What is sound bath meditation?

By MiNDFOOD

What is sound bath meditation?
We sat down with Brittany from Brthe to find out about the latest meditation practice that's got everyone talking.

What is a sound bath?

Our Retune class is what is often referred to as a ‘sound bath’. A sound bath is a relaxation technique and meditative experience, using quartz-crystal bowls, binaural beats, chimes and gongs to create vibration and resonance that feels as though it is immersing and washing over your body.

Your only task during this class is to get comfortable on our recliners, simply laying and absorbing the sounds, as you drift into a deep relaxation. It’s been very popular amongst visitors who find traditional meditation challenging, or struggle with ‘monkey-mind’.

What happens to your body and mind during this meditation?

Many of us are already aware of the power of sound, and it’s correlation with our mood. Music has the power to energise us, and powerfully shift our emotional state. In the sound bath, the vibrations of each bowl facilitate shifts in brainwaves toward a deep state of Theta/Delta relaxation – where the body is able to tap into it’s innate ability to heal and restore itself.

When we are healthy and happy, our body vibrates in it’s balanced, natural frequency. When we experience trauma and stress, our energy and frequency can shift off balance away from our natural state.

The vibrations created by the bowls travel through our physical bodies and touch us at a cellular level, supporting the mind and body back to a sense of balance and alignment – physically, emotionally & mentally.

 

Can you describe what this feels like? What can people expect to experience?

Everybody experiences the class differently, but your experience is greatly influenced by the intention and mindset you carry into the class, those who settle into the class with an openness and curiosity tend to have the most rewarding experience.

Generally speaking, most visitors find it easy to relax and let go throughout the class, we lead people into the practice with a meditation sequence to relax the body and nervous system, once settled the vibrations and sounds lull you into a deep relaxation, the body can feel quite weighted and it can almost feel like you are dipping in and out of sleep.

I like to think of it as a deep, energetic massage for our body, mind and spirit.

What are the benefits of this practice?

Our sound baths are a guided, meditative practice, so the long-term benefits backed by science, are aligned with those of consistent meditation.

Sound healings can help to relieve pain, improve sleep, improve immunity, reduce stress and anxiety, and restore a sense of calm and wellbeing in our lives.

 

Why do you think this kind of practice is important in this day and age?

I think the most important thing we can do to support our holistic health is to fill our toolkits with tools and practices that support us to slow down and find more balance in our lives.

We tend to spend our days in ‘doing mode’, constantly achieving and working toward our goals, deadlines, achievements – we have lost sight of the fact that rest is incredibly productive, many of us don’t actually know how to rest and restore ourselves effectively.

Sound baths are particularly popular as an entrance way into mindfulness and meditation, because our visitors find anchoring their attention to the sound and frequencies an easy way to settle the mind and body into a deeply relaxed state.

That being said, meditation isn’t a one-size fits all practice, which is why we offer a range of practices that sit on the mindfulness spectrum so that everyone has a chance to find a teacher and practice that works for them individually.

Learn more about the benefits of meditation or visit brthe.co.nz

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