The full moon is seen as a time to embrace your inner power, let go of energies and thoughts that don’t serve your goals, and to find clarity on your journey.
This Experience includes:
A unique “Moon Salutation” yoga practice structured to open your heart and mind. Beginners welcome! This gentle flow is accessible and slow, allowing for time to bring mind, body, and breath together as one.
Interpretive guided meditation designed to help stimulate your creativity, passion, and power. Bring your own journal to take down your thoughts for later digestion, or feel free to use materials provided!
Full Moon Sound Bath created specifically to help bring balance and confidence along your path. During this segment of the experience, you may choose to “float” in one of our silken hammocks, or to be supported on a mat with bolsters and blankets. You may also choose to bring your own pillow, warm socks, or even your sleep mask to help bring your mind inward in physical comfort.
You may also choose to enjoy a refreshing herbal mocktail created by an herbalist especially for this Full Moon Experience, and wholesome snacks suited to the occasion. Make your reservation today, and embrace your inner power!
A Sound Bath is literally a bath of sound. No water, no nudity, rubber duckie optional. But do we call it “wall of sound?” No. Because it’s pleasant sound, musical tones, not at all random or noisy. Like a warm bath as opposed to being soaked with a bucket of cold water.
During a Sound Bath, many different instruments may be used, including singing bowls, gongs, chimes, bells, and flutes. A Sound Bath is frequently a group event, though it is just as effective, or more so, when personalized in an individual setting.
Sound Wave Therapy
This type of therapy is most frequently done using tuning forks or singing bowls. This can be very fine-tuned to an individual and their needs. The bowl or fork may be brought close to your body, or even allowed to come into contact with your body, depending on the instrument used and your needs.
How Does Sound Bath or Sound Wave Therapy Work?
Let’s talk science first, then tradition.
The Science:
First, you’ll need to understand that sound is a form of energy. Sound energy travels through air and other media in a wave pattern. The distance between the waves (frequency), and their height (amplitude), determine what sound you hear.
Your brain also produces energy that can be measured in waves. These waves change as you become anxious, peaceful, angry, loving, or thoughtful. These waves can be translated to sound, using their frequency and amplitude.
Since we know what a peaceful brain “sounds” like, we know what sounds or musical notes match the frequency of those brain waves. We also know that the brain is deeply affected by sound; hearing just a few notes of a song can shift your emotions on a dime!
Your skilled Sound Wave Therapist uses this knowledge to bring your brain away from anxiety, stress, and overwhelm to a place of calm, confidence, and deep peace. For a deeper dive on the science of sound waves and the body, check out this easy-to-read article by a for-real scientist: The Physics and Biophysics of Sound Healing
The Tradition:
In the traditional medical philosophy of some areas, the idea of “chakras” was, and remains, a major part of healing. A person has seven chakras, or centers of life energy, in the body. Each chakra represents specific types of energy. For example, your “root chakra” is at the base of your spine, and when that energy is balanced, you feel more grounded and secure. The study of chakras is much, much deeper than that, but we just need the surface info today.
Each of these chakras was assigned a sound, a musical note that seemed to represent that energy. The sounds are thought to bring balance to the chakras when used in this way.
As so frequently happens as science progresses, many of the traditional thoughts actually jive with it! While some people have broken with tradition when it comes to the order in which the notes are played, the frequency of those notes has not changed. Super fascinating, even if your path doesn’t include that tradition!
Can Sound Baths or Sound Wave Therapy Give Me Specific Thoughts, or Be Used To Make Me Behave a Certain Way?
Absolutely not! No. It is not possible to implant thoughts in someone’s brain via sound wave therapy. You are not hypnotized. There is not a note that makes people feel angry, happy, or free. This therapy functions by helping to modulate physical waves of energy to bring them back to a state of “normal.” While you may experience deep emotion, some of which might be anger or sadness, this comes from within. This is your emotion coming up and out as you process it. And that is excellent! Don’t worry, your practitioner will have tissues handy, and will use their knowledge to focus on the area in question to help you through.
The More you Know…
Now that you know what Sound Baths and Sound Wave Therapy actually are, keep learning!
How to Find a Sound Therapy Practitioner
How to Prepare for Your Sound Therapy Appointment
What to Expect at Your Sound Therapy Appointment
What to Expect After Your Sound Therapy Appointment
A sound bath is a healing and relaxation technique during which participants are “bathed” in sound. Participants are typically fully clothed, and no water bathing is involved! Various instruments are used to produce specific sounds, chosen to bring clearing, peace, or energy to the clients.
What Instruments Are Used?
Almost any instrument can be used as part of a sound bath experience. The human voice is common, as are singing bowls, gongs, drums, chimes, and bells. Occasionally animal voices are included, as are harps, organs, and a whole host of electronic devices. Sounds and music may be recorded or played live, and are frequently a mix of both. While live sound may seem preferable, including recorded pieces can help bolster a solo artist or ensure thorough sound saturation in a large space.
Will I Have to Perform or Play?
Absolutely not! If chanting is included, it may help you reap all the benefits of your sound bath if you participate, as discussed in this article from Buddha Weekly – don’t worry, it’s about the science, not promoting Buddhism. But the instructor, leader, or guide will usually play any live music. These instruments may seem simple, but using them just right to produce the intended tones does require some know-how. Your “job” will be to relax, to listen with an open mind, and to maybe move into some restorative yoga positions, depending on the session.
Traditional Gong with Mallet
What Do I Wear?
Something comfortable! Sound bath require little or no movement or effort on the part of the participants, so your best fitness gear isn’t necessary. Since you will be lying still for most or all of the experience, you may wish to dress in layers – whether it’s just cold in the winter, or the air conditioning kicks on and blows on you in the summer, layers can help. (Prior to COVID, I would have suggested that most indoor sound bath locations would have blankets to offer. With mandates causing changes to how we operate, many studios may not have those options available. You should always feel free to bring your own blanket!)
What Should I Bring?
Yourself. Maybe some water if you like to have it handy.
(As above, COVID has brought different rules. Please bring your own yoga or fitness mat. If you do not have one, a folded blanket can be substituted. Call ahead to see if items like bolsters or blocks will be provided. If not, you should be made to feel free to bring your own IF you have them. They are not necessary at all, but can aid in your comfort. Rules about shared food have curtailed some of the infused waters or teas that might have previously been made available, so bringing your own water is probably a plus.)
One of many styles of bells that may be used in sound baths
Is A Sound Bath a Religious Ritual?
Nope! OK, let me back up. Sound baths, in general, have a history all over the globe. A sound bath is not inherently linked to ANY specific religious or spiritual path.
With that said, religion can be part of a sound bath. A Christian church may offer a sound bath with a focus on listening for inspiration from God. A Buddhist temple may offer sound baths that bring focus to mindfulness or another part of spirituality. someone with a Hindu background (or many others) may include ideas of chakras as energy points.
Unless you have requested otherwise, a Prayana sound bath will not be connected to religion. We may reference energy points, but those are physical places on the body with which sound resonates. Meditation will be referenced, but may always be replaced with prayer if that is what your path indicates.
Because of this, I know of no specific path that is violated by attending a non-religious sound bath. While many religious systems tend to eschew different forms of energy healing, sound baths use physical sound waves, just as an herbalist uses physical plants. You are encouraged to have your religious leader contact us directly with any concerns. Open communications allows for full understanding for everyone, including us!
OK, But What Is The Point?
The point is physical relaxation, mental detox, and lasting increases in mood, deep sleep, and mental clarity. Sound baths include the benefits of a normal meditation practice, and kick it up a little, if you will. The music, instruments, or voice add a physical dimension, seemingly causing the body to find peace, even if the participant is not meditating, or is sleeping!
Seriously? I Don’t Buy That.
You are not alone. In fact, a few short years ago, I’d have said the same thing! And some scientists thought so, too. Turns out, lots of studies have been done on the matter.
Sound comes from sound waves. Sound waves are physical vibrations of particles. We usually think of sound waves as vibrations that occur through particles of air, though they can move through all kinds of media. The vibrations occur in a pattern that, when graphed, looks like a wave.
Bear with me – I’m getting there!
These waves stimulate your mind and body in specific ways, depending on both the frequency of the sound wave and its combination with other waves. A specific chord on the piano may sound very pleasant, unless a single note is added to make it spooky, clashing, or sad. Sound baths are similar, in that specific sounds are used to stimulate both body and mind.
I happen to think so, but you can find lots of different experiences online. Some are super-positive, while some bloggers hated every minute. Almost all of them say that giving it a try was worth it in the end, because even something that doesn’t work for you can help you discover what CAN!
If you discover sound isn’t your thing, talk to your coach! This is really important information as we work to find your path with you. Tactile (touch) meditation, movement meditation, Reiki, tapping, recitation, and loads of other options for wellness and healing are available to you. So try a sound bath when you get the chance, and let your coach know what you think!
