The Efficacy of Color Noise

March 17, 2025

The sounds of rain and thunder, water crashing on the beach, the tv left on in the background, ethereal music, and even a hair dryer (my personal favorite) are all examples people use to describe white noise. However, they’re actually not. Not all of them, anyway.

The term “white noise” is a common term that is used often to describe innate sounds such as static, or background noise. Did you know that there are other color noises? The most common are brown, pink and green but there are other colors, too.

The different colors are attributed to the different sounds depending on their frequencies, and the shape of our inner-ear determines how those sounds are translated to our brains.

Our brains can harbor incomplete frequencies, and those imbalances can cause mental health issues, addictions, ADHD, cognitive malfunctions, etc. Listening to sounds that contain the missing frequency can heal our brains and improve how it functions.

Here’s how I interpret the different frequencies:

·        white noise sounds like air/wind

·        blue noise sounds like being underwater

·        purple noise sounds like a low roaring ocean or storm wind

·        green noise sounds like flowing water

·        brown noise sounds like a lower frequency of hissing air or static

·        pink noise sounds like a higher frequency of hissing air or static

Feel free to test out each color, you might be surprised to find something that works better than your go-to! As with anything, keep an open mind and trust the process.

Please know, that higher frequency doesn’t equal louder, even though it’s a common misconception. Higher frequencies are easier to hear (for most people), as are louder sounds, and this is how the two are easily and understandably confused. Both the higher frequencies and higher decibels can be irritating, though.

Color noises can absolutely affect your meditation and yoga practices! We know that distractions are the number one problem with mediations, right? When you’re trying to focus, something that draws your attention away hinders the state of mind that you’re trying to achieve; that can leave us frustrated and want to discontinue our practice.

Using a color noise for your practice can make all the difference. If you already know the sound that calms you and helps you sleep, try that for your next session. If not, listen to the different types and discover which sound best compliments your frequency.

Warm your body, mind and soul with love!

Namaste