What is a Sound bath?
A sound bath is a meditative experience where those attending lay down and are ‘bathed’ in sound waves. These waves are produced by avarious sources, including healing instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes, rattles, flutes tuning forks, and even the human voice itself.
Just as a typical bath involves a person immersing themselves in water, a sound bath attempts to immerse a person in sound.
Sound baths are deeply restful and can be healing for the mind, body, and spirit. The power of sound is such that it can alter brainwaves from beta to alpha (relaxation), theta (meditative state) and even delta waves (sleep) and provide relaxation and healing of the nervous system.
If you’'re planning on attending a sound bath here are some suggestions to help you enjoy your session more:
Gather ahead of time anything you might want or need during the session including water, crystals, journal, essential oils, etc.
Arrive in good time so you are not feeling rushed, and have plenty of time to relax and be ready for the start of your session.
Think about setting your ‘sankalpa’ an intention, goal, or prayer for your practice.
Create a super comfortable seated or laying down position. Support your body to be comfortable with blankets, pillows, yoga blocks or bolsters. Use one or more yoga mats as your base.
Take slow, deep breaths to soothe your nervous system and encourage deep relaxation, especially at the start of the session.
Ignore all outside distractions and stay focused on your inner world.
Let your eyes be closed to better focus on the internal experience. Use an eye pillow to encourage deeper relaxation.
Listen to the sounds and guided words carefully. Pay attention to what makes you feel calm and relaxed. Notice how certain sounds affect you emotionally.
If you find that you’re getting bored, or that you start to drift off, change your breathing, focus or body position.
If your session does not include a guided visualization, you may find it helpful to visualize yourself in a beautiful place, floating above your body, or seeing yourself surrounded by bright colored light.
Afterwards, take time to integrate and reflect on your experience. How did it feel? What was your overall impression? Did anything happen that surprised you?
What should I wear?
You don’t need anything special to take part in a sound bath experience. However, you want to be as comfortable as possible, so consider wearing soft and loose or stretchy, like you would wear to a gentle yoga class. Avoid wearing anything too tight or constricting. It is probably a good idea to wear layers so you can adjust your clothing to your preferred temperature. When you arrive at the location, you’ll be asked to remove any jewelry, watches, cell phones, and other items that could interfere with the session.
