Sound healing (also known as a sound bath) is most easily explained as a modality that works with our many subtle frequencies. This ancient therapy uses instruments and their sound frequencies to put the body into vibratory harmony and balance.
Meditation is simply a practice that helps one calm and quiet the mind. When deeply relaxed, our parasympathetic nervous system is activated, which allows our body to heal and balance itself. Sound healing does just that, making it a great meditation form, especially for beginners.
Mastering meditation is no different from learning any other skill. Consider it like working out a muscle you've rarely worked out before. It takes time and practice to become comfortable, especially when starting. That's why many people enjoy sound healing, as it is easier to enter into a meditative, relaxed state with the support of sounds and guidance.
In the same way that a mantra helps you arrive at the quiet point of meditation, sound helps establish the path to that peaceful state. Sound healing is also active! Although you are lying down, a lot is happening under the surface in your physical and energetic bodies. Keep reading to learn more about the many benefits of a sound healing meditation!
During a sound healing meditation, you'll typically lie down on the floor or a yoga mat, maybe cuddled with a comfy blanket, and simply listen. While you lie down, a practitioner plays various instruments while you "bathe" in the calming sounds and vibrations.
Consider your intention before beginning; what do you hope to receive or experience during this sound healing? Example: "My intention is to open my heart."
You can prepare by simply being open to receiving and relaxing. Wearing cozy clothes and bringing along a water bottle, eye mask, and journal can't hurt either.
According to one study in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, one hour of sound meditation reduced stress, anxiety, anger, exhaustion, and depression while boosting spiritual well-being. Those who had never been to a sound meditation before the study reported much less stress and anxiety afterward.
One study analyzed participants with fibromyalgia and discovered that ten sessions of low-frequency sound stimulation (twice per week for five weeks) improved sleep and lowered pain, allowing approximately 75% of participants to reduce their pain meds.
People with arthritis, period pain, postoperative discomfort, and knee replacement pain have benefited from sound-based vibration therapy. Sound-based therapy has also been shown to promote mobility, reduce muscle soreness and stiffness, improve blood circulation, and reduce blood pressure.
Human bodies contain 75% water. Water is a strong conductor of vibrations, as you may know from a science class. Sound healers utilize instruments that vibrate at specific frequencies when struck, such as gongs, Tibetan bowls, tuning forks,crystal bowls, and crystal chalices. The frequencies found in these instruments are associated with specific emotions and energetic centers in the body.
Many people shy away from feeling sadness and other difficult emotions, so they shut down their heart chakra (energy center) rather than fully feeling the complex feelings associated with the heart: receiving and giving love, self-worth, etc. When a sound healer plays theheart-attuned bowl, the frequency of the bowl opens up the heart chakra and can facilitate deep healing. By opening the different energy centers with sound, repressed emotions can be released.
Short answer: everyone and anyone who is open to it. Sound healing is genuinely an infinite modality that is widely accessible. The only pre-requisite is to have an open mind!
Sound healing meditations can provide results for a variety of issues, including:
After a sound healing meditation, you will most likely feel extremely relaxed and peaceful. You may feel a bit sleepy afterward, like you have just woken up from a deep nap. You may find yourself finding clarity on an emotional problem or feeling a sense of inner peace after a time of anxiety or depression. After a sound meditation, it's a great idea to journal, spend time in nature, or go to bed if possible.
Why does this happen? Well, sound meditations assist and guide shifts in our brainwave state. Sound helps synchronize our fluctuating brainwaves by supplying a steady frequency to which the brainwave can attune. “Bathing” in frequency allows us to shift from our usual beta state (ordinary waking state) to alpha (relaxed consciousness) and even theta (meditative state) and delta (sleep, where internal healing happens). This same concept is used in meditation by consciously regulating the breath, but instead is achieved with sound.
The instruments most commonly used in sound healing meditations includecrystal bowls, crystal chalice grails, gongs, Tibetan bowls, tuning forks, and drums. Another common instrument used during many sound healing sessions is one you might not expect: the voice. Vocal toning is a powerful addition to any sound bath, and many experienced practitioners notice profound healing after using the power of their voice.
In a sound healing meditation it’s common for a facilitator to gently lead the participants through a guided meditation. They may instruct the participants to breathe and relax, and sometimes bring them into a peaceful place in nature, encouraging visuals and an inner journey. This verbal guidance paired with the healing frequencies of a crystal sound bowl or drum can be quite powerful.
Each instrument serves a different purpose. Some instruments open up the energetic centers, while others clear out stagnant energy and bring healing. Crystal bowls are commonly tuned to the seven energetic body chakras:root, sacral, solar plexus, heart,throat, third eye, andcrown. The gong is claimed to help relieve stress and activate the glandular and neurological systems.
Yes, absolutely! One of the beautiful things about sound healing is its intuitive nature. You can choose a sound bowl orchalice, and right away begin practicing with it. If you want to try out sound healing instruments at home and practice this modality yourself, we recommend starting with chakra-tuned crystal sound bowls or chalices.