Master Meditation Music
Binaural Beats for Deep Meditation
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Research

We all know that meditation is great for you, both mentally and physically. Some of the powerful, proven effects of meditation are:

  • decreased anxiety
  • reduced stress
  • increased relaxation
  • enhanced creativity
  • improved mood
  • increased stress tolerance
  • better emotional control
  • increased feeling of inner peace
  • increased brain power
  • various health improvements (lower blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease, reduce pain response, strengthened immune system, etc)

So… why don’t we all meditate more regularly?

There are many reasons, such as boredom, inability to quiet the mind, frustration, lack of progress, or just no time to spare. You can bypass or reduce all of these using binaural music like ours, allowing you to enter meditation (or relax, sleep, be creative, or focus) easily in minutes and stay there as long as you want.

Master Meditation Music uses specialized sound waves to aid you in your meditative practice. Auditory stimulation has been has been proven to change the frequency the brain operates at in a process called Brainwave Entrainment (BWE) 6, 7. Furthermore, certain brainwave frequencies are associated with certain tasks, and strengthening those frequencies leads to significant performance improvements. So, BWE can lead to increased creativity 8, improved concentration & memory 9, reduced stress 10, anxiety 3, 4, headaches, pain, & PMS 11, and (you guessed it) improved meditation 5.

Using rhythmic sounds to slow down your racing brainwaves isn’t new– you can see examples of this in a variety of religious and cultural practices, including kirtan, chanting (Gregorian, Sufi and Menzuma), Hebrew davening, Native American drum circles and rain chants, and Tibetan prayer bowls. Though the practitioners themselves probably don’t know the profound effect their sounds have on the mind, most would probably describe it is as peaceful, calming, and relaxing.

So why do we primarily use binaural beats (carefully controlled and different sound in each ear) when these music practices all use monaural (the same sound in both ears)? Because it has been shown that binaural beats have a stronger brainwave entrainment effect than monaurals 12.

How the Brain Works

Your brain is a highly complex electrical device. The electrical impulses that operate it pulse through at a certain number of waves per second (waves per second is expressed in Hertz, abbreviated Hz, where 30 Hz means 30 waves per second). Scientists have known for more than 100 years that the frequencies of our environment can directly influence the frequency our brains operate at. This can be done deliberately through a process known as “brain wave entrainment”.

The Base Frequencies

So how do you use sound to “entrain” your brain? Just sit back, put your headphones on, and play the desired frequency, right? Well, unfortunately the human hearing range is from 20-20,000 Hz, and all the beneficial brain frequencies are below 20 Hz (including the optimum range for meditation). How does binaural music work around this limitation? By using ‘base’ frequencies you can hear to generate the desired frequency inside your brain. These base frequencies generally range from 100 to 1,000 Hz, with a slightly different frequency being played in each ear (incidentally, this is why it is important to wear headphones or earbuds instead of just listening to it using speakers). These two base frequencies interact in your brain to synthesize a different, entirely new frequency: the “phantom sound”.

The Binaural Beat

An entirely new, different frequency (called the binaural beat) is created by your mind using the base frequencies as, well, a base. This “phantom sound” is equal to the difference between the two base frequencies that go into your ears. For example, if you wanted to entrain with a frequency of 6 Hz, you could use a base of 206 Hz in the right ear and 200 Hz in the left ear (206 – 200 = 6 Hz). This unplayed sound, unheard by ear yet perceived by mind, is the key to unlocking a deeper, more restful meditative state.

Putting it All Together

So one of the core principles that underlies M3 is binaural beats, which use the tendency of the human brain to sync with external stimuli to get the novice meditation practitioner in the same state of mind as meditation masters who have been meditating several hours a day for many years. Two base frequencies are used to do this, one for each ear of the listener, which result in a third, “phantom sound” that changes brainwave frequency speed gently and naturally!

The Marriage of High Science and Ancient Art

Binaural beats sound (no pun intended) like a powerful tool for self-improvement, but what does that have to do with creating a deeper, more profound meditation experience? In a couple of recent studies scientists scanned and analyzed the brain wave patterns of long-term meditation practitioners as well as those of meditation novices. Unsurprisingly, they found a huge difference between the brain wave patterns and intensities. One study found much more intense brain waves in the highest range (the Gamma range) for veteran meditators, while another found that the lowest ranges (Theta and Delta ranges) were much greater as well. Fortunately, you can meditate “like a zen master” in minutes- our powerful Master Meditation Music uses binaural beats (among other things) to smooth out your brain waves quickly and easily.

Relevant Research

  1. Kasprzak, C. (2011, June). “Influence of Binaural Beats on EEG Signal”. Acta Physica Polonica, 119(6A): 986 – 90.
  2. DeLosAngeles, D., Williams, G., Burston, J., Fitzgibbon, S. P., Lewis, T. W., Grummett, T. S., Clark, C. R., … Willoughby, J. O. (2016, December) “Electroencephalographic correlates of states of concentrative meditation.” Intl Journal of Psych, 110(12): 27-39.
  3. Wahbeh, H., Calabrese, C., & Zwickey, H. (2006). “Binaural beat technology in humans: a pilot study to assess psychologic and physiologic effects.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17309374
  4. Padmanabhan R., Hildreth A. J., Laws D. (2005, September). “A prospective, randomised, controlled study examining binaural beat audio and pre-operative anxiety in patients undergoing general anaesthesia for day case surgery.” Anaesthesia.  60(9): 874 – 7.
  5. Williams P., West M. (1975) “EEG responses to photic stimulation in persons experienced at meditation.” Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol, 39(5): 519 — 522.
  6. Foster, D. S. (1996). “EEG and subjective correlates of alpha-frequency binaural-beat stimulation combined with alpha biofeedback.” http://www.stealthskater.com/Documents/Lucid_07.pdf
  7. Picton T. W., Woods D. L., Proulx G. B. (1978, August). “Human auditory sustained potentials. I. The nature of the response.” Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 45(2): 186 – 97.
  8. Reedijk S. A., Bolders A., Hommel B. (2013, November). “The impact of binaural beats on creativity.” Front. Hum. Neurosci. 7: 786.
  9. Kennerly, R. C. (1994) “An empirical investigation into the effect of beta frequency binaural-beat audio signals on four measures of human memory.” http://www.MonroeInstitute.org/research/human-memory-kennerly.html
  10. Ossebaard H. C. (2000, June). “Stress reduction by technology? An experimental study into the effects of brainmachines on burnout and state anxiety.” Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 25(2): 93 – 101.
  11. Huang, T. L., & Charyton, C. (2008, August). “A comprehensive review of the psychological effects of brainwave entrainment.” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23246357_A_comprehensive_review_of_the_psychological_effects_of_brainwave_entrainment
  12. Picton T. W., Woods D. L., Proulx G. B. (1978, August). “Human auditory sustained potentials. II. Stimulus relationships.” Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 45(2): 198-210.
  13. Olmstead, R. (2005). “Use of Auditory and Visual Stimulation to Improve Cognitive Abilities in Learning-Disabled Children.” Journal of Neurotherapy, 9: 2, 49 — 61. Retrieved July 24, 2016, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J184v09n02_04v

Other relevant studies:

  1. Pieron, H. (1982). “Melanges dedicated to Monsieur Pierre Janet.” Acta Psychiatrica Belgica, 1, 7-112.
  2. Walter WG, Dovey VJ, Shipton H. (1946, October). “Analysis of the electrical response of the human cortex to photic stimulation.” Nature, 158(4016): 540 — 541.
  3. Toman J. (1941). “Flicker potentials and the alpha rhythm in man.” J Neurophysiol, 4(1): 51 — 61.
  4. Nyström SH. (1966). “Effects of photic stimulation on neuronal activity and subjective experience in man.” Acta Neurol Scand, 42(5): 505 — 514.
  5. Rogers LJ, Walter DO. (1981). “Methods for finding single generators, with application to auditory driving of the human EEG by complex stimuli.” J Neurosci Methods, 4(3): 257 — 265.
  6. Williams JH. (2001). Frequency-specific effects of flicker on recognition memory. Neuroscience. 104(2): 283 — 286.
  7. Owens, J. E; Atwater, F. H. “EEG correlates of an induced altered state of consciousness: ‘mind awake/body asleep.’’’ Submitted for publication.
  8. Rosenfeld J. P., Reinhart A. M., Srivastava S. (1997, March). “The effects of alpha (10-Hz) and beta (22-Hz) ‘entrainment’ stimulation on the alpha and beta EEG bands: individual differences are critical to prediction of effects.” Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback, 22(1): 3 – 20.
  9. Lane, J. D., Kasian, S. J., Owens, J. E. and Marsh, G. R., (1998). “Binaural auditory beats affect vigilance performance and mood.” Physiol Behav. 63, 249-252.

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