The other night I attended a Yin Yoga and Sound bath session led by Toma (from Toma J Fitness www.toma-j.com). It wasn’t my first session, but I so love sound baths. I decided it was time to explore what it is about a sound bath that I love. What is a sound bath you may ask? Well, it doesn’t involve water, that’s for sure. (Unless you decide to drink it) But, it does involve being ‘bathed’ in a variety of sounds from singing bowls, gongs, chimes, hand bells, etc. whilst you lay in savasana. Why do it? It’s great to help you focus. If you have a hard time meditating or keeping your focus while in savasana, then this might be the solution for you. Your attention is brought to the sounds around you. Usually the sound leader travels around the room bringing the sound to you. Occasionally they may place the singing bowl on top of you so you can feel the vibrations of it. There is no melody or song so your brain can’t predict what’s coming nor can it sing along. Random sounds help you focus, allowing your brain to simply turn off. Occasionally your brain will wander, but then it will hear a pitch or frequency that seems to re-awaken it, startle it and bring it back into focussing on the sound, hence bringing you back into a meditative state. I spoke to Andrea Moretti afterwards (from Pinguru.cave) about his choice of instruments and the effects of the sounds. He used a variety of singing bowls, a gong, wind chime, Tibetan chimes and small bells. The combination of wind chime and small bells took my mind to the outdoors and reminded me of my childhood. He later explained to me that the sounds from the bath used binaural beats (auditory brain-stem responses which originate in the superior olivary nucleus of each brain hemisphere. They result from two different auditory impulses or sounds, heard from opposite ears. From www.mindfithypnosis.com/about-binaural-beats) and affects our REM, helping us to relax even further. Apparently one hour in a sound bath is equivalent to 4 hours of a good night’s sleep! Further research suggests that sound baths can reduce blood pressure, reduce heart rate, elevate your mood, enhance your sleep and reduce stress. (Tamara L. Goldsby, PhD1,2, Michael E. Goldsby, PhD1 , Mary McWalters, BA1 , and Paul J. Mills, PhD1, 2016) Personally, I went home, ate some ice cream (I told you I’m not perfect; I had been thinking about Ben & Jerry’s during the session) and then had the most amazing and restful sleep. Sure I had some crazy dreams (work related!) but woke up feeling rejuvenated and creative, hence my need to write and plan some more amazing yoga classes and how to incorporate my own singing bowl and chimes into them. So, if you’ve never tried a sound bath and are looking for a new way to relax, I highly recommend it. If you’re local to me, then check out Toma’s website to see when she is hosting the next one. Or if you want to experience some singing bowl action, why not try out my Tuesday night restorative yoga class? Namaste my friends!
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