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What Is A Sound Bath?

No one can deny how stressful life has become. People always seem to be on the lookout for some means to relax and ease their bodies and minds. 

Sound baths aren’t really a modern concept. The science of sound healing goes way back. The technique has been in use in multiple cultures worldwide for thousands of years.

So what is a sound bath and how does it keep stress and anxiety at bay? What benefits does it offer? How can you incorporate it into your self-care routines? If you are intrigued to find out about sound bath benefits and more, join us on the deep dive into it!

Regardless of your lifestyle, chances are you could benefit from a little self-care and stress relief. And if you're one of those people who likes to kick back and listen to music after a long, hard day, a sound bath may be the missing ingredient you didn’t know you needed in your wellness routine!

Sound baths may seem a bit unconventional, but they can be an incredibly beneficial and powerful in your wellness practice.  Different from guided meditation, which uses speaking to guide a person through and into a meditative state, sound baths use music and instruments such as gongs, bowls and chimes to provide the guidance. Not only are they a fantastic fun de-stressor, but they can be the perfect introduction to meditation for beginners.   

If meditation is taking the stairs, a sound bath is like taking the elevator "A sound bath [may] allow you to experience meditative states and relaxation within the short period of one session. With other types of meditation, one might have to practice consistently for a few weeks or months to feel the same kind of effect.

Essentially, a sound bath is a meditation class that aims to guide you into a deep meditative state while you're enveloped in ambient sound played by instructors or sound therapists. Guided meditation brings your focus back to the breath, a mantra, an emotion, or a part of the body. During a sound bath, the sound itself is 'guiding' the meditation. This sound helps facilitate awareness of the present moment.

As an adult, it can be very challenging to get into those meditative states. So using things like sound, whether it's delivered through your ears from instruments or from recording or whether it's through your skin like feeling bass sounds, the sound waves guide the meditation so they effectively calm the body.  They provide soothing stimulation to the body, and that soothing stimulation helps the body feel safe enough to drop into a meditative state quickly and deeply.

Simply, a sound bath is a meditative experience where sound waves are used to “wash over” or bathe the attendees. Various items are used to produce sound waves, some of them being healing instruments. Examples of sources commonly used include:

• Crystal or brass singing bowls
• Chimes
• Rattles
• Tuning forks
• Gongs
• Shakers
• Harps

While beautiful, the music isn’t meant to entertain. You likely will not hear a catchy melody during sound baths, but you will definitely be moved by harmony and dissonance. The purpose of the sound is to ease your mind and to use sound to balance your energy. 

If that isn’t a position that you are comfortable holding for an extended period, you could modify this (similar to yoga). Try laying on a mat or bed, consider adding a pillow under the head or knees, cuddle under a blanket, or cover the eyes to relax into the meditation.

How often has it happened that you lose your mind due to loud noises? You have probably faced situations where a particular sound drove you crazy, like maybe a loud bird sound or constant construction noises? In our busy world, even a socially-distanced world, such instances are all too common.

Have you ever wondered that if sounds can irritate you and cause an unsettling feeling, they can also do the opposite? This is what the science of sound healing is all about.

Sound baths, also referred to as sound meditation, use various noises to soothe your nerves. Several studies confirm the benefits of this technique.

One such study, conducted in 2017, published in the Journal of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, explains sound therapy benefits. During this, 62 people were given an hour of a sound bath. Their anger, anxiety, and pain were gauged before and after the therapy via questionnaires.  The results revealed that sound treatment alleviated pain, anger, and tension significantly.

This is what provides you with the ample benefits of sound healing. This was also illustrated by a study conducted in 2015 axing and peaceful. It will put your inner-self at ease and make you more balanced and focused. Many sound baths begin and end with prayer or guided meditation, connecting you to a deeper sense of purpose and belonging. This connectedness is just one of the many benefits of sound healing you may experience by the end of the session This spiritual component is why many people consider sound baths healing rituals. 

Sound therapy benefits are not limited to your mind and mood. Indeed, it also does wonders for your overall health. In addition to the many psychological effects, sound baths provide physiological benefits as well. For example, blood pressure and heart rate are reduced due to sound baths. Sound meditation can even enhance your respiratory system and improve your sleep!

Knowing that something could be good for us and incorporating it into our lives are two different things, right? If you are interested in trying this self-care practice, figure out the most accessible way to incorporate sound healing into your schedule.

The research shows that a one-on-one sound bath experience is more beneficial as it allows you to be in a space in your mind without any distractions.  While you can indeed purchase sound healing instruments to create a sound bath at home, having the guidance of an expert will do you more good. 

Though many people may have only recently heard of sound baths, the use of music for healing is nothing new. From Tibetan singing bowls to Aboriginal didgeridoos, music has been used for its therapeutic effects for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks used sound vibration to aid in digestion, treat mental issues, and induce sleep — even Aristotle's De Anima detailed how he believed flute music could purify the soul.

At the end of the 19th century, researchers began to focus on actually proving the correlation between sound and healing. This research lead to studies that proved that music could lower blood pressure, decrease pulse rate, and assist the parasympathetic nervous system, which can affect digestion and some metabolic processes. This totally makes sense — who doesn't have a go-to song for decreasing their anxiety?

Sound baths can be an excellent way to meditate, especially if you're in a rut with your usual self-care routine. “When you practice mindfulness, you are practicing the art of creating space for yourself — space to think, space to breathe, space between yourself and your reactions.

That said, it's not a practice that’s accessible for everyone. Costs vary depending on location, but a group sound bath session can range anywhere from $25 to $100. Meanwhile, private sound baths could ring in at a much higher cost, depending on your guide. But if you’re able to find a class that works for you, you may decide sound baths are your new favorite way to get in touch with your body — and to unwind.

There are numerous sound therapy benefits. We all experience stress and anxiety now and then. Sound therapy provides you with an excellent means to cut loose from the daily grind and ease your mind. It gives you the energy to get back to work with more focus and is great for overall health.

As with most things woo-woo, sound baths might seem a little “out there”. But it’s also existed for thousands of years. So, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! Grab a pillow and blanket then dive into a sound bath.   We also do private in home parties as well!   XXOO Shannon