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High Vibe Healing: Experiencing the Magic of Sound Bath Healing

If you haven't experienced the transformative power of sound healing, do yourself a favor and immerse your self in a sound bath asap. Sound bath meditations have become a super popular way to destress, unwind, and immerse into the highest healing vibes. 

Whether playing your own sound bowl (super cool), attending an in-person sound bath (highly recommended), or listening to a sound healing meditation online (so convienient), sound can be the perfect antecdote to help manage the demands of the modern world. 

Ready to learn why why you should seriously consider incorporating sound healing into your regular self-care routine? Keep reading to learn everything about healing mind, body, and soul through the vibrational frequencies of sound. 

What is Sound Healing?

Sound healing is rooted in ancient traditions, operating largely on the principle that everything in the universe vibrates at a certain energetic frequency, including our own cells and sublte energy field. 

At its core, sound healing works by aligning the body's energy centers, or chakras, through resonant frequencies, which can promote deep states of relaxation, peace, and wellbeing. 

When you allow yourself to let go when exposed to soothing sounds, the mind naturally  enters into a meditative state, supporting natural healing processes throughout the entire system. It's it an increasingly popular choice for anyone seeking natural ways to heal.

It's also super versatile. From immersive sound baths that wash over the body with layers of soothing tones to focused sessions where specific frequencies target areas of physical or emotional tension. 

Instruments like sound bowls, tuning forks, chimes, drums, and gongs are often used in the more immersive experiences, each bringing its unique energy. 

The most popular and accessible instrument in sound healing, however, is the sound bowl, which is renowned for producing various rich, resonate sounds 

What is a Sound Bowl? 

A sound bowl, sometimes referred to as a singing bowl, resembles an inverted bowl or bell. A wooden stick, known as a puja, is rotated around the outside rim to produce a vibrational tone. Traditional sound bowls are typically made out of metal, usually copper. Crystal sound bowls are also common. Sound bowls come in several various sizes, with each producing its own unique tone and vibration.

Traditionally, sound bowls were largely used during meditation and chanting to help increase focus and concentration. Today, sound bowls are often used for stress relief and to promote a deepened sense of relaxation. You might’ve experienced sound bowls in a yoga or meditation class, where they’re commonly used to heighten relaxation and help participants focus on the present moment.

How Sound Bowls Support 

While there’s little scientific research that’s been conducted on sound bowls and wellbeing, preliminary evidence has discovered some promising potential on the effects of sound bowls and how they can support mind, body and soul.

While the exact way sound bowls help stress is unknown, researchers hypothesize that it may have something to do with a change in brainwaves that occurs when exposed to sound therapy. It’s suggested that brain waves can be significantly altered when exposed to sound bowls, shifting from a normal or anxious state (beta) to a more relaxed state (alpha or theta).

Considered a form of energy healing, sound bowls may also benefit stress because of their influence on the body’s unique energy biofield. While the concept may seem a bit out there, there’s suggestion that the body is surrounded by an energy field and that the vibrations of various instruments such as sound bowls may positively interact with this field.

Despite how sound bowls work, there is research to suggest that the soothing vibratory sounds sound bowls produce can significantly improve your life. Following are a few ways sound bowls can naturally support wellbeing, reduce stress and help you feel your best.

5 Ways Sound Bowls Support Wellbeing

1. Help Improve Your Mood

We’re all familiar with the negative impact stress can have on our mood and sense of general wellbeing. Irritability, anxiety, lack of motivation, depression and more are all common manifestations of stress that can significantly impact your day to day life. One way sound bowls are said to work for stress is their potential to help improve mood.

A 2016 study, for example, discovered found that sound meditation significantly reduced tension, anger, depression and fatigue. Researchers noted that sounds bowls “may be especially useful in decreasing tension in individuals who have not previously practiced this form of meditation.”

2. Improved Focus And Concentration

Stress can seriously zap our ability to focus, leaving us feeling scattered and overwhelmed. It can also cause our minds to race, jumping from one thought to the next when all we want to do is focus on what we’re doing in the moment. The soothing sounds that emanate from sound bowls offer excellent relief overthinking and the distractions that come along with it.

The various frequencies created by sound bowls offer a delicate distraction show to modify brainwaves to encourage a sense of calm that can help significantly with the ability to focus. One study found that individuals that participated in Tibetan sound bowl meditation twice a week over the span of six weeks experienced improved cognitive function and cognitive abilities, improved mental health and an increased sense of spirituality by the end of the six weeks.

3. Better Sleep

The impact of stress on sleep is huge. In order to sleep soundly and get the rest we need, it’s vital that we’re relaxed. Anyone who has experienced stress, however, knows how difficult it can be to unwind at the end of the day.

The soothing resonance of sound bowls may help. Because they can offer such a deep sense of mental and physical relaxation, sound bowls can allow the sense of tranquility and ease necessary to quiet the mind and get a rejuvenating night’s rest.

4. Could Reduce Blood Pressure

When we experience stress, the body produces hormones that can temporarily raise blood pressure. Stress that goes unchecked can keep blood pressure levels elevated, increasing the risk of heart disease, immune dysfunction and more.

One study discovered that individuals that participated in 30-minute relaxation sessions that started with a 12-minute exposure to Himalayan sound bowls followed by 20-minutes of directed relaxation experienced a reduction in heart rate and blood pressure compared with those that sat in 12-minutes of silence prior to the directed relaxation phase.

5. Decreased Physical Pain

The body and mind are intimately connected, and mind/body therapies are commonly used alone or as an adjunct to other therapies. Stress can manifest in the body, having a serious impact on physical pain because of its influence on inflammation and physical tension. One study found that individuals who participated in sound therapy experienced a considerable reduction in pain intensity and stress perception, with researchers noting that external vibration holds a profound influence on body function.

How To Use Sound Bowls For Stress

If you’re interested in using sound bowls for stress management there are a few ways to experience their soothing vibrational frequencies.

  • Using Your Own Sound Bowl At Home

Playing your own sound bowl is one of the easiest ways to use sound bowls to support stress. Not only does having your own sound bowl offer the opportunity to immerse yourself in the resonate, healing sounds they produce but also offers a way to deeper connect with this ancient form of sound healing.

While it might take a bit of practice, playing your own sound bowl is easy once you get the hang of it. Following are a couple techniques to get you started:     

Striking Your Sound Bowl

Hold your sound bowl in the palm of your non-dominant hand, holding the      handle of the mallet in your dominant hand.

Gently strike the outside edge of the sound bowl with the padded side of      the mallet. This will produce a rich tone that reverberates for several seconds. 

It’s recommended to strike the bowl one time and allow the tone to vibrate completely and stop before striking it again.

    Playing The Rim Of Your Sound Bowl

    1. Hold your sound bowl in the palm of your non-dominant hand, holding the handle of the mallet in your dominant hand, similar to the way you would hold a pen.
    2. Gently strike the outside rim of the sound bowl and before the vibrational tones stop, vertically place the mallet towards the top of the rim and slowly start to circle the mallet clockwise around the rim, ensuring to keep the mallet vertical. This circling motion is very much like stirring a pot of soup or other liquid.
    3. Circle the mallet around the rim about five times to build up the sound vibrations of your bowl. You’ll find the tone begins to increase as the motion of the mallet begins to build.
    4. If you’re new to playing a sound bowl, this method can be a bit challenging to get the hang of. With a little bit of practice and patience, however, you’ll soon find yourself playing your sound bowl with ease.
    • Attend A Sound Bath Meditation

    Sound bath meditations are becoming increasingly common, often offered at yoga studios or some other type of space dedicated to healing. They typically last 60-90 minutes, and participants are “bathed” in the soothing tones of sound bowls and other vibrational instruments such as gongs, rattles, bells and more.

    During a sound bath meditation, participants lay down comfortably on a yoga mat, often supported with props such as blankets or bolsters. If you’ve never attended a sound bath meditation, we cannot recommend enough how beneficial they are for soothing mind, body and soul. Following are a few tips for your first experience:

    1. Wear comfortable clothing that allows you to lay down comfortably without any distraction. We prefer to forgo jeans and tight fitting clothes when we attend sound bath meditations, opting instead for leggings or comfortable flowy pants and a top that allows for zero restriction.
    2. Take a yoga mat or blanket that you can lay on comfortably for the duration of the meditation. We also love using a lavender scented eye-pillow for increased relaxation and to block out any light.
    3. The sound bath practitioner will likely guide you through the beginning of the process, inviting you to lay down in a comfortable position, close your eyes and focus on the breath before they begin to play.
    4. Allow yourself to let go of any tension in the body, simply surrendering to the moment and doing your best to focus on your breath while immersing in the soothing sounds of the sound bowls and other acoustic surprises.
    5. If there aren’t any sound bath meditations offered in your area, you can also find plenty options on YouTube and most meditation apps.

    Last Thoughts On The Soothing Mind/Body Benefits Of Sound Bowls

    We’ve found sound bowls extremely beneficial for our own stress levels and regularly incorporate playing our own or attending a sound bath meditation as part of our regular self-care routine.

    The benefits associated with sound bowls are very much similar to those attained by a regular yoga or meditation practice, ultimately offering the relaxation necessary to quiet the mind so you can feel rested, relaxed and rejuvenated.

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