Pages

18 Oct 2011

Relax for free


MUSIC TO OUR EARS

Ambient anthem relaxes women more than massage or Mozart

In just 48 hours, over 5,000 cash-strapped British women have turned to ‘Weightless’ a new sound sensation in a bid to save money on expensive spa treatments that help them unwind at the end of the day.

It comes as a shocking new report** reveals 86% of Brits admit to feeling stressed out every day. As a result, two thirds of women are forking out £20 for a massage, despite the nation facing financial hardship.

Weightless’ a specially-designed ambient track by body and mind therapy experts Radox Spa is scientifically proven to be more relaxing than having a massage or listening to tunes by Adele, Mozart and Enya*.

Weightless uses specific rhythms, tones, frequencies and intervals to relax the listener. A continuous rhythm of 60 BPM causes the brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm: a process known as ‘entrainment’. Low underlying bass tones relax the listener and a low whooshing sound with a trance-like quality takes the listener into an even deeper state of calm.

The eight-minute track is free to download at www.facebook.com/radox and was created by ambient musicians Marconi Union in consultation with the UK’s Lyz Cooper, founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy.

Scientists at Mindlab International, an independent research consultancy based at the Sussex Innovation Centre, tested subjects to record the subconscious physical responses to listening to Weightless versus other music and having massages.

The effect of the activities on heart rate, respiration and skin conduction concluded that listening to Weightless had a much more relaxing effect than listening to conventionally ‘relaxing’ music by Adele, Enya, Coldplay, Moby and Mozart.

Top ten most relaxing tracks

  1.    Marconi Union – Weightless
  2.    Airstream – Electra
  3.        DJ Shah – Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix)
  4.        Enya – Watermark
  5.    Coldplay – Strawberry Swing
  6.    Barcelona – Please Don’t Go
  7.    All Saints – Pure Shores
  8.    Adele – Someone Like You
  9.    Mozart – Canzonetta Sull’aria
  10.        CafĂ© Del Mar – We Can Fly


Mindlab’s Dr David Lewis, one of the UK’s leading stress specialists and author of the best selling One Minute Stress Manager, said: “The results clearly show that the track ‘Weightless’ induced the greatest relaxation – higher than the massage or any of the other music tested. The study confirmed that the Radox Spa track Weightless has the power to soothe frazzled minds and relax stressed bodies.

“Brain imaging studies have shown that music works at a very deep level within the brain, stimulating not only those regions responsible for processing sound but also ones associated with emotions. So the next time you need to relax, there’s no need to comfort eat a chocolate bar or book a spa retreat. Just put on the right piece of music, such as Weightless, sit back in the bath or a comfortable chair, close your eyes and chill out to the soothing beat.”

Lyz Cooper, the UK’s leading therapeutic sound practitioner, who collaborated with Marconi Union on the track said: “What distinguishes Weightless from other music is the use of therapeutic sound. Many musicians and composers intuitively use therapeutic elements in their music every day, but when you put many of these elements together it is possible to create music that has an extremely relaxing effect on people – as confirmed in the tests.”

Richard Talbot from Marconi Union said: “We were really interested in this project because of the scientific nature of it. Our music tends to be very relaxing but working with Lyz, the sound therapist, helped us to understand the science behind some of the techniques that we intuitively use when making music. It was fascinating to have the physiological responses to the music tested in a laboratory.”

Cassie Shuttlewood, brand manager for Radox Spa said: “Most of us feel stressed every day, but Radox understands that it’s not necessary to spend hundreds of pounds on massages, spa weekends and yoga retreats in order to relax, which is why we designed Radox Spa, a way to get that Spa feeling at home. As the research shows, just spending eight minutes listening to Weightless can have a profound effect on our stress levels. We created the track and the Radox Spa range to give everyone a little bit of ‘spa’ in their day.”

Radox Spa is a range of spa-inspired products that enable you to enjoy the tension-easing, mind and body benefits of a deeply relaxing spa treatment in the comfort of your home. The range has been expertly blended with natural ingredients to create rich shower and bath creams, purifying body washes and exfoliating scrubs, promising to deliver caring results for your body and mind.

The Radox Spa range is available to purchase nationwide in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and selected supermarkets with a RRP of £2.21.

No comments:

Post a Comment