Taught by Jim Donovan, M.Ed.
A simple way to feel calmer โ using nothing but your own voice.
Learn humming, breathing and rhythm practices for calmer moments, less tension and easier nights. No musical ability. No equipment. Nothing to charge or replace.
$9 a month, or $79 a year ยท 30-day money-back promise ยท Cancel anytime
Ninety seconds
Don't take my word for it. Hum.
Everything I teach is built on something you can test in the next minute and a half โ no purchase, no email, no signup.
90 seconds
On iPhone, check the ring/silent switch if you can't hear it.
Close your mouth. Breathe in through your nose while the circle grows. When it says hum out, let a low, easy hum come โ the way you'd hum along to a song you half-remember. Let the sound sit in your face and chest.
What you just did
You felt that in ninety seconds. Now imagine having a practice ready whenever you need one.
That was Brain Humming โ the first thing I teach, and the foundation for everything else. There's a lot for sale right now that promises to calm your nervous system for you: collars, earclips, wristbands. They might work while you're wearing them, if they work at all.
Sound Essentials is an education instead. You're learning to play an instrument you've carried since the day you were born.
- 01Find a comfortable humming rangeThe pitch that feels natural in your body โ and how to come back to it whenever you want.
- 02Release tension with sound and pressureJaw, throat, neck, shoulders, sinuses, head. A specific practice for each.
- 03Settle yourself in a few minutesIn a parked car, at a desk, in a waiting room. Quietly enough that nobody notices.
- 04Wind down for the nightThe sequence from my TEDx talk, plus a full evening audio library.
No device to charge. Nothing to replace. Nobody can take back the lessons you learn โ you'll have them whether you're a member next year or not.
Two ways to start Sound Essentials
Pick the one that suits you.
Same membership either way. The year works out cheaper and gives the practice time to become a habit.
$79 / year
Just $6.58 a month โ save $29
Join for a year30-day money-back promise
$9 / month
Cancel anytime, from your account
Join monthly30-day money-back promise
How I found this
A room full of strangers taught me the thing I'd been missing.
For years I was a drummer โ I co-founded Rusted Root and co-wrote "Send Me On My Way." I was also exhausted and sleeping badly, and I ignored all of it the way you do when you're on the road and feeling invincible. It caught up with me. Twice.
So I did what everyone does. Changed the diet. Exercised. Read the books. Took the supplements. Some of it helped. None of it was the thing.
Then a friend asked me to lead a small drum workshop. I ran out of material in twenty minutes and had forty left to fill, so I improvised โ I started adding simple vocalizations, humming and toning, sounds anyone can make. The room went completely still. Afterward several people came up and told me they'd felt something in their bodies they'd never felt before.
I hadn't done anything clever. I'd just gotten a room full of people to use their own voices. That was the beginning โ twenty-plus years and three thousand-plus sessions ago.
$9 a month, or $79 a year ยท Cancel anytime
Why these practices can feel calming
Nothing mysterious is going on here.
Humming naturally lengthens your exhale, and it gives your attention a steady sound and a physical sensation to follow. Slow, controlled breathing has been studied for its effects on stress, relaxation and autonomic regulation.
Sound Essentials turns those simple elements โ voice, breath and rhythm โ into guided practices you can actually use, on an ordinary Tuesday, without setting anything up.
You don't need to take my word for how it works. You already tested it further up this page.
No proprietary waveform. No patented frequency. No black box you're asked to trust. Just your voice, your breath, and a method for using them.
Everything included in Sound Essentials
Three things you can reach for.
This is the whole membership. Some practices run four minutes, some run all night โ and you never have to work through it in order.
Calm in the moment
Whole Body Sound PracticesShort practices for stress, tension and mental overload โ the ones you open when today is already difficult. Most run four or five minutes.
See what's inside
- 21 short video lessons for jaw, throat, neck, shoulders, sinuses, head and digestion
- Five brief guided sessions: Calm, Happy, Relief, Memory and Clear
- Brain Humming, Brain Tapping, Heart Humming and the Stand Tap
- Two short energising sessions for mornings and mid-afternoons
Build your practice
The Sound SolutionThe foundations, if you want to understand what you're doing and get steadily better at it. Plus something new from me every month.
See what's inside
- The Sound Solution โ 7 full-length guided experiences and 4 instructional videos, nearly six hours
- Four foundational lessons on how sound, breath and rhythm work in the body
- A Full Body Sound Sequence mini-workshop
- Practice of the Month โ a new featured practice from me, every month
- Saved by Sound โ my 96-page book, with photographs and step-by-step instructions
Wind down and sleep
The Sleep WaveA complete evening library, included free with your membership โ built around the technique from my TEDx talk, the one over seven million people have watched.
See what's inside
- 8 guided sixty-minute evening sessions
- Sleep Sound Bath, Sleep Tapping, Sleep Humming and Sleep Breathing
- 90+ hours of long-form nature audio โ ocean, winter wind, rain, a crackling fireplace. Most run ten to eleven hours, so they last the whole night through
- The extended "How to Trick Your Brain Into Falling Asleep" tutorial
From people practicing
What members say
"Wow. I've been doing Brain Humming daily and it really works. I'm adding this to my daily routine."
Bob G."I feel much more in control in managing my life."
Samuel L. โ Bloomington, IN"I feel more centered. Thank you for the moments of calm."
Kate M. โ Essex, UK"I love these exercises. They give me a feeling of wellbeing. Thank you."
Christine W."I think there would be so much less stress in the world if more people had the chance to experience these techniques."
Kim T."I'm using his audios each day and loving it. I feel more centered."
Jaime V. โ Pittsburgh, PATwo ways to join
Start today for less than a takeout coffee.
Most people choose the year โ it works out to $6.58 a month, and it gives the practice long enough to become a habit.
$79 / year
Just $6.58 a month โ save $29
Join for a yearEverything above ยท 30-day money-back promise
$9 / month
Cancel anytime, from your account
Join monthlyEverything above ยท 30-day money-back promise
Try it for 30 days. If it isn't for you, I'll refund you.
I've never believed in keeping someone's money when they didn't get what they came for. Join, use it for a month, and if it isn't doing anything for you, email customersupport@bluebeatmedia.com or call and we'll refund you in full. No forms, no hassle, no retention script.
Be well โ Jim Donovan, M.Ed.
Who's teaching you
Jim Donovan, M.Ed.
Before all of that, he was the drummer.
Questions
Before you join
Do I need any musical ability?
None at all. This is the question I'm asked most, and the answer is always the same โ if you can hum, you can do everything I teach. Plenty of members have told me they can't sing a note.
How much time does this take?
Some practices run four minutes, some run an hour. Most people start with one short practice a day and build from there. There's nothing to finish and no schedule to fall behind on.
Do I need headphones or equipment?
No. Your phone's speaker is fine. Headphones are nicer for the evening audio, but nothing is required โ and there's no device to buy, charge, pair or replace.
Is there an app?
Yes. After you join you'll get instructions for the Donovan Sound Health app, so everything travels with you and works offline.
What if I'm brand new to all of this?
Then start with the four foundational lessons and the first guided audio. Between them they'll have you practising within about fifteen minutes.
Can I cancel?
Anytime, from inside your account. No phone call, no retention script, no cancellation fee.
Can I order by phone?
Yes. Call 443-524-2670 and you'll speak to an actual person at Donovan Sound Health.
One last thing
The door is open.
You already did ninety seconds of this further up the page. Everything else is more of that โ simple practices, taught step by step, ready for the moments when you don't quite feel like yourself.
You don't have to be helpless when stress takes over. You already have the instrument. I'll show you how to use it.
$79 a year, or $9 a month ยท 30-day money-back promise ยท Or call 443-524-2670
