Everything to Know About Sound Baths, According to a Sound Therapist and Meditation Expert
Don’t knock it until you try it.It turns out a sudsy soak in a bubbly tub isn’t the only kind of bath that can have health benefits. Sound baths are just as good for the body—and the soul., relaxation, or even healing. Maybe you know someone who’s tried one, but you aren’t sure if it’s the right fit for you. Although sound baths may seem like a nontraditional idea, the practice of healing through sound is actually thousands of years old with deep roots in cultures across the world.
Given their rich past, sound baths are worth learning about, which is why we tapped a real-life expert to outline what they are and how they work. Before long, you just might be scheduling your own session.“A sound bath is a deeply-immersive, full-body listening experience that intentionally uses sound to invite gentle yet powerful therapeutic and restorative processes to nurture the mind and body,” says Auster.
The experience begins “with each person lying down or seated in a comfortable position, often with a blanket and an eye mask,” she adds. “After a few minutes of guided focus on the breath, the remainder of the experience is filled with different sounds and frequencies being introduced in succession.” These sounds are created by a variety of overtone-emitting tools, including tuning forks, gongs, shruti boxes , Himalayan and crystal singing bowls, chimes, vocals, and other instruments.
The sounds introduced are an “invitation into a deeper state of consciousness, an opportunity to unplug from external stimuli and to gain perspective on what’s going on within you,” she says. “The goal of the experience is to invite deep rest and relaxation, and explore self-inquiry and self-discovery.”A sound bath is kind of a music therapy-meditation hybrid, Auster explains, which makes it an incredible and accessible tool for calming the storm that is busy daily life.