Nature Meditation

Binaural Beats and Isochronic Tones
In addition to the natural ability of nature to tune our brainwaves, the app also allows you to allows you to use binaural beats or isochronic tones for brainwave entrainment. These are frequencies shown through science to take your brain to a desired state. When you use the presets, they each have their own “frequencies” built-in to match the title of the preset. However, you might notice these two buttons and be wondering “what’s going on here?”

For a brief scientific explanation of what binaural beats and isochronic tones are, look at the free Binaural app. Once you understand the basics, we can talk about the two dimensions of these tones, the Carrier Frequency and the Entrainment Frequency. Also, here is a large reference of frequencies that may produce results.

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Entrainment Frequency
When we talk about brainwave entrainment, this is the most important value. It is the one that directly and scientifically maps to the differing brainwave states. Scientists “generally agree” that binaural beats is effective in shifting your brain from one of these states to another by using the frequency ranges outlined above. For example, if you want to fall asleep you can use Entrainment Frequencies in the Delta Range. Conversely, if you are sleepy but need to study, you will want to stick to Alpha or Beta. This has been shown to be effective scientifically. In addition, there is much anecdotal evidence about specific frequencies having even more fine-grained abilities, and many of these in the included presets.

Carrier Frequency
​The carrier frequency is the pitch of the sound you will actually notice. This can be anything from 20hz (the root of your hearing ability) up to generally around 700hz where the effects start to diminish. I would generally recommend a carrier frequency below 500, and I like the lower ones the better. All types of carrier frequencies are effective, so if you are listening to a preset and you want it to have a higher or lower pitch, feel free to change it. If you double a frequency, it goes up an octave. If you make it 1/2, then it drops an octave. It also helps to consider, if you are using a higher Entrainment frequency then you might want to use a higher Carrier Frequency (across the scale). There is a lot of folklore using carrier frequencies that certain harmonic resonances with different things, or numerology configurations, like things that add up to 9. Scientifically, the entrainment frequency is more important, but anecdotally, there are believed to be many benefits from specific carrier frequencies, so feel free to explore!

Brainwave Entrainment
The album contains 4 additional hours of the same nature locations, refined and mixed with binaural beats, a brainwave entrainment tool. The four tracks can be played through headphones to bring the listener to one of the four basic states of consciousness: Sleep, Relaxation, Creativity, Focus.

The app includes versions of Sleep, Relax, Create, and Focus frequencies as well as additional binaural beats and isochronic tones presets, which can be modified directly and saved as new presets. The album focuses on providing a large quantity of nature sounds with some brainwave entrainment. The app is the culmination of all of the feedback from the free app, Binaural, and includes some of the audio field recordings from the album.

Recorded near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, underneath several large leaves in the woods, this track brings you the ebb and flow of the rainforest. As the sound of the drops bounce off of the leaves, trees, and ground, the soundtrack includes insects, birds, and other wildlife who come and go as the rain builds up to a downpour before fading back into a gentle steady drizzle within the symphony of nature. This is also the backdrop for the “sleep” track.

Recorded in the heart of San Marcos, Texas, this track has a different take on rain as it hits the manmade structures of pavement and awnings. As cars hiss by the window and the occasional train is heard in the background, the suburban  soundscape reminds me of childhood nights listening to the thunder outside my bedroom. This is the background sound for the “create” track as well.

Recorded in La Fortuna Costa Rica, this track allows us to connect to this epic waterfall in the heart of Central America, formed millions of years ago by the La Fortuna volcano. As the mic position is set between different locations, the main noise sound of the waterfall itself is complemented by soft waves from the pool, locusts, and even the occasional breeze that comes from the powerful water as it hits the pool below. This is the background sound for the “Relax” binaural beats track on the album.

Recorded on Playa Negra, the black sands of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, this track illustrates the periodic and distinct waves that come and go in this particular area. This recording is also used in the “Focus” meditation on the album.

In addition to the raw nature sounds, the album and app contain tracks with binaural beats in the background, each of which is tailored to bring your brainwaves into a specific state:

• Sleep with Rainforest and Delta Binaural Beats
• Relax with Waterfall and Theta Binaural Beats
• Create with Thunderstorm and Alpha Binaural Beats
• Focus with Ocean Waves and Beta Binaural Beats

The app allows further flexibility with the addition of isochronic tones and isochronic noise. This is the premier meditation technology app, combining authentic nature sounds with synthetic tones and noise with the purpose of entraining the brain to active a desired state.