What is a Sound Bath

What is a sound bath?  The easy answer is, like a bath you are immersed, but instead of water, you are immersed in sound.  It is relaxing and rejuvenating.

The name stems from the idea of waves of sound washing over people, said Tamara Goldsby, a research psychologist at the University of California San Diego who has studied sound baths.
 
We are bombarded with sensation, texts, notifications, social media, television and so on and on.  It is a lot to take in and it is exhausting!  Taking any time away from sensory assault is not only relaxing, it is essential.  A sound bath is an easy way to unplug from the world and connect with your deeper self, it allows me to step away from my crazy “thinking mind” and come into a meditative state.
 
Making space for sensory input is an open door to the present moment, to what is actually happening at this very moment in time.  There is no need to attach a story or meaning, to analyze or judge, just to be fully present in the moment.  Now, more than ever, this is sacred work.

“When my thinking mind attaches stories and emotions to words that then spiral into anxiety and stress, sound and vibration become powerful tools to help me shift out of those spirals.  Ultimately, I come back to the here and now knowing that I can take the next breath, I can hear my inner guidance, I can take the next right step. In this way, the crazy world slowly becomes navigable again.”   Jessica Carmon

Sound Baths at Just Breathe Yoga always begin with a Yin yoga session to prepare the body, mind and breath.  Yin yoga is all about relaxing, restoring and re-setting, soft gentle yoga poses that are held for longer periods of time allow the mind, body and breath slow down, align and settle. 

After a yin session, we rearrange ourselves into a comfortable shavasana pose and begin to attune to our senses—feeling the rise and fall of our chests as we breathe, smelling the candles and incense, noticing the color on the inside of our eyelids and opening to sound.  Finding a deep sense of relaxation, deep enough to fall asleep if that is what you’re feeling and letting the sound flow around, over and through you.

Reactions to sound baths are as unique as each person that attends.  For some it is just a lovely relaxing experience, others may be emotionally moved or have sensations of heat or energy throughout their bodies, some may even have deep dreams or imaginings.