What is Gong Yoga Training?
What is Gong Yoga Training? Who is it aimed at? And why you should consider doing it?
1/ What is it?
In Gong Yoga Training we learn to use gongs for a specific purpose, such as energy or relaxation. On our Level One training, we give people the techniques and skills to deliver safe, and skillful gong baths, whilst playing intuitively. In Gong Yoga we build on those intuitive skills, and provide deeper understanding about the gongs, and more refined techniques for playing. The gongs then become dynamic tools in any kind of energy session such as Yoga, Qigong, or meditation.Most Yoga teachers tend to use gongs during savasana. However with a bit of clever sequencing they can be used throughout a class to make the experience really powerful and healing.
2/ Who is it for?
You don’t need to be a Yoga teacher to train in Gong Yoga with us. So long as you understand some of the basic concepts of Yoga such as Prana, meditation, and asana (posture) then you’ll fit right in. On the course we demonstrate Gong with Qigong, breath, relaxation, and meditation, as well as Yoga. Once you understand the principles of playing the gongs for an outcome, then they can be creatively incorporated into a number of different modalities.
3/ Why use Gongs?
The gongs are powerful instruments. If you’re reading this, the chances are that you have already experienced a gong bath. The vast majority of people who get gonged report feeling relaxed, spaced out, and lightly energised at the end of a session. Scientific research into gongs and sound is in its infancy, however we do know that gongs positively affect the blood, autonomic nervous system, and the mind. In turn they influence our hormones, breathing patterns, stress levels, brain waves, and more. Now imagine introducing that to a Yoga or meditation session! You get the idea. The potential for healing and transformation when the gongs are involved increases exponentially.
4/ What to Expect
During a training day, you get to experience what it feels like to practice Yoga, Qigong, meditation and relaxation accompanied by the gongs. We teach you the playing techniques, safety considerations, and tips to sequence unique sessions for your students. You will work with others to develop a sequence of your own. The training is a source of creative ideas and inspiration – it’s practical and you spend most of the day playing gongs or being gonged. And you will receive a solid grounding in how and why gongs fit so well with energy based practices.
5/ Is it Open to Beginners?
Never played the gong before? You might want to do a double day with us. We try to run a Level One Gong Practitioner course the day before a Gong Yoga Training. Level One gives you everything you need to get started playing gongs and running gong baths. It’s accredited and you can get insurance once you’ve completed it. Gong Yoga gives you an extra day playing and builds skills and confidence levels. Over the two days you get to play almost 20 different gongs, try different mallets, and stands, so when it comes to buying your own, you’re much clearer on what works for you. We provide post training support which includes help buying gongs, mallets, and stands.
6/ A Unique Experience
Gongs are a great USP. A yoga or meditation class driven by gongs is an unusual and powerful experience. As a teacher, it gives you a unique selling point. For your clients, it means greater transformation. For people who find it hard to switch off and meditate, the gongs do a lot of the work. Gongs boost the energy of those with chronic conditions with very little effort. They also balance the nervous system, helping clients balance the effects of long term stress.
Click here for details of our upcoming Gong Yoga and other Training Courses.