The moment the world went into lockdown just one year ago, insomnia rates soared across the globe, as did anxiety, stress and numerous other health issues. We all know how important regular sleep is for our mood, psychomotor performance and wellbeing at large. The theme of this year’s World Sleep Day on March 19 is “Regular Sleep, Healthy Future.”

Some of us already have an inbuilt toolkit to help us through troubled times and adequate sleep tops the list, alongside what we fuel our bodies with and taking more time to just be with ourselves, with loved ones and with nature. But getting to sleep is not easy for most people. Bear in mind that sleep is not a place we go every night and the more we stress about not getting there (wherever that might be) the more anxious and restless we become.

As scientists delve more deeply into the nuances of how the body works at a cellular level, it appears that singing and mantra, gongs, crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, drums, piano, among other instruments, are proving their worth as vehicles of calm. And that regardless of the instrument used, certain sound frequencies can help slow brain waves and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system’s essential rest and relax response, thereby activating our innate soothing and self-healing mechanism.

The sensation of sound is an indigenous aspect of healing the world over. Our ancestors have long relied on this for soothing troubled souls and in many cultures drums are the heartbeat of healing – the sound of drums recreates our mothers’ heartbeat in the womb and instantly transports us to a nurturing, safe space.

In essence, we are recreating what the ancients already knew – that through using sound we can shift brainwaves and open energetic pathways to attune more closely with our deepest self. And the wider world is catching on too, as listening figures for Spotify’s mental health playlists have surged over 50 per cent in the past year, while Apple music is on board too with its new radio station, Sleep.

To honour World Sleep Day, MySatsang, a new Irish online community for yoga teachers, students and seekers of trusted yoga philosophy, is collaborating with Christina McMaster, renowned classical pianist and creator of “Lie Down + Listen” offering stressed out, weary souls the chance to reclaim some calm on Wednesday, March 24 . Beginning with a gentle yoga Nidra and guided meditation with Irish yoga teacher and MySatsang co-founder Tara O’Rourke, this lulls both body and mind and sets you up for the piano concert. Then lying on your mat, or your bed, the central nervous system is soothed as the body relaxes and opens to the deeply restful sounds of McMaster’s live classical concert.

According to McMaster, an avid yogi herself, the combination of gentle yoga and meditation before the concert opens us up to experience the music on a deeper level and absorb its inherent wellbeing effects. She is an Associate of London’s Royal Academy of Music and a Visiting Associate at Kings College London Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, where she tested the benefits of music and psychedelic visuals in a lying down concert.

You might just find that this hypnotic symphony of yoga and music will still the Yang (doing) mind and connect you more closely with the Yin (or being) part, that is essential for rest and repair in the body – and finding some joy in life. With our world in deep flux, there is no better time to enjoy this finely-tuned alchemy than now.

Need to Know: Tickets for Lie Down + Listen are €18, to book visit: www.saolbeo.ie.

Kate O’Brien