The appeared recent emergence and popularity of Sound healing may seem like a new trend, but sound therapy dates back thousands of years with deep roots in many cultures and practices.
Sound healing can be as simple as chanting “Om” after your yoga class or attending an hour session with a sound practitioner.
Sound baths vary across the world, but should have the same sort of structure in that sound is gradually introduced and participants grounded before leaving.
A sound bath is when you immerse yourself in sound frequency,” explains Elizabeth Trattner. the Sound vibrations surrounding you create a ‘bath’ of visceral sound where you can feel the frequency of sound in the deepest parts of your body.
A sound bath creates a meditative state where the brain emits healing brainwaves. There are no hard or fast rules when it comes to instruments, and most practitioners play intuitively, I know I do, so I change my style and intensity dependant on what I feel the room needs.
Different healing instruments can be used for different indications and results, of which I will go into in another blog post but some widely used instruments are singing bowls, gongs, chimes, rattles, the voice, percussion, and tuning forks. The sounds are a carefully selected to have notable resonance and overtones and to deeply relax and release the body and mind. The different sounds produced aim to allow the brain to let go and relax and to balance energies and release tension.
What Happens During A Sound Bath?
A sound bath is not taken in a bathtub, there is no soap and water, or nudity involved, A sound bath envelops your body with different sounds with the aim to shifting your mental state in a similar way to traditional meditation only this is to sound. The sound produced isn’t necessarily the “music” you are used to listening to. Instead, different tones and frequencies can help lead you to a meditative-like state.
Generally, you would lay down for the duration of the sound bath. I advise my clients to lay whichever way is most comfortable for them, it doesn’t necessarily have to be you laid on your back. I have had some people who have sat in a chair for the duration of the sound bath due to mobility issues. I think it is important to find a position you are comfortable in for the session. If you need to change positions during the session it is best to move in a mindful and slow manner. For me, the participants being comfortable is important to me so you can truly relax.
All my sound baths have sheepskins rugs for you to lay upon just to make the experience a little more luxurious and comfortable. Think pillows and blankets and knee supports, cosy socks are especially nice!
I generally run 90-minute sessions so I would guide you through some deep inhalations and exhalations to relax the body and then guide you through a meditation before starting the sound bath. But if you were just attending for a sound bath, I would guide you through a quick relaxation and then start the sound bath.
In general, most sound baths are 45-60 minutes in length with some beautiful silence at the end to allow us to absorb the sounds before you are gently guided back to the present moment. A sound bath can be meditative and relaxing. There are no rules to experiencing a sound bath, and no requirements other than having an open mind to experiencing this therapy. Some people like to set an intention which might be to recharge or it may be to get past a certain mental block or issue that’s been bothering you. Or you might just be able to switch off, relax and enjoy.
Benefits of a Sound Bath
Sound baths have numerous benefits and recent studies have found that the sounds produced in a sound bath may reduce stress and anxiety. They can also make you calmer, less stressed, as the sounds work through you relaxing the body the muscles feel looser and often pain eases. There are many studies which report that sound baths reduce pain, improve mood and aid sleep.
Sound baths can also bring about better body awareness and allow you to be more in tune with your body as well as removing any energetic blockages in the body. Using sound vibrations and frequencies sound therapy can target specific areas of the body or energy points to have excellent therapeutic effects.
“Sound therapy is deeply rooted in science and based on the principles of quantum physics and sacred geometry. There are hundreds of clinical trials and peer-reviewed white paper studies on the healing properties of sound,” adds Resasco. “In fact, Western medicine uses sound waves on a daily basis in the form of ultrasound technology, which can be used to break up kidney stones among other things.”
“This is the beauty of sound baths,” says Resasco. “They are for everyone at any stage of their lives. Since you are lying in Savasana (or supported Savasana) the entire time, you don’t need athletic ability or flexibility to participate. In fact, sound baths are very beneficial for pregnancy, prehab and rehab, old and young, or people who are experiencing disease, illness, and trauma.”
Sound baths and sound therapy can be particularly beneficial to someone who has not resonated with traditional meditation or yoga but wants to experience similar benefits. This is especially true if you overthink or have excessive thoughts that make it difficult to switch off. The sounds produced in a sound bath are all encompassing and target the body and mind, making it easier for the brain to become quiet and allow both the body and mind to rest. I have had numerous of clients with ADHD who have said that during my sound baths it has been the first time they have managed to quiet the brain and relax.
You can attend a sound bath as often as you like, most places I work I offer them on a fortnightly or monthly basis, but you can come once a week if you feel you need it; but especially when you’re experiencing overwhelming thought patterns or stress.
I hope that this enlightens you as to what to expect when you attend a Sound bath but if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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Love & Light
Jess
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