When we seek healing, the five senses are our first line of treatment. We can diffuse a soothing scent, get a massage, or incorporate more herbal medicines into our diet. But of the five senses, hearing is not our first priority. However, we notice when a jackhammer outside our window heightens our tension or when the familiar sound of a lullaby sung by our parents to soothe us as toddlers calms us down instantly.
Given the transformative force of sound, it’s no surprise that healing sound is booming in the wellness field. “Our dating generation has created an environment where the most demanding situations are intellectual rather than physical,” says Jeremy McCarthy, the group’s director. Spa
But the use of music and sound as medicine is nothing new. Priests and musicians playing the harp appear in frescoes dating back to 4,000 BC. While the discovery of undeniable flute tools among the remains of Neanderthals suggests that music dates back to prehistoric times. times. In classical Chinese medicine, the Chinese character for “medicine” is a mixture of the characters for “music” and “herb,” suggesting that music and herbs were historically thought to be must-haves in medicine.
In the ancient Chinese text “Ru Men Shi Qin” (1228 CE), Zhang Zihe, a prominent Chinese physician of the Yuan Dynasty, advocated incorporating music into medicine after witnessing the effect of musicians playing the Chinese flute and singing while he conducted. acupuncture to his patients. The Chinese fable is one of many fables that emphasize the ancient importance of music in nourishing the brain and body.
Music was so respected in classical Chinese medicine that more than 2000 years ago a comprehensive musical treatment, known as “five-phase musical treatment,” was created. Unlike Western music, ancient Chinese music is composed of only five notes: gong (do), shang (ri), jue (mi), zhi (so), and yu (la), which correspond to the five elements earth, metal, wood, fire, and water, respectively. Each of the five scales is also similar to the five primary organs of the human body (heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney) and has been used alone or in combination with some other shade to treat the affected component of the body.
Today, this ancient style of treatment is being translated into modern wellness through the Mandarin Oriental. In honor of the hotel brand’s Asian heritage, each spa historically plays its “Oriental Heritage” playlist, which includes low-frequency music meant to harmonize mood and mind. But his new “Music for Wellness Program” adopts a more specific technique with five playlists created in collaboration with MusicStyling, a network of world-renowned environmental composers.
“By looking at cultures and traditions in which music has played a prominent role in healing, we can see that certain types of pitch, rhythm, and instrumentation are used more frequently,” McCarthy says. “We’ve worked with music experts at MusicStyling. “
Mandarin Oriental’s new “Music for Wellness Program” is realized through the five-phase musical treatment used in classical Chinese medicine.
Specifically, one of the five music playlists is inspired by the scales of “Five Phase Music Therapy. “The “Reflect – Winter” playlist, for example, uses slapped tools and free-reed flutes to create a comfortable and comfortable sound meant to inspire. Pause and mirrored image through the playlist representing “Yu”, the tone that corresponds to the kidney and bladder, and the element water. Metal tools such as bells and bowls are used to make songs for the tone that represents the metal: “shang”. A scale related to the giant lung and gut, the playlist titled “Release – Autumn” is meant to induce a deep exhale to let its loud sound through.
The “Bloom – Summer” playlist uses a guqin, an ancient Chinese stringed instrument, to create a soft, melodious sound that encourages an open heart.
“Zhi,” which corresponds to the detail of the fireplace and relates to the center and small intestine, serves as the inspiration for the “Bloom – Summer” playlist designed to constitute our ability to love and inspire the opening of the center with its flow. . , a melodious sound created through the guqin and other silk string instruments. With such unique sounds and goals, playlists offer clients the opportunity to tailor their treatment to their expressed desires and wellness goals. If they’ve found that music is effective for their spa service, they can take home their personalized playlist through the streaming service they’re using.
Visitors to the Mandarin Oriental Spa can take their playlist home after treatment.
While hotel spas try to expand on the latest wellness inventions in hopes of attracting more visitors than their competitors, Mandarin seeks to regress, rather than advance, to ancient Chinese approaches to wellness.
“We become aware of the global through our senses. That’s why, when we take a look at our wellness offerings, we think about how we’re impacting our customers’ well-being through all of our sensory channels,” says McCarthy. Having the ability to completely replace our intellectual state, anything as undeniable as replacing generic spa music can be transformative.
If you can’t make it to a Mandarin spa, you can enjoy the healing benefits of music at home by listening to your spa album or the soundtrack of Yogathletix’s restorative class.