Something Rang at the End of My Meditation

Have you ever heard a bell at the end of your meditation?

It happened to me today. I was meditating on this sound and I was confused because I can’t remember adding a chime sound when making it.

For context, I made my own meditation sound using BandLab and another app that generates white noise. I was very intentional about it. I didn’t want to just mix sounds randomly, I wanted to understand it. The layers, the purpose, how it affects the mind, all of that. I’m very sure there’s no bell chime in it. I’ve added the sound below if you’re interested:

I was meditating the way I usually do, cross-legged, back straight but not stiff, hands wherever they feel comfortable. Sometimes on my knees, sometimes palms up, sometimes down, sometimes I put them together. Sometimes I do that thing where your index finger and thumb touch, but honestly I don’t overthink it. I think the real rule when meditating is to just be comfortable.

Halfway through the meditation, I started seeing colors with my eyes closed. I saw a small purple blob that is kind of expanding. Then replaced by these gray waves, then blue, then green. At some point it was like green and yellow mixed together, and it kind of looked like leaves or flowers. Then I saw something that looked like a white rose… or like a rose shape, with a faint green glow around it. I feel like I’m succumbing to something just like I’m about to sleep but I’m awake.

And then as the sound I know was ending, that’s when I heard the bell. Just one clear chime. Once the 15 min meditation sound ended I opened my eyes.

I looked it up. Turns out, it’s more common than I expected. Some people call it a “zen signal,” but it’s basically an auditory hallucination. As your brain transitions from deep relaxation back to active awareness, it can occasionally misinterpret internal neural signals as a sharp external sound like a bell or chime. This is generally considered harmless. It’s actually seen as a sign that you’ve reached a very deep level of focus, specifically what’s known as the hypnagogic state. It is the brief window where you are not quite awake anymore but you haven’t fully drifted off into a dream state yet. Your mind is still somewhat concious while your body is entering deep relaxation.

So I’m going to take that bell chime as a milestone in my meditation journey. Its like my brain dinged me like a microwave lol. A proof that my meditation is working to change my brain chemistry. After that meditation, I feel refreshed, which seems to be a good sign.