Binaural Beats for Meditation Training
You can use binaural beats to synchronize your brainwaves. Beta brainwaves (13-40 Hz) are associated with active thinking and concentration, alpha brainwaves (7-13 Hz) with relaxation and/or drowsiness and theta brainwaves (4-7 Hz) with dreams, meditation, and REM sleep. When first I began to meditate, I read about the neuroscience behind meditation. Meditation causes brainwave changes as do binaural beats.
Binaural beats are heard when you listen to two different frequencies at once, one in each ear. The binaural beat is difference between the 2 frequencies. If you hear a 300 Hz sound in one ear and a 250 Hz sound in the other, your brain "hears" 50 Hz (300-250=50). That's a binaural beat.
Binaural beats happen only if the difference between the right channel and left channel frequencies is less than 100 Hz. Because each ear hears slightly different sounds so you must use stereo headphones. Each ear needs to hear only that channels frequency. Speakers don't work because each ear will hear both sounds.
Binaural beats can increase brain wave activity within a specific range because our brain waves mimic the frequency. This is called entrainment or frequency-following response. Think of binaural beats as subsonic frequencies heard within our brain or auditory processing artifacts.
You may find these binaural beat MP3 files of assistance while learning how to meditate. They're like training wheels for meditators. Use them to get started but after awhile you may find that you don't need them anymore, that you've outgrown them. Others use them regularly with great success. The only way to find out is to try them yourself.
I've also created a set of meditation timers, both audio and video, of varying length. Imagine an interval of silence followed by a bell or gong. Using these files you can time yourself from 10 to 30 minutes in 5 minute intervals. These are not binaural beats, just a bell at the end of silence. Try them and see.
I love to hear from people who've used these files. Feedback is always appreciated. jetcityorange at gmail dot com
Don't forget to sit.