Healing with sound dates back to the 12th century and has been used for meditation and rituals in Tibetan and Aboriginal cultures and in ancient Greece, when music was used in an attempt to cure mental disorders. Throughout history, music and sound have been used to boost morale in military troops, help people work faster and more productively, and even ward off evil spirits by chanting.
Sound healing (also known as sound therapy or sound meditation) is comparable to meditation and mindfulness, but with no effort required on behalf of the participant. While there are many types of sound therapy, in a typical session, a trained practitioner uses vibrations (vocal or instrumental-like gongs, Tibetan singing bowls and tuning forks), letting sound do the work to help you relax your mind and body.
Q: What are the benefits of sound healing?
Sound healing can help to improve your overall physical and emotional health and well-being. While vibrational sound therapy uses special sounds that produce vibrations thought to improve brain waves, Crystal singing bowls produce a deep, penetrating sound that’s used to relax and repair the mind to help reduce stress, anger, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and fatigue. All of these things are known to impact physical health and raise the risk for disease. The sound session work to lower your blood pressure, improve circulation and reducing respiratory rates, suggesting crystal bowl therapy may be good for your physical, as well as emotional, well-being. More recently, research has linked sound healing to improving the health of premature babies.
Q: What is a sound bath?
Students participate by simply lying down, listening and letting go while surrounded by the sounds and vibrations from instruments including gongs and crystal bowls. Each studio I work with has ample supplies of mats, blankets and bolsters, but many people choose to bring along their own.
Q: How will I feel after a session and how long do the effects last?
At their most simplistic level, you can expect to feel very calm after a session, with a profound sense of well-being.
Q: Is a sound bath for me?
Sound baths are for everyone interested in finding a way to relax, sleep better, destress and declutter the mind.
Q: What should I bring?
There are many studios, dates and times to choose from and each studio has its own personality and charm. For maximum comfort, please bring a mat and blanket, and if you forget yours most studios will have extra to lend.
