Eliza and Josh Peck, Co-Founders of The Dojo Upstate.

During a particularly stressful moment in the pandemic, I needed to take a mental break and found my way to an online binaural sound meditation from The Dojo Upstate led by Eliza and Josh Peck. It was so calming and helpful that I found myself listening to the same sound meditation several times that week. I felt transported to a more peaceful place—a cozy sound cocoon where everything seemed lighter and calm.

In challenging times, finding a path towards balance, less stress, and a way to quiet the worries in your mind, even if temporarily, can be essential for your personal well-being. If you’re looking for a way to relax and clear your head, a binaural soundbath may be just what you need. I know it made a big difference for me.

While The Dojo Upstate was founded as a place to hold sound meditation and wellness retreats, in response to this year’s events it has evolved to host virtual immersive sound experiences that can be enjoyed from anywhere in the world. Founders Josh and Eliza Peck both have creative backgrounds, bringing their unique talents to the sound experience: Eliza is an art director and designer, while Josh is a classically-trained pianist and composer. We caught up with them to learn more about The Dojo Upstate and chat all things sound meditation, from how they work to their benefits, and more.

Tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to sound meditation.

Eliza: My background is primarily in the visual and graphic arts. I have spent the last seven years in NYC as an art director and designer creating content in print, digital, and experiential. When I attended my first sound meditation in 2013, I had no previous background in music nor was I familiar with meditation. During this experience I had a visceral relationship with sound, where I gave myself permission to safely explore my own inner landscape. After this I was inspired to learn more about sound, meditation, and how to hold space for others. I spent years learning from and observing various practitioners, and assisting in meditations before Josh and I began co-facilitating together. As a sound meditation facilitator, I am inspired by working with people and providing a space where others can use sound as a tool to dive in and safely explore their own inner landscape.

Josh: Music was a lifeblood from a very early age when I studied to be a classically-trained pianist. When I moved to NYC in the early 2000s, I interned at major recording studios, learning the production ropes and sleeping on studio couches after engineering late-night vocal sessions. Eventually, I got into composing music for film and TV, working in-house at various music production companies before running my own.

My interest in sound meditation was sparked by a bit of burnout in the commercial world, and wanting to return to working with music and sound in a way that moved myself and others toward a place of introspection, new awarenesses, and healthier practices instead of creating backgrounds for a market focused on consumerism and a lot of "client [ego] management." Before the evolution of becoming a sound meditation facilitator, I was seeking to be a better version of myself. I studied transcendental meditation and quickly realized the power of sound to influence reality on both the physical and esoteric level. I was mesmerized the first time I ever heard Koshi chimes, lying down with my eyes closed. I was immediately transported deep into a world of emotion and inspiration. I felt reconnected.

When did you start The Dojo Upstate and what are some of the experiences you offer? How can people join you for meditation?

Josh: The concept for The Dojo Upstate was born out of the realization that there is a direct correlation between how much intention is put into a listening container (from sound isolation, aesthetic, and mindset) and how powerful the insight or transformation one might experience. Given the right comforts and quality of silence, it is possible to simply close the door and have an immensely powerful experience with just silence. It's been said before and I believe it strongly, that "the most important relationship one will ever have is with silence." This provocative statement sums up the motivation behind building the ideal listening room—one where technology is seamlessly hidden and incorporated in the design, room acoustics, and use of live instrumentation are prioritized. The focus is on heightening the human experience and connection (not distracting or entertaining with theatrics). The most profound discoveries, "rememberings" and insights exist in the spaces between sounds, the moments that follow the "set-ups" for being deeply with ourselves and in the space for observation and processing.

Eliza: The Dojo Upstate began about six years ago. Josh had the idea to build an ambisonic listening room with a unique 22-channel speaker system. Originally, The Dojo Upstate began as a location to host sound meditation and wellness retreats. More recently, we have shifted to offering virtual immersive sound experiences. On Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. (EST) we offer a free (donation-based) 30-minute binaural sound meditation livestream. We also have a subscription platform (patreon.com/thedojoupstate) where we offer a variety of virtual listening experiences from short to longer form content, meditations, and sound experiences for all ages.

What is sound meditation and binaural audio?

Josh: While the term “sound meditation” is similar to the perhaps more immediately recognized "sound bath," what we like about promoting this terminology is that it emphasizes the role of the listener as an active participant in the experience, and avoids the suggestion of a passive bathing, simply awash in pleasant sounds. The term "deep listening," popularized by Pauline Oliveros is about using sound as a vehicle for self-inquiry, and as a way to experience moments of non-duality (the concept that the separation of our outer worlds and inner worlds are an illusion and that there is really no difference).

Sound makes this lofty concept uniquely accessible. Meditation can be a trigger for some people, suggesting "effort" or something that requires practice. Sound has a unique way of removing that effort, and instead applying a universal and intimately personal suggestion, intrigue, and invitation. Various states of mind one might experience during a session in addition to meditative are contemplative, introspective, mindful, and discursive thinking. In the end, it is about observing the mind from different perspectives and discovering moments outside of one's well-trodden narrative. It is in these moments of becoming the listening, where we unlock the potential for transformation, growth, and healing.

What are some of the benefits that people experience from sound meditation?

Some of the benefits include quieting the mind, disengaging from undesirable habits (emotional, energetic, intellectual, physical), diminishing anxiety and panic attacks, sleeping better, and my personal favorite: fine-tuning intuition.

Binaural audio is a recording technique that mimics the way we perceive sound naturally. We use a dummy head with high-end microphones in each of its ears to capture sound in similar ways as it arrives to our ears normally. This technique accounts for the shape of our ears, face and head, which naturally mask and filter sound as it arrives at subtly different times and frequencies in each ear, respectively. This interaural time and frequency difference allows us to locate sounds. It is important to note, however, that headphones (or an advanced crosstalk cancellation speaker technology) are required in order to hear this 3D imaging as a listener.

Because we see it commonly confused, it is worth clarifying the difference between binaural audio and binaural beats. Binaural audio is realistic, immersive 3D sound imaging commonly experienced using headphones. Binaural beats is a psychoacoustic phenomenon, whereby one perceives a third imagined "beat" or pulse, which is derived from the difference between two very close, but slightly different tones. The belief is that one can entrain different levels of brain activity and therefor states of consciousness by using these specific frequency-based outside stimuli. My main takeaway, however is that binaural audio is a medium of 3D audio -- feeling like you're in the room with us -- while binaural beats is a specific mentally perceived pulse.

Is there anything people should do to prepare for a sound meditation to get the most out of the experience? Anything you want those new to sound meditation to know?

Eliza: It helps to take a moment and visualize how you would like to spend your time during the sound meditation. Maybe this is simply a time to relax or to spark creativity. Choose an intention for the experience. This can include some thing(s) you would like to let go of (eg: stresses, anxieties, fears) and some thing(s) you would like to welcome in (eg: love, happiness, joy). Be gently to yourself and know there is no wrong way to meditate. Setting an intention is a great tool to help focus and direct energy.

With the pandemic and all the stressful news, it seems like taking time to meditate is even more important than ever. Is there anything that has stood out to you about what people are seeking since the pandemic started, and how has your business changed because of it?

Eliza: Since the pandemic the focus of our offering has shifted exclusively to the virtual space. This has provided the ability to offer this work to people all over the world. Because we transmit our sound meditations in binaural audio it creates a sonic shift in reality for the listener and transports them into the room with us. Especially during a time when people are isolating, it's the vivid sonic connection with sound and the intimacy of the human experience that people are seeking in these unique immersive sound meditation experiences.

Any leaders in sound meditation that inspire you?

Josh: Long time friend and mentor Alexandre Tannous has an empowering and thoughtful approach to sound meditation which has been a clear influence on the practice Eliza and I have developed over the years. We also draw upon various Eastern philosophies and the work of Stan Grof in designing thoughtful settings, containers--not personas--where non-ordinary states can be accessed through natural means, with the elements of intention, permission, and support.

Eliza: I am inspired to incorporate different aspects of sound, meditation, and how to hold space for others into our sound meditation experience. For example, I love the human quality of Nils Frahm's music. It's almost as if you can hear the piano breathing while he plays. This is something I strive to bring to my own facilitation as a way of creating a nurturing container for others to be in their process -- the presence and safety of the human element and the presence of the instrument.

Wellness tip?

Eliza: Intentionally incorporate something into your routine that allows you to feel connected with yourself. This can be everyday or once a week or even once a month and can be as simple as attending a virtual meditation or a yoga class or cooking a healthy dinner. Give yourself the gift of showing up and giving back to you.

Josh: Do not sleep in the same room as your cell phone.

Favorite ways to relax?

Eliza: Lighting a candle and taking a bath.

Josh: Being outside in quiet, natural spaces.

For more from The Dojo Upstate or to experience a sound meditation, follow:

Instagram: @the_dojo_upstate

YouTube: The Dojo Upstate

Website: thedojoupstate.com

Subscription: patreon.com/thedojoupstate

[Images courtesy of The Dojo Upstate]