The tracks below are of the set of tibetan singing bowls I have collected. These types of singing bowls have been used since ancient times in meditations and healing work. They are traditionally made with 7 metals representing the 7 planets that the tibetan monks were aware of at the time. The bowls produce monaural beats and harmonic overtones that affect body and mind on a deep level. The bowl set here is based on the Earth tone. This is also known as "Om" and is the calculated sound signature of the Earth as it travels around the sun. In Indian music this is also called the Sadja. The corresponding bowls were matched according to the Chakra system in Ayurvedic medicine. This also corresponds roughly with the western major scale.
Don't listen to these while driving. They are designed to induce deep relaxation.
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These tracks are nature sounds that I recorded and then added binaural beats later. I intended these as meditations without music. My idea was to create a space to just zone out and not think for a while. I also love listening to the sounds of nature. Each one is 30 minutes long and the hertz of each of the binaural beats are listed on the track. The first 3 tracks will sync to a lower more relaxed range (I like these for nightime listening before bed). Track 4 goes from 6hz to 10hz (a relaxed but active state), I like this best for listening to at the start of the day.
Note: It has helped me to listen to a track (or tracks in a similar hertz range) for at least a week, in order for my mind to get used to syncing to that range. Later, it occured faster became more automatic. Experiment to see what works for you.
Don't listen to these while driving. They are designed to induce deep relaxation. Also, If you have epilepsy or an irregular heart beat please read this before using binaural beats. In the unlikely event that you experience any unusual physical or mental discomfort, immediately discontinue use.
What are binaural beats?
Binaural Beats are a way of syncing the brainwaves to a desired frequency range. For example, if I was in a stressed state and wanting to bring my brainwaves down to a more relaxed range, listening to binaural beats could help me to achieve this.
How do Binaural Beats (and other types of Brainwave synchronization) work?
Our brains have a frequency following response. This means that when we are exposed to repetitive beats our brainwaves naturally attempt to sync to them. Imagine yourself listing to the repetitive sounds of a passing train or as a child sleeping to the repetitive sound in the car. Binaural Beats and other types of entrainment work in a similar way.
Binaural Beats help us achieve the lower subsonic states by using two slightly differing tones (in headphones). The brain attempts to sync to the difference of the two tones with each tone panned in each ear of the headphones. For example if your left ear heard 100hz and your right ear heard 105hz, the difference would be 5hz. Then, the brain would attempt to sync to 5hz. This basically sounds like vibrato on a stringed instrument or the "wah wah" sound of a tibetan bowl.
For me this, has turned out to be a great tool for relaxation and meditation. Also, I feel that the more I have gotten used to the feel of different brainwave states, they are much easier to access later. Kind of like tuning in to a certain "radio station".
In general, binaural beats work best with headphones however, I also mixed a monaural beat and it seems to work well for me without headphones. (The monaural beat is the same frequency as the binaural beat, just mixed mono and panned to the center). I did this so it would be convenient to listen to while going to sleep (without headphones). Again, just experiment to see what works for you.
Here are basic descriptions of some of the brain states.
Brainwave ranges:
Beta - 30hz-13hz - your normal awake state, in higher ranges or above 30hz you may be experiencing stress. In this case, you gotta relax or you may hurt yourself!
Alpha - 13z-8hz - a relaxed and reflective state
Theta - 8hz-4hz - a very meditative state or getting drowsy and drifting off, if your sleepy)
Delta - 4hz and below - deep sleep or a very deep meditative state. Buddhist Monk's brainwaves have also been measured in this state during meditation.
So is this the holy grail to solve all stress problems? For me, no, but it has been a major piece of the puzzle and an extremely effective tool. Other great tools for me also include yoga, meditation and diet and exercise.
Here is an article from Wikipedia about Brainwave Entrainment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwave_entrainment
The brainwave states (Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta) are listed on this page (scroll down to the table)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalography
Binaural Beat Sets:
Instrumentals
These are based around certain frequency centers, so they don't really have chord progressions as you would normally hear in music. For me, these are more about letting go of the left brain's structured thoughts and centering.