I REMEMBER the first time I ever heard a crystal bowl being played. It gave me goosebumps. The vibrations seemed to travel right into my soul and for a moment there, I was transported to another world.
I realised that “other world” is always right under our noses. It was actually the beauty of the present moment.
When we feel present, we feel ‘alive’ and it’s not something that can be conceptualised or thought of.
It needs to be experienced but we get so caught up in our minds and the rush of our own thoughts that we sometimes just need to come back to ourselves.
That’s what sound vibrations did for me. It was a form of meditation because it helped me to access and “feel” the power of now.
From that moment on, I was hooked. I even invested in my own set of crystal bowls years ago and was surprised to discover how sound was able to ease someone’s physical pain or tension, or help them ‘feel’ emotions or sadness that were trapped within them.
This eventually led to me opening OhanaJo Studio where we now serve yoga, mindfulness, and sound healing sessions every day.
So, I get asked this all the time. What actually is a sound bath? Why do people report such profound experiences? Does it work for everyone? How does sound help us to relax?
History of sound
Sound is as old as time itself. Healing with sound dates back as far as ancient Greece, where music was used to help cure mental illnesses.
It was believed that many mental dysfunctions were caused by disturbance and musical rhythms could potentially help restore harmony to the body while bringing it back into its natural balanced state.
From Native American shamans using their voices and their drums as a tool for healing, sound as a form of therapy has spanned across a multitude of cultures.
In Australia, the Aborigines even used the vibrations of the didgeridoo to help heal the bones and stiff joints of injured bodies, when played at close range.
Sound instruments such as Himalayan or Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls, gongs and the power of our own voice have long been used for the purposes of healing the mind, body & spirit.
Sympathetic resonance
This is based on the principle of ‘sympathetic resonance’. Sympathetic resonance is when one vibration or object causes another to vibrate in harmony with it or match its rate of vibration.
Sound waves from different sound instruments vibrate at certain frequencies that can trigger theta brainwave states associated with deep states of relaxation.
This is why sound baths have become much sought after these days as a form of stress therapy for those who are highly stressed or anxious.
Theta brainwave states that are associated with sound baths really allow the mind to relax and heal itself by slowing down our brainwaves.
Theta brainwaves are pronounced during times of prayer, internal focused states like meditation, spiritual awareness, heightened intuition or simply a relaxed state of flow.
At this point, there is no cognitive decision making process as the prefrontal cortex of the brain takes a rest and a person feels they are really present in the state of ‘now’, somewhere between a state of waking and sleep.
This is why many people who experience deeply rejuvenating sound bath sessions describe the sensation of being carried or immersed by the sound waves, as though they are floating.
Sound healing has been used to improve or help aid various conditions, including:
· Stress
· General anxiety
· Autism
· Learning disabilities
· Dementia
· Post-traumatic stress disorders
· Behavioural disorders
Sound is also very beneficial for:
· Lowering blood pressure
· Decreasing mood swings
· Alleviating pain and tension
· Building up a stronger immune system
· Improving the quality of sleep
The OhanaJo experience
At OhanaJo, we always tell our students to allow whatever they experience in each session to surface, rather than to ‘expect’ it.
Sound healing in our experience has triggered off not just relaxation but also the clearance of suppressed or blocked emotions where some people feel the urge to cry for no apparent reason.
They feel ‘lighter’ after the session as they somehow managed to unburden or let go of some sadness or suppressed emotions that were buried within.
Much like how you cannot expect to dream the same thing every night, every experience might be different, depending on where someone is mentally, physically and emotionally.
Regular sound bath goers will tell you that they have had radically different experiences, from emotionally clearing sessions, to feeling uncomfortable as though they just went through a ‘detox’ though their next sound bath might send them straight into ‘la-la land’, if they cleared what was in the way of them truly ‘letting go’.
Many have experienced utterly blissful states of rest where they felt time stand still and 20 minutes felt as though the body and mind was at rest for hours.
Some insomniacs knock out within moments as their bodies are so exhausted that they welcome the oblivion that sound baths might bring to allow them to access deep states of relaxation the body needs to repair and rejuvenate itself.
When we let go of stress and surrender to this deeply relaxed state of consciousness, physical, mental and emotional healing occurs right down to the cellular level.
In this state of deep relaxation, you also have the power to subconsciously plant new seeds of positive energy and fresh ideas to ‘reprogram’ and break negative thought patterns from the past.
It's truly all about letting go of everything that no longer serves you so that you can be completely immersed in the present moment in total mind-body relaxation & internal peace.
Having said that, it’s really hard to predict how it’s going to turn out for someone who has never experienced a sound bath before, as each session might bring uniquely different experiences and insights. This is why it’s something you really must experience for yourself! – The Vibes, November 8, 2020
Jojo Struys is the founder of OhanaJo Studio, voted Malaysia’s top Yoga & Sound healing Studio of the Year, endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism.
Please visit www.ohanajo.com to learn more
