CD Review: Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing
Artist: Deuter
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 8 tracks, 64 Minutes
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LV62DC/?tag=askdrarca-20

Koyasan is a mountain in Japan, and is the home of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Link: http://www.koyasan.or.jp/english/index.html. There are hundreds of temples in the vicinity, and overall is a beautiful place to visit. I have placed a picture of the rock garden at the Kongobuji Temple on the website.

Reiki is a fairly modern invention, also originating in Japan, which explains that there is a limitless life force (‚ÄúKi‚Äù) in the universe that can be controlled with the proper conditioning of the mind and body. Reiki has no obvious connection to Buddhism, so I’m not going to go into it here, but it is an interesting ‚Äúspiritual‚Äù practice worth a look if you are interested..

So what do these two terms have to do with us? They set the stage for Deuter’s latest instrumental/meditation CD, Koyasan. Deuter’s music has obvious Eastern influences, with Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi flute and koto, as well as others from mainland Asia, such as the Tibetan singing bowl. There are, of course, piano and more traditional instruments included in the arrangements, but if you want to meditate and pretend that you are sitting on Mount Koyasan, you can do that.

As I did my research for this review, I found that Deuter has put out dozens of CDs similar to this one. I am not going to comment on whether this is better or worse than his other work, simply because I am not familiar with his other CDs. I would go so far to say this is an excellent “first meditation music CD” to pick up, and I plan to pick up more of his work in the future.

The eight tracks on the CD are all fairly long, running 8-10 minutes each for the most part. There is no noticeable tune or rhythm to any of the songs, yet everything feels right, and sounds good. It’s relaxing without being distracting or jarring, and makes an excellent backdrop to meditation. If you live in a noisy area, playing this while meditating can block out the noise without being too distracting. After a few moments, you stop mentally hunting for a tune and just go with the sounds, gently, calmly, taking whatever comes, and letting it go again.

Will the music heal you, as Reiki practitioners suggest? I have no idea, but I have covered the positive health benefits of meditation here before, so maybe there is something to it. I will definitely recommend the CD for a soothing, relaxing backdrop for meditation, or even just a quiet soundscape to enjoy.