Sound Baths: An Alternative Way to Relax Your Body & Mind

When I first heard of the term sound bath, I naturally thought it would be something involving water in a bathtub. But to my surprise, the bath has nothing to do with tubs or water.

I'm always open to trying new experiences — especially ones that involve wellness and relaxation — so a sound bath seemed like the perfect opportunity for me.

After doing a bit of research, I came across a place called Sat Nam Yoga, a boutique studio in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago that offers yoga, meditation, and healing arts.

Sound baths use bowls, gongs, and other instruments with the intention of the sound vibrations shifting our brain into a more relaxed state. This, in turn, can potentially make it easier to experience a deeper meditation.

I chose their Kundalini Yoga and Meditation class, which blends sound bath with yoga postures, movement, pranayama, mantras, and meditation. Though I wasn't 100 percent sure what to expect, I'm always up to challenge my mind and body, and step out of my comfort zone — and this seemed like just the way to do it.

So if you're considering trying out a sound bath but not sure if it's the right thing for you, check out my experience below.

As I got ready for the class, I kept coming back to the same word: Surrender

As I got ready for the start of class, I thought about what my intentions were going into this experience and the term 'surrender' kept coming up. It's time I surrender to love, to my mission, and to what the universe has for me.

What better way to explore this than through an intentional healing experience?

The vibe in the Sat Nam was just so welcoming and peaceful. So instantly I thought, yeah I can dig this. I was immediately excited to give it a try.

Not a new practice Though sound baths — or healing through sound — have become popular in places like America over the past few years, this practice is certainly not new. In fact, healing by sound can be linked as far back as 40,000 years ago to Australian Aboriginal tribes.

During the class, we started off with some kundalini breathing exercises, which is a form of long, deep diaphragm breathing, also known as pranayama. This is set to the sounds of the Tibetan singing bowl.

In the past, I've experienced yoga classes with music playing lightly in the background, however, this felt a lot different. Actually hearing and feeling the vibrations of the healing singing bowl so intensely made for quite a magical experience.

Following the breathing portion were various yoga poses and stretches that, to my surprise, were a bit more intense than I expected.

Still attempting to vibe out to the healing sounds of the singing bowl, at one point, I thought to myself 'this is not as easy as I thought.' However, I'm a huge fan of pushing myself, so I kept at it and got through everything.

Our class instructor, Grace Sangat Gian, was nothing short of amazing with her guidance and encouragement. There were moments where I felt extremely relaxed and grounded, and others where I was putting in work and sweating my butt off.

The time flew by so quickly because I was thoroughly enjoying every moment, thinking this is something I can commit to.

At the end of class, we were led through a meditation with the sound of the gong. The sound is very powerful and I instantly felt sensations throughout my body. We then ended with some chanting, using 'om' and various other ancient chants.

After class, I felt so liberated and free. I had obtained a level of calm, confidence, and composure — and it was lovely.

I was ready to conquer the rest of my day with a clear mind and relaxed energy. We even had a brief tea time gathering, where I got to know a little about some of the other students that experienced this with me.

What are the benefits? Sound baths have the potential to help with a number of issues that relate to mood and stress. In fact, there were links found between singing bowl meditation and a reduction in tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood.

I'll be adopting sound bath into my own practice

All in all, I'd absolutely recommend an experience like this, as I enjoyed every aspect of it. And after sitting with Grace for some time and going through the class, I was really able to connect the dots between sound and relaxation.

I will most certainly attend a class like this again. In fact, I've already started doing my own research on singing bowls.

If you're in need of an alternative way to relax your mind and body, I'd definitely suggest looking into this type of experience.

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Ashley is the creator of EatThriftLove, a minimalist lifestyle brand with a mission to simplify wellness. She's a plant-based foodie, mental health advocate, and self-love enthusiast born and raised in Chicago. By connecting spirituality to success, she's dedicated to guiding others on a journey to wealth and holistic wellness. Ashley applies her expertise in client engagement and strategic consulting to her passion for wellness and spiritual leadership. Ultimately, Ashley is driven by progressive behavioral influence that encourages people of color to live more simply and intentionally. Her motto: Live to eat and be well. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.