heal: the gateway to sound meditation with goldierocks & IO project
Music is one of the most powerful tools that we have in this world and we use it every day in many different ways. Sound connects us not only to the world around us but to each other. It speaks to us through music, communicates through nature and also helps us to navigate our surroundings. From subtle background noise to orchestrated musical performance, it has the ability to trigger our emotions, influence our mood and spark creativity. When many of us learn about meditation for the first time, we think it’s about trying to quieten our mind and shut out our thoughts, but it’s way more than that.
Meet Sam Hall, known by many as Goldierocks, not only a respected DJ and Broadcaster but creator of IO Project and a recently qualified sound therapist. Having spent the last decade travelling the world touring she understood the need to seek balance. She has extensively researched & created a set of personal practices that bring back a sense of well being & calm in the face of burn out. Now collaborating with festivals, holistic retreats and the ever growing online world, she shares her meditation and gong bath experience to audiences across the globe.
IO Project is a fascinating concept, tell us a bit about it…
IO Project stands for Input/Output. We believe that all energy is recycled & quite simply what you put out, returns to you. We want to spread the good vibes, keep that positive chain going. The purpose of IO Project is to encourage you to think, feel, play & re-connect. Essentially we put on Gong baths (or sound meditations as we prefer to call them) & immersive holistic experiences in unique locations to make your soul feel good. Make podcasts & audio that open your mind. Curate bespoke soundscapes & soundtracks that open your heart. We like to think of it as the antidote to apathy, for adults who’ve forgotten how to play.
After years of relentless touring around the world as a DJ and broadcaster, of being ‘on’ constantly and feeling there was never space or time to slow the hell down, I felt like I’d lost my spark. Too much juggling, burnt out and fed up of constantly having to hustle & feeling overwhelmingly guilty & fearful if I did dare slow down on occasion. I’d lost my sense of creativity and playfulness. I just felt like a rat on a wheel, going through the motions and who get’s into the music industry for that?! Life is supposed to feel wild and free! I just decided enough was enough- this wasn’t real living.
I researched & experimented with a range of coping mechanisms, pillars of self-care you could call them, that transformed the way I felt about the world and my place in it. The most impactful being sound therapy. I think it’s such an incredible tool for helping you meditate more deeply and effectively and it’s in those deep meditative states, you can begin to process and release blocks and ultimately heal.
You have worked in the music industry for a long time, why do you think this project is important?
I know I’m not the only person that has felt like this. Mental health issues are on the rise; stress, anxiety and panic attacks are every day and common place. Suicide numbers are tragically on the up and the pressure on musicians, DJs and people working in the industry is heavier than it’s ever been, felt by everyone (esp as I type this amidst a global health pandemic where festivals, clubs and gig venues around the world are on lockdown). This is crisis point for our community. We as humans’ aren’t supposed to exist in this constant stage of cortisol flooded ‘GO’: of stress and strain. It’s also completely counter-productive to a creative, artistically innovative, free thinking, exploratory mind.
The sentiment behind ‘It’s OK to not feel OK’ is all well and good but I wanted to give people practical, hands on tools to help themselves to live better. Not just a reassuring hashtag. Meditation is absolutely one of the best things you can do every day for your mental health and sense of creativity. I really think it should be taught in schools from a young age. We’d have such a happier, more balanced society. But lots of people struggle to mediate regularly. Sound therapy (or gong baths) are your gateway in. The unpredictable sounds & vibrations of the instruments give your over-active mind something to focus on or even ‘think about’ while you’re still getting the healing physiological and psychological benefits of a classic meditation.
““The sentiment behind ‘It’s OK to not feel OK’ is all well and good but I wanted to give people practical, hands on tools to help themselves to live better””
My goal with IO Project is to make sound mediation accessible & meaningful to a sophisticated, urban, contemporary clientele. Sound therapy for the club kids. I personally, found myself being distracted by some of the sound therapy practitioners in London & online. I have no doubt they are sincere in their intention but it all just felt a bit cringe. Call a girl judgey but it was important for me that this service (sound therapy) and all it’s benefits were reachable to people like me. Presented in a way and setting and using language that people like me would resonate with. Leaving going ‘wow, I feel so much better’, rather than ‘oh babes that was a bit … *long hard eye roll*…’
You have recently become a sound meditation teacher, why did you decide to step in to this new chapter?
I must make it clear: this is by no means me hanging up my headphones yet. I had a full summer festival tour booked in until Corona took over 2020. IO Project is a beautiful extra but also a much needed one, considering where the world is at right now. It’s also a joy to be able to focus on right now, being able to do it virtually from home. We’ve converted our attic room into a glorious zen den: hand painted star ceiling , Tibetan artwork & enough salt lamps to sink a small yacht which is perfect for virtual sessions and working with private clients.
I’ve mediated for over a decade and always been fascinated with theology and music and its effect on ones emotions. Travelling so much as an international broadcaster meant that I’ve got to experience some incredible cultures at a very grass roots, organic, local level. I feel so grateful that I’ve been welcomed into these sometimes very private and contrasting worlds. I’ve observed how people party, enjoy music, how they worship and self-soothe. I think there’s a lot the UK can learn culturally in regards to balance and learning how to be mindful & gently looking after yourself. Working so long focusing on global music exchange (I presented my international radio show for 10 years) I suppose there was part of me that wanted to focus on bringing back all the other cultural elements I’ve discovered too, not just music. Most importantly, I wanted to help people.
How can music be used to heal?
We are in such a unique time in history. I appreciate so many people are feeling claustrophobic and overwhelmed and frightened about the future (especially in the music and entertainment business). I think sometimes we cling on so tightly to old ways of being and thinking, that it can actually do more harm than good. Free your mind and the rest will follow. Most of IO Project’s (virtual) sessions at the moment are just about learning to let go. I’d love for people to try and see this time as an opportunity for growth, rather than just a hindrance. A chance to learn, to evolve. In a rush to get back to normal, consider which parts of life are really worth rushing back to. Don’t be frightened of change. This is the perfect time to heal and music is key to that.
Whether that be banging techno and just dancing it the f**k out, soothing binaural beats Goa style, anything tuned to 396hz (there’s a myriad of reiki & zen spa music on spotify) that stimulates your pineal gland in your brain that creates serotonin, aka the good sh**. I obviously would recommend a gong bath (live if possible) by IO Project ; ) But even humming does you good, not only as a self-soothing sound. The gentle vibrations affect us on a physical level, reducing stress, inducing calmness and enhancing sleep as well as lowering heart rate, blood pressure and producing powerful neurochemicals such as oxytocin, the “love” hormone. Music is a healer.
What do you think that the music world can learn from the wellbeing world?
It’s funny because someone commented the other day, wow it’s such a career change for you and I thought: I’m doing exactly the same thing, it’s just framed differently. Both Djing and gong baths- they’re about release. They’re about helping people let the f**k go and relaxing and feeling good in their own minds and bodies. With the hope that happier people become better humans and better humans are more connected to & conscientious about the world around them.
How important is sound?
It’s everything.
connect with goldierocks and find out more about IO project…
visir her website: www.goldierocks.co.uk
follow her on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djgoldierocks
follow IO project: https://www.instagram.com/ioprojecthq/
visit the website: www.ioprojecthq.co.uk
