Throughout my journey with Taal Inc. Since 2005, I’ve had the good fortune of leading / facilitating many different types of ‘drum circle india’ sessions. Some were full of high energy cathartic rhythms and rumbles while some have been very calm, grounding and deeply meditative. Enter: a Taal Inc. drum meditation session. What is this therapeutic drumming activity all about? What would it look like? What would it sound like? Let’s get a better picture…

Imagine a group of people who have come together for a very specific purpose of journeying within, of getting to know oneself better, of meditating but by using the medium of rhythm. Now imagine a setting that is far away, surrounded by the lush green of nature, preferably by a water body with the natural sounds of birds in the horizon. Isn’t this a wonderful picture? Even just sitting here and observing one’s natural breath would be meditative and therapeutic. Using a variety of drums with a very convergent intent of reaching a meditative state is what will take the experience to a whole other level. We could use bass drums, djembes, sound bowls and various hand drums for meditation. We could be actively drumming or the facilitator could be drumming and simultaneously guiding this inner reflection through strong initiation linguistics. It is said that energy follows thought and the collective intent setting towards this goal is what makes this objective more achievable. It is what makes this experience wholesome and holistic. It’s not impossible alone but will require a lot more mental resolve. 

I get asked this a lot: Is this djembe meditation? Yes and no. Merely playing the djembe for 20 minutes is not drum meditation. Hence, be careful of click-baity posts or marketing gimmicks of how djembe meditation is the latest fad and that you’re missing out. Do a thorough check on the team and facilitator’s credentials before buying into the concept. These sessions usually take at least 2-3 hours to be an effective one-time drum meditation session. Anything shorter and the benefits are rather superficial. Another red flag is the use of the word ‘Therapy’ as a suffix for a one off session. Sound Therapy, Drum therapy…, or Drum Healing Therapy. (Cringe) These are all incorrect unless the same group is meeting for over a period of time to work on this pre decided goal. Yes the drum circle activity can have a healing objective, yes it’s cathartic, yes it’s therapeutic. Everything else is a marketing and sales gimmick. And strangely, when a large group of people say something, even though it may not be the best nomenclature, google bots will hold it as true. Deep sigh.This is often the case with practices like hand drum meditation, where popular terminology shapes perception more than accuracy.

To sum it all up. Culturally prevalent group drumming activities are proof of the fact that drum circles can and very often do have a healing property. It is the facilitator’s expertise, training and marketing responsibility to communicate the same ethically without misrepresenting (over-selling or underestimating) the activity. Unpopular opinion alert: This is one of the reasons I feel that having an academic understanding of Psychology really helps anyone working in this field.I know that it may sound restrictive but it surely helps increase the overall quality of such practices where rhythm-based activities are being used for healing and somatic practices to positively influence health and well-being. Instruments like the sound therapy drum often enhance this experience, deepening the impact of rhythm on mind and body.

At the end of the day we fall under the umbrella of arts and health. And it is our aim to help everyone feel included, facilitate self expression and have fun. And at Taal Inc., we take ‘having fun’ very seriously 

Come. Drum. Be One.
Varun Venkit 
Team Taal Inc.