If you have not yet heard about binaural beats meditation you may well want to look into it. A man named Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered binaural beats in 1839, when he played to slightly varying tones on a set of headphones. The listener perceives the two tones as one pulsating sound.

For these tones to be audible to the human ear they have to be above 1000 hertz and there should be no more than a 30 hertz difference between them for the desired effect to be achieved. If the variation is more than 30 hertz the listener will not hear the two tones as a distinctive beat.

These beats alter the subjects brain wave frequency, inducing a sense of relaxation. During a typical day the human brain cycles through a range of different frequencies and with the use of this unique phenomenon a person can consciously affect the brain waves, altering it to the desired frequency.

Meditation has long been used by various cultures around the world to instill a sense of calm and inner peace. Achieving a meditative state can take years of practice, particularly in Western society where the pace of life is often quite frenetic. From a young age we are conditioned to spend our time productively and the idea of sitting quietly and in effect, doing nothing, is largely frowned upon.

This mind set can be very difficult to alter and can make the art of relaxation a difficult one to master. To assist the individual with entering the desired meditative state, binaural beats are used to alter the brainwave pattern to one that is more conducive to meditation.

Using this method it is much easier to achieve alpha state, a receptive, relaxed state of mind ideal for meditation. This is achieved by listening to the desired frequency via a headset. The two tones are played into the left and right ear individually and the brain converts the sound into a third, separate pulsating tone.

While our brains are consciously active going about our daily tasks we are in a beta brainwave state, but during meditation our brains operate in the alpha state. Alpha is highly conducive to relaxation and an overall sense of peacefulness. It can take years to master the art of consciously altering the mind to the alpha state, but once this is achieved a person can move on to meditating in the theta state.

Meditation is far easier in alpha and theta, heightening the persons ability to reach a contemplative, deeply relaxed state. Anxiety levels decrease and it is far easier to objectively focus on issues that need clarification. Deep relaxation has many health benefits for the individual who practices regular meditation.