Bathing in Sound
It’s no secret that music, and sound in general, are used to be soothing and relaxing in our day to day lives. So, its no surprise then that there is an entire form of meditation dedicated to sound. Instead of focusing on the genre as a whole, I will be introducing a concept that has been around since ancient times: sound baths.
But first, let’s talk about music. There basically hasn’t been a time in which music wasn’t recognized for its immense therapeutic value that it brings. Greek physicians used flutes, lyres, and zitters- an old-timey string instrument-to bring solace to their patients. They researched vibration and used it to aid in a modicum of ailments, from issues in digestion, mental disturbance, and sleep struggles.
A young philosopher you might have heard of, Aristotle, even wrote in his book De Anima, that flute music may have the ability to create strong emotions and “purify the soul”. More recent studies have even introduced the idea that music may have the ability to lower blood pressure, decrease pulse rate, and assist the parasympathetic nervous system.
So what is a sound bath?
Counterintuitively, there is no water involved in a sound bath. Instead, you allow a combination of meditative sounds and noises to “wash” over you. The point is to “‘bathe’ in the sound waves produced by the human voice as well as instruments such as chimes, gongs, drums, and singing bowls”.
I know, I know, sounds a little fishy. We hear noises all the time, how can these actually help us mentally and emotionally? Well, “the sound stimulates our circulation and immune system, cleanses our energy meridians, and helps to release emotions stored in our body like anger, stress, and trauma. Sound also balances both hemispheres of our brain, promoting deep relaxation.”
Ok.. why should I try one though?
It can be really easy to be intimidated by meditation if you’re new to the practice. Sitting alone with your thoughts is scary! Additionally, the idea of focusing on not thinking about anything can be difficult. Sound baths, however, give your mind a space to occupy without forcing it to focus on nothing. You can exist within the sound and allow your mind to think without thinking.
I’m in quarantining and/or don’t want to spend money going to a fancy 3-hr sound bath facility
Totally valid! While there are great facility supported sound baths, this is a practice that you can also do from your own home. It can be difficult to find a good one, but a simple way to choose the one that best suits you is to focus on the frequencies it provides. Frequencies and wavelengths can correlate with your chakras.
This photo provides a good overview, and you can read more about the connection between the two here.
But, to get you started you can check out this video. At 396 Hz this meditation is associated with your root chakra. Additionally, this video is at 852 Hz, which is associated with your third eye chakra. There are tons of more options out there, and if you need a refresher on chakras don’t forget to check out my other article here!
