What Is A Sound Bath? How Does It Help Health?

While life can be stressful, we could all use some self-care to feel better. A sound bath is such a relaxing experience. Although it is called a bath, it has nothing to do with soaking in a bathtub. It’s about immersing yourself in deep, resonant sounds that heal from within. Sound therapy has been used for therapeutic purposes for thousands of years – from the Egyptians treating sick patients to the current use of Tibetan singing bowls. Read on to learn more about this technique and how you can benefit from it.

What is sound bath therapy?

A sound bath is a meditative experience in which participants are immersed in a sound frequency that helps them relax and heal their body. Musical instruments, such as chimes, Tibetan singing bowls, tuning forks and gongs are used to produce soothing waves at different frequencies. The sound produced is not a rhythm or melody but a voice with remarkable resonance and overtone. While sound baths are generally performed and experienced in groups, they can also be done at home.

How do sound baths work?

A sound bath is also known as a yoga sound bath as it involves lying in a Shavasan position on a yoga mat and listening attentively to the sounds produced by musical instruments. You can also sit comfortably if you don’t want to lie down. A trained sound healer facilitates the experience by creating soothing overlapping sonic vibrations. Such a guided experience usually lasts 45-60 minutes.

Sound therapists and meditation teachers also believe that sound baths can bring balance, relaxation and a sense of calm to the body. These baths can also be compared to other healing practices as the vibrations they produce lead to a deeper state of relaxation and turn off the body’s fight or flight reflex. Sound baths also offer several other benefits.

Health benefits of sound baths

1. Offer relaxation

Sound baths effectively deal with chronic stress and anxiety and provide deep relaxation. According to sound healing practitioners, the frequency used in sound baths shifts brain waves from a normal state of beta waves to alpha and theta waves (which are deeper states of consciousness reached during meditation).

2. Boost mental health

In an investigationparticipants noted that their feelings of anxiety, fatigue, tension, anger and depression were significantly reduced after a sound bath (1). Tibetan singing bowls used in sound baths also effectively reduced distress in patients with chronic spinal pain and metastaticⁱ XThe ability of cancer cells to spread from their primary site of origin to other organs of the body. cancer (2).

3. Improve physiological health parameters

Sound healers state that vibrations heard in the baths harmonize the body’s cells and promote healing. The vibration of the singing bowl in the sound bath lowers blood pressure and heart rate, which activates the sound Parasympathetic nervous systemⁱ XA part of the nervous system, also called the “rest and digestive system,” that relaxes the body after periods of stress or danger. to counteract the body’s flight or fight response (1). Sound healing also improves respiration rate and peripheral capillary oxygen saturation, which promotes physical healing (2).

4. Promote spiritual well-being

Sound healing practitioners believe that a sound bath helps unblock chakras. This helps to better process emotions and increase spiritual well-being. Chakras, according to Hinduism, are the centers of spiritual power or energy. Some participants who practiced sound baths also experienced positive energy and improved mood (3).

While these benefits look promising, you should also consider the possible side effects of a sound bath.

Side Effects of Sound Bath

There is no evidence that sound baths have side effects. However, some people have reported exhaustion after a session. The strong vibrations can also cause headaches in people who are sensitive to noise. Sound baths also help process different emotions, potentially unearthing past emotional trauma and making one feel nauseousⁱ XAn uncomfortable feeling in the stomach that causes an urge to vomit, but does not always lead to vomiting. or dizzy. Therefore, it is better to consult a therapist to resolve such feelings.

How to experience a sound bath

You can experience a sound bath in many ways. It can be experienced in a group setting, one-on-one or even alone at home.

A. Sound bath at home

Sound baths are very accessible. You can try one at home if group sound bath sessions aren’t offered in your area or if you just don’t feel comfortable in a group setting. On some websites or through subscriptions, you can easily find recordings and use them to practice sound baths at home. Playing these sounds on a good quality speaker or headphones can help you meditate.

Sit in a comfortable position or lie on a yoga mat in a Shavasan position, dim the lights, set the goal or intention of the session and play the recording while concentrating on the breath and immersing yourself in the sounds .

You can also use instruments such as singing bowls or tuning forks. Place them on the floor, get comfortable and play them. Concentrate on your breathing during the session.

B. Sound Bath Tips

1. Sound baths are ideal for people who find it difficult to practice traditional meditation or yoga or tend to overthink during traditional meditation.
2. Always focus on your breathing as you immerse yourself in the waves of the soothing sounds.
3. Keep your eyes closed or wear an eye mask to encourage deeper relaxation and avoid distractions.
4. When doing a sound bath at home, wear headphones to hear the sounds clearly and with full concentration.
5. Think about a goal, intention, or prayer for your meditation practice.

C. Instruments For Sound Bath

Tools needed for a sound bath meditation include:

1. Tibetan singing bowls
2. Crystal bowls
3. chimes
4. Tuning forks
5. gongs
6. Drums
7. Digital sounds

If you don’t have instruments at home to perform a sound bath, you can also use guided recordings available online.

While musical instruments are used in sound bath and music therapy, both are two different approaches. Learn more in the next section.

Sound bath vs. Music therapy: main differences

There is a difference between sound healing and music therapy.

Music therapy is a clinical intervention that involves music, songwriting, and the selection of the right song to improve an individual’s emotional state. Qualified music therapists perform this to help people express their emotions, process their feelings and improve their mood.

A sound bath is more of a spiritual practice that uses yoga or guided meditation (and doesn’t involve singing songs). It helps heal the body and reduce stress and anxiety through specific frequencies and harmonics. Resonant sounds are produced by musical instruments at different frequencies that help balance emotions.

Sound bath sessions are generally led by someone who has had training in music to give sound bath sessions or has a background in yoga or meditation.

Conclusion