Adele has credited it for helping her get through her anxiety. Charlize Theron and Megan Markel are also fans. The sound bath is considered to be the new ‘it’ trend in wellness.
Over time, the practice of the sound bath has gained popularity all over the world and has been compared to other popular wellness routines: yoga, meditation and mindfulness. If you’re looking to get into the practice of sound baths, you’ve come to the right place.
Before investing your time and money, first, you should understand how a sound bath can actually benefit you. How do they actually work? What is beneficial about them? We’ve got all your questions answered, below.
But what are sound baths? And how do they work?
RO, a Multidisciplinary Healing Artist, is a facilitator of sound baths. They describe a sound bath as, “A meditative experience where recipients are immersed in waves of sound.”
Like anything, every facilitator of a sound bath can run things slightly differently. One might choose to play a crystal bowl, chimes gongs or some other percussion instruments while the attendee — that might be you — lies down on the ground with their eyes closed to listen.
However, other facilitators choose to use a multidisciplinary approach. RO says they use voice gongs, chimes, rattles, and bowls during their practice with attendees.
“Our voice,” they say, “is a way to heal as well as being a powerful sound.”
How can sound baths help relieve you from daily stress?
1. Sound Baths have Mental Health Benefits
“The idea of sound baths,” RO says, “is to realign the mind-body, soul and heart on a cellular level.”
With their clients, they describe the experience of the sound bath as providing a reduction of stress overall. And this anecdotal evidence has been backed up by scientific studies, suggesting that sound baths do help combat fatigue, stress, and even depression.
Also, sound baths have been shown to calm your nervous system. RO believes sound baths work because “sound baths come in to help realign.” Sound baths help us to “allow ourselves to feel centered, to feel balanced, to feel lighter and to have that clarity within ourselves.”
2. They Can Be Done Anywhere
Between the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living and our ever-growing hectic schedules as humans, finding time for ourselves can sometimes be stressful. But the good news is, sound baths are easily accessible and can be done anywhere.
Plus, you don’t need access to a big space to do it. Sometimes, sound baths are eld in a studio. RO chooses to facilitate several online classes, though. They have done one-to-one courses, pre-recorded courses on YouTube and even a few on the Twitterverse.
“It doesn’t matter where you do a sound bath as energetically there is no difference,” RO explains. This flexibility in the environment makes sound baths an automatic de-stressor.
3. There is No ‘Right Way’ to Experience a Sound Bath
In a world where we may feel daily pressure to look a certain way or to get results in our career, we don’t need more pressure.
This is where sound baths come in. With sound baths, there isn’t a one size fits all experience. RO makes clear there is no right and wrong way to experience a sound bath.
“Some people in my classes have experienced tingling, a feeling of coldness, visions or,” RO explains, “just seeing a blank space.”
Unlike other wellness activities such as yoga or pilates, there isn’t a correct form for how to do things. There is nothing to worry about. Regardless of your strength level, or your physical capabilities, anyone can join in with a sound bath. It removes the stress from it, let the good times chime on.
Is it worth the money?
It’s easy to be cynical about wellness culture — especially in today’s climate. And with some classes costing a lot of money, the hesitation is understandable.
But with every study done on the benefits of sound baths, we see that our mental health can positively benefit. With the accessibility of price and location, we’re also given the flexibility that many other wellness activities don’t.
Are you ready to try it for yourself? Sound baths have a winning combination of benefits, flexibility and accessibility, helping your stress truly melt away. Just see for yourself.
