Medicine of Non-Doing

The origins of the word “Medicine” are stemmed from Latin verb “mederi” meaning to heal.  The word heal, in my estimation, is outdated and insinuates something is not already whole, but that is another blog post subject altogether :).When looking from this original definition, medicine can apply to well beyond that found within the Western medical model.  Medicine could be a long walk in the woods, a hug from a loved one, petting your dog or enjoying a cup of tea.  Non-doing is the art of being and receiving with minimal output or effort.  This is most commonly seen in the Tao, or Universal Way, with the Chinese concept of “wei wu wei” or effortless action, inaction, inertion.  It is the idea of letting things come to you, not forcing things into place through your will.  This entire way of living is devoted to being and non-doing.  The statement “Medicine of Non-doing” is speaking to the inexhaustible gift of restoring within through simply being and receiving without any outward effort.  Here I will share the innumerable benefits of this potent combination particularly in application with Sound.

We live in a society of noise.  Do this; you’ve received a new notification; check that off the list; billboards.  It  goes on and on and on.  We are constantly on the go, but never reaching an end.  A frenzied rat race on steroids is what the 21st century in America is presenting overall.  People sleep with the television on.  No judgment, just examining how all night long one receives a slanted narrative of commercials, news, whatever the main program is representing.  How could one truly awaken refreshed?  Now what is the alternative…

Living simply and slowly with intention is an example of sustainability for self, all and planet.  Come what may, as they say, minimizing resistance to what is meant to be.  When we step into this way of being, we receive and are open to all possibilities.  Most importantly, we effortlessly tend to our whole being.  Medicine of non-doing is a conscious lifestyle as much as it is a choice for highest wellness.  How does this apply within the confines of science?

As a society, with said noise, we are operating on fight-or-flight response overload.  Every notification, ad, traffic jam, heated argument, meeting, etc. is a trigger for stress or a release of the hormone cortisol.  As beings living on this beautiful planet Earth, we are meant to exist in the Rest and Digest, or parasympathetic, mode innately and Fight or Flight, or sympathetic, mode secondarily.  Waking to an alarm is an immediate sendoff into the direction of one versus the other.  All of this release of Cortisol in each instance of perceived Stress (remember this term: perceived stress) creates an accumulated buildup when not addressed with rebalancing measures.  Chronic, unmanaged stress (alongside non-mindful lifestyle choices) creates chronic inflammation or heat within the body.  Chronic inflammation leads to the many prominent diseases within American culture: heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, obesity and so much more.  To manage your stress is to manage your life and wellbeing.  This is just focusing on the nervous system within our 11 body systems.  How is medicine of non-doing the antidote to all of this?

Receiving whole and complete, coherent, non-chaotic input and reducing personal output is a surefire way of reducing stress load and also opening towards restoration within all levels of being.  It is the very definition of medicine in non-doing.  This receiving therefore decreases our chronic inflammation and possibility for any host of self-inflicted dis-eases.   There are many ways in which one may experience this replenishment to their core.  The number one is through general pause or break from the continuum of noise.  The primary equation of restoration requires the Ss of stillness, space, safe sense, silence and/or intentional sound.  It is imperative that one receives these energetic transmissions or finds rest in an environment that is safe, comfortable and warm to them.  We will primarily focus on the modality of Sound.

As a specific example of rest and relaxation that Jen who plays the Gong offers, Yin yoga is a discipline that focuses on holding poses for a prolonged period of time with intent to lengthen connective tissue, improve mobility and calm the nervous system.  Consciously choosing a state of stillness for an hour is a very foreign experience within our over-paced, productivity-driven society.  It is either the quickest, most blissful or longest, most hellish hour depending on your state of being.  Irrespective to anything else, it is incredibly rebalancing to our “Go”-oriented society.  It eventually activates Rest and Digest mode in all yogis consciously choosing to be in each pose.  Yin yoga coupled with sound immersion gives one the sense of ethereal embodiment.  One is completely connected to their physical bodily experience on account of the deep stretching while also being given a reprieve from the mental and emotional bodies with having the sound as somewhere to inhabit.  This is just the beginning of the light that sound brings to our typically clouded minds.

A well-intentioned and orchestrated soundbath affords a multitude of benefits for all layers of the recipient which acts as medicine in non-doing.  The benefits are innumerable, multidimensional, subtle and gross as well as immediate, profound, low in side effects and effective.  At the very least, it invites any recipient a deeper sense of relaxation in activation of parasympathetic nervous system.  It can and easily does move far beyond into the realms of satisfying sleep and peaceful dream states, further resting and digesting.  Clarity, calm, diminished anxiety and improved moods are common byproducts for the mental body.  Sound can bring about feelings of empowerment and decisiveness within the individual.  The vibrational path opens energetic space within our psyche and spirit for more possibility while diminishing self-doubt and connecting us to higher consciousness and ways of being, effortlessly and without thought.  Remembering the phrase from earlier: sound immersion increases our threshold for perceived stress (meaning we are able to tolerate much more before even releasing cortisol).  Using sound for rest and relaxation by default reduces stress AND reduces our stress response.  It is therefore a proactive form of holistic wellness and a preventative for stress-related disorders as above mentioned.  It is magic and science.  The specific examples, signs and symptoms and populations this reaches are far and beyond this article but this is the gist of my experience as a receiver and provider of sound at its purest.

What is my credentialing in all of this?  My name is Jen, the Jen who plays the Gong.  I worked in the nursing field for over 10 years, 6 of which as a registered nurse, half of the time in long term care and the other half in acute care before my resignation at the end of 2021.  Anatomy and Physiology was one of my favorite, most retained subjects which translates so well to this subject matter, particularly the knowledge on sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous systems.  Through my nursing practice, I grew accustomed to energetically tending to the needs of humans, many of whom could not speak for themselves for a variety of reasons.  Bedside manner has become this incredibly detective and refining tool of what REALLY does this person need on any of our complicated levels.  This easily translates into my role as sound practitioner, yoga instructor and any social situation in being aware of energetics.  Not to mention witnessing the state of the healthcare institutions at which I was employed.  To no one person's fault, they are terribly sterile and killing to the human spirit.  This is why I routinely mention safe, warm, comfortable environment.  How can one sleep with the TV on or also call bells, beeping machines, medical staff talking loudly to keep themselves awake?  

I have also been a registered yoga teacher for a decade, especially attuned to the depths of yin.  This yogic world offered me space to deep dive into the gamut of spiritual offerings including soundbaths.  My first sound immersion experience was a 2 hour, blindfolded offering with a room filled with gongs.  That was the beginning of a deep exploration within my own sensitive soul and the spirit world.  In hindsight these offerings tending to the Spirit were the perfect parallel to my western nursing reality.  It was also my first exposure to medicine in non-doing.  In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Kimmerer suggests in so many words that science is void of Spirit and that is the biggest disservice.  That is how it feels with the Western Medical model and why I was obligated to resign from it and enter into the world of sound and proactive holistic healthcare.  

How is Jen who plays the Gong further incorporating the medicine of non-doing?  Of course there are the mainstay offerings of private soundbaths for individuals and groups plus public gatherings centered around sound immersion with or without yin yoga and so on.  Given the current chaotic climate of the world plus my nursing background, I have decided to hone in on selectively collaborating with wholesome, genuine and exemplary holistic health practitioners.  This means I am offering sound in pairing with a host of other profound and powerful modalities that are stilling by nature for the recipient.  Examples include community acupuncture and soundbath; reiki and sound immersion; soundbaths in conjunction with talk therapy;  biodynamic craniosacral therapy while receiving sound; massage of all kinds and soundbaths, etc.  The beauty of sound is that it can pair with virtually anything since it is pure and emanating vibration yet effortless to receive and process by the individual.  A list of these current and former collaborators may be found here on my website.  It is a subject and offering of which I feel most passionate in terms of impacting outcomes, given the current state of our Western healthcare system.

There are many ways to optimize your own wellbeing with medicine of non-doing within the context of Jen who plays the Gong’s offerings.  You may schedule your own sonic plunge private soundbath immersion, private party of ceremonial sound or register for a public gathering coupled with any modality mentioned above.  In the 21st century of screens and never-ending deadlines, we owe it to ourselves to pause, be still, release and restore from within.  This is the Gift in routinely choosing Medicine of Non-doing.  May you choose to be free from rampant stress and suffering.