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TELL a friend you’re going to a sound bath session, and you’ll either be met with a funny look or they’ll say: “OMG, I want to go to one of those!” This wellness trend is slowly, and quietly, gaining momentum. Why?
“If meditation is like a staircase to relaxation, sound baths are the lift,” sound practitioner Farzana Ali tells me – and it makes total sense having just experienced one of her classes at Re:Mind in London.
I went feeling sceptical, wondering how I’d ended up doing something so “out there”.
Farzana, a former journalist, tells me her friends and colleagues thought she’d gone full-on hippy when she started talking about drum circles and gongs 10 years ago.
But now, she’s the author of the first mainstream book on the topic, Sound Healing, and a highly sought-after practitioner, familiar with celebrities looking to discover their zen. So what’s all the fuss about?
“A sound bath is helpful for people who want to calm their inner chatter and let their mind switch off, or for those who want to feel rested but have found that traditional meditation has not worked for them in the past,” says Farzana.
I had heard that sound baths were like “meditation for lazy people”, which sounded right up my street, having downloaded and attempted to use Headspace too many times.
“Meditation can take years to master,” says Farzana. “But the unique selling point of sound baths are that they work – and can be felt and experienced immediately. You do not need to put in hundreds of hours to benefit.
Sessions over multiple weeks will boost the benefits, of course, but even just one session can make a difference.”
Celebrities including Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kendall Jenner have all jumped on the sound-bath bandwagon.
Read on for the lowdown on sound baths, and how you can create them for yourself and bring sound healing into your home.
There’s no swimming or water involved in a sound bath. Rather, it is a meditative experience led by an instructor, during which you are “bathed” in sound.
Stay with me – I know it might sound loopy, but there is scientific evidence behind it. The primary goal is to induce a state of rest, slow down the heart and breathing rate, and calm the central nervous system.
Upon arriving at my session in a low-lit room with a dozen mats rolled out, complete with pillows and blankets, I take my spot, lie down and close my eyes.
During a sound bath, the instructor will play various instruments that each create a unique vibrating sound to envelope you and evoke a different emotion. You keep your eyes closed for the duration.
Have you ever wondered why gentle waves or listening to rainfall can lull you into a slumber? Some of our favourite sounds are those from nature, which our ancestors would have heard.
Sound has a profound effect on people – while one song may get you in the mood for a night out, another will remind you of your childhood and perhaps even make you cry.
The use of sound as a healing tool dates back thousands of years. Now, in a society grappling with increasing stress levels, an immediate form of therapy – with little effort – is a welcome relief.
“If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, it’s difficult to motivate yourself to do anything that requires a lot of effort,” says Farzana.
“For many of us, anxiety levels are so high that we’ve been forced to find anything that works – and some of these things we used to do instinctively as humans.”
Sound baths, like meditation, can help us tap into alpha and theta brainwaves, which are more dominant when the brain is relaxed (there are five types of brainwave, and we move through them daily, depending on what we’re doing).
In a process called sympathetic resonance, the brain tries to match the vibrations it is experiencing. When brainwaves slow down, it leads us to what sound healers call an “altered state of consciousness (ASC).”
You experience an ASC when daydreaming. But in modern life, these moments are scarce. “It is a trance-like psychological state that is different to when you’re fully awake,” says Farzana.
“Having an ASC is good for both your brain and overall health, as it allows the brain to process emotions and memories, and resets the brain’s mineral levels. That is why you feel so refreshed after a sound bath.”
Once I’m comfortable on my mat, with a blanket pulled up to my chin and praying my stomach will stop grumbling, I let go of any preconceptions and tell myself to relax.
Farzana takes me and half a dozen others through an hour of sound, though it feels more like 20 minutes.
For the first half, I reach the so-called ASC. I’m awake and my mind continues to chatter, but the thoughts don’t make much sense.
I feel like I’m floating. Afterwards, Farzana tells me she was using Himalayan singing bowls.
“These bronze metal bowls are what we call a ‘sonic cuddle’,” she says.
“The richness of their tones scoop you up and hold you.” Crystal bowls also have a comforting feel.
But for the second half, when Farzana switches to the gong, I feel restless and uncomfortable, and I’m not alone – for the person behind me, it triggers a release of emotions and tears.
At the end of hour-long session, we are slowly brought back to wakefulness and told to avoid using our phones for another hour.
After this, life drags me back in and the after-effects don’t feel so strong. But I’m grateful the session gave my brain the kind of peace I can only get when asleep.
“Over multiple sessions, you can address self-limiting beliefs, such as feelings that you are not good enough,” Farzana says.
“You bring back balance into your life. It allows you to stay mentally healthy, so that when stress does happen, you’re better able to cope with it. A lot of clients also say their sleep improves.”
As much as I’d love to take a sound bath twice a week, it’s not something I can stretch my budget to. However, there are ways to bring it home with me.
In Farzana’s book is a QR code that takes me to some audio I can use. I like that it’s just 15 minutes long, because I can make time for it before bed. Wearing earphones is a must.
The sounds slow my heart rate, quieten my mind and relax my muscles. YouTube also has a wealth of resources. I like Irene Athanasiou, whose videos are labelled for sleep, positive energy or relaxation.
Accounts like Healing Vibrations are popular, but the sheer volume of videos on offer can be overwhelming.
And when I’m particularly stressed, online sound baths are not as effective for me – I just want to be back in the studio, hearing and feeling the vibrations IRL.
I’d encourage everyone to try a sound bath in person, even if just once, to experience the magic.
