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Well being: the art of noise
Conrad Astley20/ 1/2006
Music makes you feel happy or sad, now a local woman claims to have tapped into its health benefits. Angela Cooper talked to Conrad Astley about what sound therapy can do for you.
SOUND has the power to heal where doctors have failed, according
to a Chorlton-based therapist.
Angela Cooper practises sound therapy - an art she claims is a
mixture of the ancient and the modern because, while the technique
draws on ideas that are thousands of years old using objects from
the Far East, it also takes advantage of cutting-edge technology
which has come from the computer age.
The idea is to use soothing sounds to help bring about a deep state
of relaxation, and create what Angela describes as a "sonic
massage."
But although some of the instruments used to produce these noises
come from Himalayan monasteries and Balinese temples, others have a
slightly less exotic origin - a factory in Irlam, Salford.
Along with Tibetan singing bowls, which are rubbed or struck to
produce ethereal sounds, Angela uses quartz crystal bowls
originally made to produce computer microchips.
The bowls were designed as a tool for growing tiny crystals, but
therapists found they had an interesting alternative use - when
rubbed, they vibrated and made a sound which was perfect for their
work.
Angela said the Irlam factory - one of the few places in the UK
where the bowls are made - originally provided slightly damaged
bowls to people involved in the therapy, but now interest in the
art has exploded, it produces them specifically for sound
therapists.
She claimed the therapy was ideal for those suffering from stress,
but could also be used to treat conditions including chronic pain,
anxiety, headaches, depression, insomnia or gynaecological
problems.
"Quite a few of the people I've seen say it's good for people going
through changes," she said.
"I think things like old emotional problems can get stuck in your
body and have a physical effect on you. You may feel like they're
behind you but the energy they leave behind can remain in your
system.
"It's good for people who say they've had a backache for years, and
nobody's been able to do anything about it. It's like a sonic
massage, you can feel the sound covering every part of your
body."
Like other complementary therapies such as acupuncture and shiatsu,
the idea was to get rid of negative energy in the body and restore
balance.
It is based on the ancient Eastern belief that there are seven main
"chakras" or energy centres in the body - each of which responds to
a particular note.
The Tibetan singing bowls and crystal bowls are also tuned to
vibrate to certain pitches when struck or rubbed with a special
tool - creating a similar effect to rubbing the rim of a wine
glass.
Angela, having had a consultation with her client before starting
the session, will then be able to concentrate on the area most in
need of healing, by creating notes in tune with that part of the
body.
However, she added there was also scientific evidence backing up
the therapy's purported healing powers.
Doctors have monitored people during the therapy using special
equipment to record their brain waves.
She said during an hour-long session, the brain waves can shift
from their normal or awake and alert state towards a state
associated with light sleep, during which the brain replenishes
itself.
Because of this, people often leave the session feeling refreshed
and rejuvenated, but Angela says the therapy can sometimes have
much more dramatic effects.
Clients have told her they felt as if they were floating, as if
they could see colours, or as if they "felt" the sound vibrations
in certain parts of their bodies.
She said: "Most people find it quite refreshing. They arrive
feeling very worked up about something, and leave thinking they
didn't know what they were worried about."
Call Angela on 07761 972 863 or e-mail
info@spiralsound.co.uk.
Angela will often have a consultation with the client before
starting the hour-long therapy, during which the client can talk
about whatever problems they are suffering from.
During the hour-long session, the client will lie on a mattress,
and Angela will begin the therapy by ringing a Balinese temple bell
over the client's body.
She claims this helps her pick up areas of the body where there are
problems - and which she can concentrate on.
Over the next hour, she creates restful sounds by ringing Tibetan
bowls, quartz crystal bowls, and a gong.
She will then advise the client to go home, have a quiet night and
drink plenty of water, as the therapy may have released toxins into
the bloodstream.
She often advises clients to come once a week for three weeks, but
many return for top-up sessions.
Angela is holding a session to teach these techniques in
Chorlton on February 11. Venue to be confirmed.
A FORMER Haçienda DJ and nightclub promoter has set up a yoga
marathon to fight poverty - and he believes the event could become
a global phenomenon.
Matt Ryan makes yearly trips to India, where he helps a charity by
teaching the ancient art of ashtanga yoga - beloved of Gywneth
Paltrow, Madonna and Sting - to homeless children.
Matt was a DJ at the legendary club for two years before promoting
nights there until it closed in 1997, and also ran South off
Deansgate - now famous for DJ sets from the Inspiral Carpets' Clint
Boon.
But when he began finding the nightclub business too stressful, he
took up yoga as a way of relaxing, and eventually gave up the job
to travel to India and study the art.
When he returned to Manchester, he started classes teaching
ashtanga yoga - described as a way of gaining control of the senses
using breathing techniques and exercises.
Matt said he promoted the events like a nightclub, and was
astonished to find 76 people turned up to the first class, joking
it was "a nightmare" as there wasn't enough room to put them
all.
He now runs a school in Manchester along with fellow instructor
Sarah Titterington, and holds classes in Heaton Moor, Altrincham
and at his home in Whalley Range.
The 36-year-old has also become involved in the American Society of
International Shanti (ASIS) charity.
While ASIS focuses on providing food, clothing and accommodation to
children and the elderly in India, Matt has been providing extra
help by teaching the youngsters basic stretching and breathing
techniques, which he says keeps them fit and gives them mental
discipline.
Matt, who returned from the subcontinent's southern city of Mysore
last month, has also organised a yogathon - getting a group of yoga
enthusiasts to repeat an exercise dozens of times.
The event, started two years ago, has now raised £1,000s for both
Asis and Children In Need, and Matt says it is now getting more
support.
He said: "It started in Manchester with us, then it grew to the
rest of the world. We've got people from all over the UK getting
involved, then the people who run the charity took it to the US.
It's becoming an annual worldwide event."
For more information visit www.ashtangayogamanchester.org
or call Matt on 868 0286.
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