Customer Reviews

Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing

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With over 60 albums in a nearly 40-year career, you might be forgiven for thinking the artist's best work has already been written and recorded. And in many cases you'd be right. But not so with Deuter. At least not so with this new release, Koyasan.

The German multi-instrumentalist was born on the cusp of a new world, in a small German town in 1945. As a young man, Georg Deuter worked for a brief time as a journalist before a near-fatal car accident lead him on a quest of the spirit and a life devoted to music, a quest that took him to study for many years in India before setting up home and a recording studio in the US southwest.

Deuter is entirely self-taught, an admirable accomplishment when you consider the range of instruments he has mastered. He's most closely identified with the flute, but also plays keyboards, the tamboura (an Indian stringed instrument), cello, koto, and several others. Many of these are used to great effect on Koyasan, named after a sacred Buddhist mountain in central Japan, home to the Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Except for the title and the presence of instruments associated with Japan, such as the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute) and the koto (a stringed instrument), and more widely with Asia (in this case, the 2-stringed Chinese violin, the erhu), the music on this album is not terribly suggestive of Koyasan. The song titles are generic enough to fit nearly any new age theme you'd care to choose.

But the music . . . the music is sublime. The album features eight tracks, all but two 8 to 9 minute meditative excursions. There is no percussion, nor any noticeable rhythm, just languid journeys built on light and airy ambient washes, puffs of aural clouds through and around which circle the voices of the acoustic instruments. Unlike so many new age productions which work well in the background but can't withstand concentrated listening, Deuter's work, especially on this recording, will reward those who sit and listen attentively.

Deuter does it again with his latest release. Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing is an amazing album, dusted with just the right balance of space, stillness and instrumentation. Deuter paints a vivid scene in the listeners mind. Several clients have shared the images with me and commented on the cd. His orchestration is so well thought out and balanced. The rate, choice of instruments, composition all subtley relax and soothe the client (and practitioner) into a state of meditation. I highly recommend this cd for healing work and meditation.

From the first time I listened to Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing it resonated in me. You can't help but close your eyes and breathe deeply. Indeed, this music is so lovely and healing, it feels as if you can breathe it in like a balm for your soul.

If your looking for a calm relazing CD this is it, i love this CD i listen to it all the time perfect for getting to that zen place in this hecktic world.

The title of this CD says it all for me. I listened to this music over and over (on my ipod) one long night while in the hospital getting a blood transfusion following surgery. It calmed me and allowed me to drift off to sleep but was there when I was awakened. I am not as eloquent as describing the music as others have but I am very glad to have had this CD to help me through a long night.

This CD is magnificent. Deuter's music is truly healing and holy. It soothes the body and uplifts the spirit to unsurpassed heights. This music has become the mainstay of my daily meditation and many times I play it just as background music when I feel stressed. I think it is one of Deuter's best.

Wow, found this by accident.
I heard one song and really liked it.
I bought the songs and listen to them on my ipod.
It really puts me into such a relaxed state and the music is actually complex for how simple it sounds.
Sometimes it feels like the songs make vibrations and I get a sense of well being.

I feel really moved by the songs and some times they make me cry.
Its a good cry though.

For nearly a year now i've been buying MP3 albums off of Amazon for use as a massage therapy student, and of all of the albums i've purchased this is in my top 10 list. One thing i've realized is the importance of good music for a massage therapy setting. Different music is good for different types of massage, but this one is superb for many. The sound is great, the use of the instruments is expertly done, and the flow is exquisite. I highly recommend this CD for relaxation and massage.

Koyasan is a mountain in Japan, and is the home of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. There are hundreds of temples in the vicinity, and overall is a beautiful place to visit.

Reiki is a fairly modern invention, also originating in Japan, which explains that there is a limitless life force ("Ki") 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 "spiritual" 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.

This is a very calming CD. It works well for relaxation, Yoga, Meditation, and Tai Chi. A wonderful addition to your Mind, Body, Soul collection.