Gong
What is a sound bath? The method is a highly powerful type of therapy. As spiritual as it is cleansing, those undergoing this meditation feel renewed and energized in its wake. Most commonly using the traditional gong, the healing process harnesses micro-vibrations through sound to heal a person on a range of levels from the physical to mental. Let’s take a look at the origins, benefits, and methods of this particular method.
What Is a Sound Bath?
First of all, let’s deal with the most pressing question: What is a sound bath? Sound healing has its origins in eras past. The original forms of this type of meditation date back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. 1 The belief was that this type of therapy could change a person’s wellness while improving their spirituality.
Over the centuries, this healing meditation has been used by various cultures around the world and is also a key part of kundalini yoga. Through the technique, a person’s body is entirely engulfed by sound and vibrations. These minute movements can help to heal ailments, shift a person’s mindset, and allow them to enter a spiritual state.
Sound bathing can require a whole range of instruments from singing bowls and shamanic drums to tuning forks. The instrument used depends on the type of session. However, in the modern world, gong sound bath sessions have come to be highly popular. As the name suggests, these sessions use the humble gong as the major source of sound.
Benefits of a Sound Bath
What is a sound bath known to help with? There are many advantages–both physical and spiritual–that you can gain when you decide that a sound bath is right for you. Let’s answer the following question: what is a sound bath good for? Here are some of the benefits you should know about.
1. Release trapped emotions
Need a release for your emotions? At times, when we are struggling to manage how we feel, we may find that we have a blockage within ourselves. For example, you may have pushed your emotions down inside yourself in a bid to protect yourself. If this is the case, a sound bath could offer great benefits.
Often enough, people who undergo this ritual will feel like laughing, crying, or even screaming. The reason is simple. The sound therapy unlocks your feelings and releases them in the most natural way possible. You should not be fearful of this experience as it is one that can bring much joy and happiness in its wake. Allow your feelings to flow.
2. May help you manage pain
Perhaps one of the most surprising benefits of this form of therapy is that it could help to ease physical ailments. Should you be suffering from any form of physical pain, the practice may be worth your time. Sound therapy combined with traditional medicine can lower patients’ pain levels, according to one study published in the Nursing Journal. 2
Of course, before you undergo a sound bath, you should speak to a professional about what you hope to gain from the experience. These practices can prove highly intense and powerful, especially the first time you take part in them. Consider your aims and the aches that you hope to target throughout the bath before you get started.
3. Lower anxiety levels
Anxiety is a challenge, which many of us face on a daily basis. Should you find yourself stricken with this mental problem, you will look for relief in a whole array of places. There’s no doubt that traditional therapies can help you overcome this issue. However, one of the most unexpected ways in which you can ease the problem is to try a sound bath.
Sound healing can be used as a form of treatment for cases of anxiety, according to a study published in the Wiley Online Library. 3 When we are flooded with negative and harmful emotions, it can be difficult to move forward and find inner peace. Through the practice, you will have the opportunity to address some of these feelings and rid yourself of them. As your body vibrates with the sounds, you may feel a tangible shift in your mood.
4. Change your state of consciousness
Are you hoping to entirely change your mindset and how you feel? Your state of consciousness is tied directly to your brain waves. The bandwidth at which these waves move will determine your mood and how your mind functions. There are varying waves including delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma waves. Each of these corresponds with an aspect of your consciousness, be it relaxation or decision-making.
When you embark on a journey into gong bath meditation, you will learn that these brain waves can be altered to your benefit. The sessions change the inner vibrations in your body, which means that you can effectively control your own consciousness. Taking the reigns here and guiding how your mind works is a truly spiritual and strong experience.
5. Elevate your spirit
Finding your higher consciousness and engaging with the universe is one of the end goals of the kundalini yoga experience. One of the ways in which you may elevate your spirit is to undergo forms of healing, such as sound therapy, which unlock parts of your inner being. Like other forms of meditation, the sound healing techniques allow you to enter an entirely new spiritual sphere.
For that reason, those who are new to the practice should be aware that it can be highly moving and enlightening. It is hard to describe the feelings that you unleash when entering this realm and starting a new phase of the experience. Of course, many people find that the sound healing process is one they want to come back to again and again.
What To Expect From A Sound Bath Session
What may you expect from meditation and gong sound bath classes? These classes can be undertaken on an individual or group level. While there’s no single way to conduct a sound bath, many of the contemporary forms of this therapy include gongs. Your teacher will instruct you to lie comfortably on the floor (or on a mat) before they begin the sound therapy session. You should close your eyes before the healing begins.
1. Remain calm & still
When you are calm and relaxed, the teacher will begin to make sounds using the gong primarily. They may also use a crystal or singing bowl as well as chanting. Some teachers will combine the sound element with other healing processes. For example, it is not uncommon to have essential oils included as part of a session. These have the added benefit of calming participants and helping to set the correct atmosphere.
2. Sound washes over you
As the sounds envelop the room, you have one goal. You must lie back and let them wash over you. Much like water cleanses the body, these micro-vibrations will cleanse your soul and mind. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself or worry about the outcomes. Instead, you should merely allow the sounds to transport you through the healing process. You are but a vessel; ready to be filled.
