Employee care and workplace wellness have now become a buzzword for good wherein, the corporate world strives to go the extra mile, helping employees maintain a work-life balance with mental peace and harmony. They take different measures and initiatives or customise their policies only for their employees’ wellness in all possible ways. This is why, these days, a general saying of every workplace that “employee is our valuable and important asset” is not just a word of mouth but has become more than a norm.
However, sometimes it happens that extended work hours, tight deadlines, the pressure of completing tasks, and working on weekends after eagerly waiting for long often affect an individual’s personal goals and mental peace. They crave either a breather or a short trip to harmonise their mental health and sometimes people meditate via peaceful sounds or desire to listen to the sound of waterfalls or birds chirping which relaxes their mind.
This is the power and magic of sound that heals a person, mentally and emotionally. And here are five effective ways of sound healing helping employees:
Reduces stress
Sound healing techniques such as meditation with singing bowls, gongs, or tuning forks induce a state of deep relaxation as they emit frequencies that resonate with human different chakras. As a result, it promotes the flow of energy into the body which reduces stress, helps employees in sustaining high-pressure work environments and fosters innovation and creativity. Adding to this, Shruti Swaroop, Embrace Consulting says, “Sound healing involves the use of instruments like Tibetan singing bowls or guided sound meditations to orchestrate an environment imbued with serenity and resonance. It serves to alleviate stress, reduce anxiety, and cultivate mindfulness among individuals, ultimately contributing to a workforce characterised by enhanced resilience and heightened focus.”
Improvises productivity
Sound healing is beneficial in enhancing concentration and productivity as it helps employees enter a state of heightened focus and mindfulness, resulting in better work performance, efficiency, and productivity. Via sounds, employees are enabled to pay attention to their tasks, effectively as “Sound healing can stimulate creativity and problem-solving abilities. By clearing mental clutter, employees are better equipped to tackle challenges and think outside the box”, says Shruti.
Bio-sonification
This aims to offer employees a transformative method for relaxation, refreshment and meditation as it allows them to immerse themselves in the serene biorhythms of living plants, providing an escape or a breather during their midday work breaks. Many workplaces have started incorporating this practice in their work culture and Mindspace Business Parks REIT created a first-of-its-kind Bio-Sonification Zone in Airoli West, Mumbai, to provide some invigoration during their work. The company said in a statement, “We are firmly committed to driving holistic value for the environment and communities, by integrating an ESG-led approach into business. The implementation of the Bio-Sonification zone at our campus is another initiative towards delivering enduring experiences and is an innovative route towards promoting health and well-being for tenants”. Bio-Sonification records the sound of 15 different plant species and transforms them into relaxing soundscapes that enable people to experience the activities of plants in the form of music.
Improved sleep quality
Sound healing like listening to calming music or natural sounds helps people improve their sleep quality. This leads to increased energy levels and overall well-being, making employees more cautious, proactive, and attentive during working hours.
Maintains emotional balance Sound healing helps employees regulate their emotions and create a sense of emotional balance. The vibrations and frequencies of certain instruments stimulate the release of endorphins and other ‘feel-good’ hormones that further lead to a positive emotional state.
Considering the health benefits of Sound Healing, Abhijeet Satani, an internationally renowned neuroscientist says that “Sound healing, rooted in ancient practices, is evolving right into a scientifically identified technique that could extensively affect mental well-being. As a neuroscientist, I believe that sound recuperation through auditory stimuli can intricately have an impact on mind, body and soul. Since the potential of sound modulates stress wherein, the mind reacts to particular frequencies or styles of sound, including those discovered in calming songs or nature sounds that cause a discount in cortisol degrees. Cortisol, a hormone related to pressure, has a profound effect on the mind’s functioning and can disrupt neural strategies while extended chronically.”
To cope with workplace challenges, turning threats into opportunities and shortcomings into strengths, employees unknowingly become a participant in a competition which leads to burnout and mental exhaustion. That’s why, more workplaces have started adopting alternative wellness practices where sound healing is setting the benchmarks as it massively focuses on brainwave entertainment that drives better employee productivity and performance. Adding to this, Abhijeet also says, “Brainwave entertainment is a captivating mechanism through which sound can affect mind characteristics. By exposing the brain to specific frequencies, sound can synchronise brainwave activity, influencing states of consciousness. This synchronisation has the potential to resource in accomplishing meditative and targeted states that are crucial for cognitive overall performance and mental readability.”
Resonating wellness
Quantum physics reveals that everything in the universe including the human body has a state of vibrations and when the vibrations are in harmony, we feel and experience health and vitality as it discordant leads to diseases. Arpita Bhandari, founder of Aikyam Wellness says, “Sound healing seeks to bring about balance by using specific frequencies and vibrations to affect our energy centres, or chakras, as well as our cells and organs.”
Sound has a direct connection between mind and body whose integration into daily life leads to physical healing and transforms the soul as well. This is why, Arpita also says that “Sound healing therapeutic effects on the mind are profound. It can alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression by calming the nervous system and inducing a meditative state. The power of sound to shift brainwave frequencies from beta to alpha or theta states fosters mental clarity, creativity, and emotional release.”
There are a lot more benefits associated with sound healing as it not only heals emotionally and mentally rather it also promotes spiritual growth too. It connects people with higher consciousness that transforms their overall well-being with positive perceptions.
