The very first sound we hear is the beat of our mother’s heart while we are in the womb.

It is no wonder that we find the beat of a drum so soothing and calming as it takes us back to our earliest memory.

Before we are been born we have already grown to find safety and security within the gentle pounding of a steady rhythmic beat.

When we are beating the drum we also become more aware of our own heartbeat and can synchronize each beat with our own natural rhythm. When we keep our drum beat steady our heartbeat harmonizes with the beat and when we increase the rhythm of the drum our heartbeat resonates in response, vibrating faster to fall into sequence. The effects of a drumming session can be felt for days afterwards.

Everything that exists in the universe is made up of energy vibrating on different frequencies. The vibration of the drum resonates with the vibrations radiating from the human body and aligns the energies harmoniously.

Mother Earth also has its own heartbeat. This pulse is known as the Schumann Resonance. According to the Schumann resonance our brains vibrate at the same frequency that is pulsating from the Earth’s crust. This is known as Harmonic Resonance. Drumming is used to combine the 180-cycles-per-second beat of Earth with the vibrational tones of meditation to tap into our inner psychic ability so we can travel to alternative ethereal dimensions.

Our ancient ancestors found therapeutic benefits in sacred drumming, even if it was simply banging rocks or sticks against the ground, and this powerful practice lives on in all corners of the world today. The majority of indigenous cultures and other spiritual practitioners use the drum as part of their sacred rituals and healing ceremonies. Many spiritual traditions also use the sound of the drum during their practices as a way to induce a heightened state during meditation.

There is nothing that goes wrong in my life that half an hour of drumming can’t fix.

I bought my first drum not long after my first Reiki session. I then went on to learn how to incorporate the drum into my Reiki practice and I now use it alongside meditation, to release stress, anxiety and tension, to centre, balance and ground and it helps me tap into the layers deep within my subconscious mind.

Drumming demands our focus and attention and therefore keeps us firmly in the present moment. This makes drumbeat meditation transformational as each beat alerts us to a multitude of intense emotions and feelings that have been lying dormant. The vibration of each drumbeats resonates and awakens the mind, body and soul and helps us to channel and process emotions, locate inner peace and connect with inner wisdom and knowledge. 

With the beat of the drum we can awaken stagnant energy that we have repressed and embark on a healing journey that gives us a unique insight into old wounds that are aching to be healed. We can direct our intention towards healing to promote an energetic shift so that it removes dense blockages that have been caused by a build up of painful emotion.

The greatest thing about drumming is that we don’t need to beat in any particular rhythm, we just need to deliver a unique beat that allows us to express ourselves and one that also works in synchrony with how we feel.

After a quick drumming session I feel energized, motivated, inspired, creative and ultimately I feel a profound connection to myself and a deep sense of oneness with the universe.

Drumming alone is an incredibly powerful experience, although, group drumming radiates an electrifying energy as the sound waves that emanate from the drum intensely infuse and significantly alter the surrounding atmosphere.

When we drum outdoors with nature, all the benefits associated with drumming are enhanced, especially if the session takes place at the time of a new or full moon.

To make a drum, we can use a round tin container, a piece of faux leather to cover the top and bottom of it and a piece of thin rope. If we cut the faux leather in two circles, larger than the openings on the top and the bottom and then pierce small holes all around the edges, we can thread the rope from the top to the bottom, tightening as we go. 

There are no rules to playing the drum, we simply create a beat with either our hands or with drumsticks, synchronizing in time with the call of our heartbeat, with the pulse of Mother Earth or by finely tuning into our own energy or the energy of our surroundings.

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Relephant read:

Drumming as a Spiritual Practice.

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Author: Alex Myles

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Flickr/Elvert Barnes