If you’re currently in search of some clarity, purpose or inner calm, I can recommend a quick way to achieve all those things (providing you have an open mind!)  It comes through the power of sound therapy and the ancient instrument of the gong.  Yesterday I had a mind-blowing gong bath at the Gong Spa in Trafford, Greater Manchester, together with a fellow Creative Entrepreneur.  After just an hour’s session, we both left floating on air, ready to take on our individual work challenges with renewed calm, confidence and enthusiasm.  New work ideas were instantly flowing, as though we had done a few months worth of creative thinking in the space of 60 minutes.

The sound which comes out of the gong induces a powerful state of meditation (even for those of us with wandering minds!) and the vibration can be felt right throughout your body which was both deeply relaxing and energising all at the same time.  It’s a great alternative for anyone who struggles with other forms of therapy as it gets through to your subconscious mind so there’s really no resistance to overcome on the level of thought.

Although not widely available in every town, it is a therapy which is growing in popularity, probably helped by the fact that all you need to do is lie down during your session to receive the benefits!  (It is worthwhile to create an intention for the session though for the gong to work its magic on!)

Something which will stay with me from our session was at the end of the gong bath when Martyn (the Gongster) told us that he was spending his afternoon giving maths tuition, which seemed like a world away from the one we had just experienced with him.  I too have a love of numbers which I always thought was a little incongruous with my love of holistic practices.  However, I hadn’t truly considered how something so precise and logical as maths could actually play such a grounding role and an important part of a balanced life, as Martyn explained.  It made me realise that all the spread sheets, the action plans and the more left-brain side of running a business (or indeed life itself) can, and perhaps should, happily co-exist with all the right-brain, more ‘out there’ stuff as the two together can create true balance and harmony in our lives.

A gong bath is something I hope everyone can experience at some point in their lives, as there really is nothing like it and its transformative effects will make you wish you’d discovered it years ago!

Martyn Cawthorne is a fully qualified and deeply committed gong practitioner/sound healer.  You can book 1-1 sessions at the Gong Spa in the Trafford/Chorlton area of Manchester, and group gong baths in various locations around Manchester and Cheshire.  For more details visit https://gongspa.co.uk   Martyn also runs The Northern School of SoundSmiths, where you can learn the tools required for expressing creativity and loving kindness through sound (you can learn to play gongs!)  www.northernschoolofsoundsmiths.co.uk