every body. Female, male, non-binary, any age. Because the way I play would be different for children, I ask anyone under the age of 16 (or looking to bring someone under the age of 16) to get in touch first. If you have any questions about suitability for you for any reason at all, please get in touch.

𝐈𝐬 𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

If you have a particular health condition that may be relevant or that you feel may be contraindicated, please discuss it with me by phone or email before booking.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭?

Congratulations! Please get in touch before booking. Gong meditations can be deeply soothing and nourishing but I need some more information to determine the most suitable way for you to receive the gong meditation. It may not be as part of an open group.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

If you have special sensory needs or if you feel that it’s likely something difficult may arise for you (for example, if you have a history of trauma), it may be advisable to work one-on-one for a few sessions before joining group gong meditations. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.