Binaural Beats For Meditation
Binaural Beats are for Relaxation, Meditation & Refreshment
The meditation training audios here contain binaural beats to reach specific levels of mind. Alpha for a light meditative state and theta for a deep meditative state. Learn more about binaural beats here and then practice meditation using the audios to reach deep meditative states fast.
What Are Binaural Beats?
Using EEG (electroencephalography) technology, that measures electrical activity of the brain, it has been found that we tend to be in certain brainwave states (or frequencies) during different activities. Basically, if we are in an environment with fast paced music then we will tend to get more active. While if we are surrounded by slow music there will be a corresponding slow down in our mental activity. Of course, this is assuming you are listening to the music or its so loud that you can’t ignore it and are going with the flow.
In other words, your brain responds to external stimuli by following along. So if you hear a regular beat then the brain will follow along after a short while i.e. it will entrain itself from it’s current frequency to the one in its environment. This is called the “frequency following response”.
Scientists have discovered that you can also entrain your brain from one frequency to another using a sound technology called binaural beats. What happens is that two sounds are played at difference frequencies. One in each ear. For example 480 hrz in one ear and 490 hrz in the other. The brain perceives the difference of these two frequencies which is 10 hrz. After listening to these sounds for a while the brain begins to follow along at 10 hertz and an alpha brainwave state if achieved.
Healthline article on binaural beats specifically states:
The bottom line
With several human studies to back up the health claims, binaural beats appear to be a promising tool in the fight against anxiety, stress, and negative mental states. Research has found that listening daily to CDs or audio files with binaural beats has positive effects on:
- anxiety
- memory
- mood
- creativity
- attention
Brainwave chart as it applies to meditation:
40 hertz: Gamma Waves: Active mentally, intense emotions such as anger of joy, solving problems
13 – 40 hertz: Beta Waves – Active concentration, general active lifestyle
7 – 13 hertz: Alpha Waves – Relaxed state, light meditation level, perfect for stress relief
4 – 7 hertz: Theta Waves – Deep meditation, REM sleep, dreams
0 – 3 hertz: Delta Waves – Deep dreamless sleep
Sciencedirect.com lists the 5 main categories for brainwaves as follows:
| Frequency band | Frequency | Brain states |
|---|---|---|
| Gamma (γ) | >35 Hz | Concentration |
| Beta (β) | 12–35 Hz | Anxiety dominant, active, external attention, relaxed |
| Alpha (α) | 8–12 Hz | Very relaxed, passive attention |
| Theta (θ) | 4–8 Hz | Deeply relaxed, inward focused |
| Delta (δ) | 0.5–4 Hz | Sleep |
“The link between alpha and meditative states seems real enough. According to Psychologist Joe Kamiya of San Francisco’s Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, an early pioneer in the field, Zen masters produce more alpha when they are meditating than when they are not, and they are quick to learn how to switch it on and off. Artists, musicians and athletes are also prolific alpha producers; so are many introspective and intuitive persons, and so was Albert Einstein. Alpha researchers report that subjects enjoy what Psychologist Lester Fehmi of the State University of New York at Stony Brook calls the “subtle and ineffable” alpha experience. Its pleasure, theorizes Kamiya, may come from the fact that alpha “represents something like letting go of anxieties.” from Time Magazine’s article “Behavior: Alpha Wave of The Future“