This is part of the “Doing New Things” series where I’m trying to get out of my daily routine and explore newness by – you guessed it – doing new things. 52 new things in one year to be exact. Read more about my intention behind it here and view the complete list of things here. Today I’m writing about my experience attending a sound bath (#32 on my list).
Sound baths seem to be one of the new hypes in the wellness world. They are becoming more and more prevalent nowadays. Or is it just me who notices them now that I’m aware that they exist? That’s probably also true to a certain degree. After all, there are quite a few certified sound therapy practitioners I’ve come across during my research. And all of them have been doing sound therapy since more than just a few years.
Why Sound Baths?
According to Brooklyn Healing Arts, “the conscious use of sound can bring you back to your most natural state, happiness.” Doesn’t that sound amazing? They further state that
sound therapy is a way to retune the energetic bodies. All illness, disease, emotional disturbances, mental problems, are first created within the energetic bodies prior to manifestation within the physical body. Through the use of tuning forks, singing bowls, gong, and a variety of other tools which evoke sounds specific to ailments, we can create a balance of harmony within the body. Through specific techniques we can both remove excess energy or bring in new energy where it is lacking. Sound therapy has the ability to relieve stress at the cellular level, bringing upon a state of joyous being.
Benefits Of Sound Baths
I think that sound therapies/baths are increasing in popularity these days for the same reasons meditation practices do. In fact, a sound bath is a form of meditation. Some of its benefits include the following (source 1, source 2):
- Reduce stress
- Manage anxiety
- Manage depression
- Address addictions
- Ease physical and emotional pain
- Regain mental clarity
- Improve digestion
- Improve sleep
- Maintain overall well-being
The Gong In Kundalini Yoga
I had my first “sound experience” at a Kundalini yoga class. At the end of each Kundalini class, the teacher plays the gong for a few minutes. They also offer gong bath classes at the studio I went to. I’ve never attended one, but (according to the description) the gong is played during the entire class after just a few minutes of active yoga in the beginning.
The thing I enjoyed most at the Kundalini classes I went to, was the gong shower at the end. There was something about it that spoke to my senses (other than the Kundalini yoga practice itself). So when I found out about sound baths, I was eager to attend one and see how it would make me feel.
Where To Go For A Sound Bath
At a sound bath, the facilitator typically uses more than one sound instrument. The tools used include gongs, tuning forks, singing bowls and many more. Sound baths are typically offered at yoga studios, meditation centers or any kind of wellness space. In San Francisco they even hold a sound meditation in a cathedral every now and then. You need to register really early though in order to secure a spot.
Sound baths don’t take place too frequently. At least that’s what I found to be true here in New York City. By that I mean that I haven’t found a studio in my area that offers it on a weekly basis. Oftentimes, they are held monthly (or at certain times when there’s a full moon or any other noteworthy luminary constellations). This might have to do with the fact that there are not as many sound therapists/specialists out there (yet). Also, the practitioners tend to not have their own space but travel to various studios at which they offer the sound baths.
Sound Bath At Maha Rose
For my first sound bath I went to Maha Rose. It’s a healing space in Brooklyn with a little crystal store. The sound bath was led by Jarrod Byrne Mayer together with his wife Melody Balczon. When we arrived about 10 minutes early, the space was already brimming with people. Most of them were young females. There were also a few men who were clearly schlepped there by their girlfriends/wives (ahem, I was one of them having brought my husband).
The sound bath took place in a room next to the entryway. The room was separated from the hallway with large cloths hanging from the ceiling. Mats, blankets and pillows were provided and already spread out on the floor. By the time the sound bath started, every place was occupied. It was jam-packed.
Preparation
The class was 120 minutes long. It started by Jarrod introducing himself and his partner. He touched on their background in Kundalini yoga and explained that we are ten bodies. The sound bath would focus on the pranic and the soul body with prana being the vehicle for the soul body. He said that in order to be able to activate the experience of the sound bath, we would need to move the body first. Only after moving the body, it would be able to relax and take advantage of the sound.
We started with a few minutes of chanting a mantra sitting on the floor in whatever position felt comfortable to us. After that we got up and danced to two pop songs for about 10 minutes. It wasn’t a specific dance. Jarrod just encouraged us to dance however we liked and “if [we didn’t] know how to dance, just dance like kids at a wedding. They don’t know how to dance but always have a hell of a lot of fun.”
Actual Sound Bath
After the dance session, we sat down again and did the breath of fire for a couple of minutes with our eyes closed. Now it was time to lay down and the sound bath began. The instructors turned off the light and began to use the different sound instruments. I remember the first one resembled the sound of the ocean. Then there were tuning forks, the gong and other acoustic instruments I couldn’t identify.
The sound bath itself was probably about 60 minutes long. After the class, we could put our email on a list if we wanted to receive the recording of the sound bath.
Thoughts About My Experience
All in all, I expected more from the sound bath. My hopes were that it would be an even deeper sensory experience than the gong baths at the Kundalini classes I had experienced previously. But it wasn’t. I would have liked more gong(-like), full-bodied sounds that were a little louder.
Also, I found it very inconvenient how cramped the little space was. Thus, I was unable to completely relax. I couldn’t stretch out fully and people were just lying too closely to each other for my liking. The teachers were fun though. I will probably try out another sound bath at a different location and/or attend a gong bath class at a Kundalini studio since the gong sound is what I found to be enjoying the most after all!
Have you ever been to a sound bath? Or would you like to attend one?
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