(And Why Everyone's Suddenly Obsessed)

If you've been anywhere near the wellness scene lately, you've probably heard someone casually drop "gong puja" into conversation like it's totally normal to spend entire nights getting sonically bathed. And honestly? They're onto something.

This ancient practice is having a proper moment. Our friend Amanda Denton, who's running pujas with Tam every August in Saint Leonards, can barely keep up with demand. London studios are adding them to their schedules faster than you can say "sound bath." But unlike your standard 60-minute session, gong puja is the full monty — an all-night journey that transforms sound healing from concentrated healing into extended deep-dive territory.

The Ancient Art of Getting Properly Gong'd

Let's start with the basics. "Puja" is Sanskrit for devotional ritual — think ceremony with actual spiritual weight, not just expensive relaxation. When you add gongs to the mix, you're looking at one of humanity's oldest approaches to healing through sound, where metal meets mysticism and participants often emerge feeling like they've been reassembled from the cellular level up.

Traditional gong pujas were designed as overnight ceremonies because ancient practitioners understood something we're only just rediscovering: extended exposure to these frequencies creates opportunities for transformation that shorter sessions simply can't touch. We're talking about working with your brain's natural rhythm through the night cycle, not fighting against it.

Contemporary neuroscience is finally catching up to what sound healers have known for millennia. Extended exposure to specific frequencies triggers what scientists call "frequency following response" — basically, your brainwaves start syncing up with external rhythms like they're joining a very slow, very profound dance party.

Your Brain on Gongs: The Science Bit

Here's where it gets properly interesting. During gong puja, participants typically cruise through several brainwave states: from beta (your normal "where did I put my keys?" consciousness) to alpha (chilled awareness), theta (deep meditation and REM sleep), and sometimes delta (the kind of deep healing sleep that makes you wake up feeling like you've been upgraded).

Studies using EEG monitoring show that people achieve meditative brainwave states within minutes — states that usually take years of meditation practice to access consistently. The combination of multiple gongs creates complex harmonic patterns that essentially "reset" your nervous system, dropping cortisol levels while boosting endorphins and other healing chemicals your body produces when it's not stressed out of its mind.

Think of it as cellular massage, where sound vibrations penetrate tissue and promote circulation in ways that would make your expensive massage therapist slightly jealous. Participants often report feeling like they've had deep bodywork, despite lying on a mat all night doing absolutely nothing.

What Actually Happens to You (Emotionally Speaking)

The emotional side is where gong puja gets properly transformative. The practice creates what psychologists call "non-ordinary states of consciousness" — altered awareness that can facilitate breakthrough insights and emotional release. Basically, the boundaries between waking and dreaming get delightfully blurry, creating space where suppressed emotions can surface safely for processing.

Some people experience what trauma therapists recognize as "somatic release" — where your body naturally discharges stored tension through spontaneous movement, tears, or other expressions. It sounds intense (and sometimes is), but the extended timeframe means these natural healing processes can unfold without the pressure of snapping back to normal consciousness quickly.

Occasionally, sounds might trigger emotions that have been lurking beneath the surface. Rather than seeing this as problematic, experienced practitioners invite you to accept these moments as part of the healing process. Most participants leave feeling supported, energised, and refreshed — like they've had a proper emotional spring clean.

The Spiritual Dimension: Inner Wisdom and Other Good Stuff

Beyond the therapeutic benefits, gong puja offers access to what many traditions call "inner wisdom" — that intuitive knowing that emerges when your analytical mind finally takes a break. Extended sound immersion can facilitate experiences of expanded awareness, spiritual insight, and deep connection to something bigger than your daily worries about whether you remembered to lock the front door.

Many participants report entering lucid dreaming states, where they remain conscious within dream experiences. Others describe profound visions, encounters with spiritual guides, or experiences of unity consciousness. These phenomena might be difficult to measure scientifically, but they represent consistent aspects of the gong puja experience across cultures and traditions.

The overnight format honours the natural spiritual significance of darkness and dreaming in human consciousness. Traditional wisdom recognizes nighttime as when the veil between ordinary and non-ordinary reality becomes thinner, making profound spiritual experiences more accessible than during your average Tuesday afternoon.

Practical Prep: Don't Underestimate the Comfort Factor

Success in gong puja depends massively on physical comfort. Unlike shorter sound sessions, spending all night in altered consciousness requires serious attention to your physical setup. Many first-timers underestimate this and spend the night distracted by discomfort rather than surrendering to the experience.

Essential gear includes:

Proper mattress or thick camping mat (your back will thank you after hours of lying down)
Quality bedding — pillows, duvets, sleeping bags, whatever keeps you cozy
Loose, comfortable clothes that won't cut off circulation
Eye mask for maintaining darkness
Water bottle for hydration (though minimal drinking during the session is recommended)
Notebook for capturing insights when you emerge

The importance of decent bedding cannot be overstated. Investment in comfort items directly impacts your ability to surrender to the experience rather than spending the night thinking about your shoulder blade.

The Journey: What to Actually Expect

Gong puja typically unfolds in phases, each offering different opportunities for healing and insight. The evening usually starts with intention setting and guided meditation to help transition from ordinary consciousness into receptive states.

Initial phases often involve shamanic drumming and crystal bowls, creating rhythmic foundation that helps your nervous system begin shifting toward deeper states. As the gongs are introduced, many participants experience "sonic dissolution" — where the sense of individual boundaries softens and awareness expands in pleasantly disorienting ways.

The middle hours often bring the deepest experiences. Some people fall into profound healing sleep, while others remain in conscious altered states that feel like being awake inside a dream. Emotional releases are common during this phase, as sustained sound frequencies help surface and process stored emotions that have been waiting for safe space to emerge.

Pre-dawn hours typically involve the most subtle yet profound experiences. As your body naturally begins preparing for morning, gong frequencies can facilitate powerful insights and integration of the night's experiences.

Post-Gong Integration: The Sauna Game-Changer

The transition from gong puja back to ordinary consciousness requires careful attention. Sacred silence and gentle movement help process experiences without shocking your system back to everyday awareness. Journaling immediately after captures insights that might otherwise fade like dreams.

But here's where things get next-level: combining gong puja with sauna represents sophisticated understanding of how different healing modalities can amplify each other's benefits. After hours of deep sound immersion, your body often holds new patterns of energy and awareness that sauna helps integrate and anchor.

Physiologically, sauna after gong puja supports the detoxification process that sound healing initiates. Heat promotes circulation and lymphatic drainage, helping clear metabolic waste products that accumulate during deep healing states. The sweating process supports release of stored toxins — both physical and emotional.

The spiritual dimension draws from ancient purification traditions found across cultures. Heat becomes a final purifying element, burning away whatever no longer serves while solidifying new patterns of health and awareness established during the gong experience.

The contrast between the deep inner journey of gong puja and the elemental experience of heat and steam creates powerful completion ritual. Participants often report feeling "reborn" or fundamentally renewed after this combination.

Who Should (and Shouldn't) Try This

Gong puja offers profound benefits for those seeking deep healing, spiritual growth, or breakthrough from persistent patterns. The practice particularly benefits individuals dealing with chronic stress, emotional trauma, creative blocks, or major life transitions.

However, the intensity requires honest self-assessment. Sound healing isn't suitable for people with epilepsy, tinnitus, pacemakers, or those in their first trimester of pregnancy. Anyone taking anti-depressants or dealing with mental health challenges should consult their healthcare provider before participating.

The all-night format also requires physical and emotional readiness for extended altered states. Participants should be prepared for potential emotional releases and have support systems in place for integration afterward.

Why This Ancient Practice is Having a Modern Moment

In our hyperconnected world, gong puja offers something increasingly rare: extended time in altered consciousness without digital distraction. The practice provides counterbalance to constant stimulation of modern life, creating space for the deep rest and processing our nervous systems desperately need.

Unlike meditation practices requiring years of training, gong puja offers immediate access to profound altered states through the power of sound. This accessibility makes ancient healing wisdom available to contemporary practitioners while honouring the depth and significance of traditional approaches.

The practice also addresses modern understanding of trauma and healing. The extended timeframe allows gentle processing of stored experiences without pressure of returning to normal consciousness quickly — an approach that aligns with contemporary trauma therapy's emphasis on allowing natural healing processes to unfold at their own pace.

Ready for Your Own Sonic Adventure?

A Gong puja represents a doorway into the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern understanding of consciousness, healing, and transformation. The practice asks participants to surrender control and trust in the healing intelligence of sound, body, and spirit working together.

Whether seeking relief from physical ailments, emotional healing, spiritual growth, or simply the deepest rest of your life, gong puja offers a powerful container for transformation. The combination of sacred sound, extended time, and proper integration creates opportunities for the kind of profound shifts that can redirect life's trajectory.

Are you ready to experience this ancient practice in supportive community?

MADRE’s gong pujas regularly combine traditional wisdom with modern understanding, creating sacred space for deep healing and transformation. There's something profound about surrendering to these ancient frequencies alongside others who understand their power — the collective field amplifies individual healing while providing safety for whatever emerges.

Book our upcoming Gong Puja here and discover why this practice is having such a moment.

What Even is a Gong Puja?