Bathing in sound

I have often found the benefits of listening to sound baths with headphones hugely helpful. From the darkest days of long covid and gradually calming the sensory overload it brought, to grounding my nervous system in safety as I returned to work, the vibrations of sound have brought lightness, clarity and healing to my brain.

Vibrations of sound are fascinating. I’ve observed the percussionist Evelyn Glennie play with bare feet so she can feel the vibrations - a performance of body and soul. I’ve seen profoundly disabled children experience the power of vibrations of orchestral music through sound boards and when holding the body of an instrument in their hands. The concerts and clubs where the volume is up so loud you can feel the vibrations of the speaker in your chest…

From my playing days, the vibrations of the tuning fork as it resonated from the bridge of the violin, the vibrations I could feel when the instrument hit its perfect pitch. Vibrations bringing harmony and also, when chosen, dissonance.

I wonder why there are some sounds we find pleasant and some we find unpleasant, even painful. As a child, some music used to make me cry and I would climb up to the record player to turn it off (yes I am that old!) I still sometimes skip a track due to my emotional reaction to a series of chord progressions.

Sometimes I want to embrace that feeling though - really feel it. That moment when we are ready to process and to shed what is held inside us, ready to be moved through us by the vibrations of sound.

It was with some trepidation I therefore took my first steps into a group setting - a live sound bath on the summer solstice. As the sun started to set I lay down on my yoga mat with a group of strangers as the singing bowls were set up above my head. I heard the birds, I felt the breeze on my skin and as the vibrations started I felt an awareness of myself in the space. What if I fell asleep or did it wrong? As the sound built I was amazed how powerful the vibrations were outdoors, still finding my head like the recorded headphone experience I had previously had. There was something else here though…something in the fact we were all doing this together. A group that arrived separately, had an experience together and then departed after the sun had set. Sometime really special.

I was pleased I had taken a light blanket even though the weather had been so warm. As your body relaxes, your mind gently follows, like it is following on an extending lead. Sometimes wandering off on its own and sometimes following as if in the body’s footsteps. As I relaxed I cooled down. Sometimes I was aware of those around me breathing or moving a little but so were the trees and the birds. We were part of a moment.

As the vibrations came to their crescendo the birds seemed to follow suit, raising their song to meet the vibrations. It felt almost as though my head were swirling at times, moving with the sound.

As I said my goodbyes and packed up my things I walked slowly towards my car. I felt the ground beneath my feet, my walking had slowed. I was noticing the now.