I was in a meeting and my colleague was telling the team that he recently partook in a sound bath. Another colleague says “is that where you get in water in the dark?” And my boss says “no, that’s a regular bath.”
I was tickled by that, but I digress.
What’s a sound bath?
A sound bath is a meditative practice where you’re exposed to a variety of frequencies of sound. During a sound bath, the practitioner can use singing bowls, bells, gongs or other instruments to play with frequencies. It’s said that this helps to get is into a deep meditative state. If you’re familiar with Nikola Tesla, you may be familiar with his quote “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” This is key to how sound baths work.
I may have just lost some of you. Let me break this down.
In our 5 sense reality world, there are high and low frequency sounds. Low frequency sounds are sounds like waves and thunderstorms. High frequency sounds are sounds like nails on a chalkboard or a whistle. Believe it or not, frequencies can have an affect on your mood.
My sound bath experience
My first experience was a 20-minute mini session.. We all gathered in a room in a circle and the practitioner told us to close our eyes while she began using the singing bowl. Almost immediately, I felt like the frequencies were penetrating my brain in ways I’ve never experienced. It felt like the sound was emanating from my body.
After 10 minutes, my eyes started welling up with tears. Since I’d never understood or practiced meditation, the sound bath thrusted me into a meditative state that I didn’t know how to comprehend. It was the first experience I had on my spiritual journey and looking back, I probably wasn’t ready for it.
Would I do it again?
Yes! And I have. I’ve gone to several more sound baths, ranging from the luxe (at a spa with crystals, blankets, and tea) to the more operational (at a yoga studio on a yoga mat). I prefer the luxe, since I’m bougie like that, but all that I’ve experienced thus far have been a great experience.
Tips?
- Truly clear your mind during the sound bath, just as you would when you meditate. This can be difficult. My trick is to close my eyes and focus on whatever those things are that you see when your eyes are closed.
- Depending on how open you are, the experience can be intense, so be prepared.
- Don’t bring a friend – go at it alone for your first experience. You’ll want time alone to process it without influence from other people.
- Put on some headphone and check out this sound bath below to get a taste.
Next up, the ancient art of Reiki..
Explore the Youniverse 