Earlier this week I was asked whether I would like to experience a gong bath, and of course my answer was yes! I'm not new to sound healing; I love a singing bowl and use frequency music during my Reiki Healing sessions, but this live sound bath experience was something entirely new for me, and I really wasn't sure what to expect!
We headed out to the venue, Dreamcatcher Gifts & Holistics in Leek, clad in our comfiest of clothes along with yoga mats, blankets, pillows, eye masks and water. We arrived to a gorgeous shop with two floors filled with all of the crystals, incense and more that you could ever wish for, then on the uppermost floor was the most beautifully set up space. Five huge gongs took center stage, along with a set of quartz singing bowls and around the room were a range of yoga mats, cushions and blankets for anybody who hadn't brought their own.
We set ourselves up and got comfortable, ready to start. Our host introduced us and took us through a brief history of his journey into shamanic sound healing, a great story that I won't ruin for anybody else, but he also let us know that sound healing has been around for thousands of years, with ancient civilisations all over the world including ancient Egypt, Greece, Australia and Tibet having used the power of sound and vibration to assist in physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Our host let us know how he would progress through his instruments so that we would be aware when the session was coming to an end, and then we began.
After a round of deep breaths, we began with shamanic drumming, a steady beat which assists the mind in entering into Theta state, which is the state our brains enter into when we're either asleep and dreaming or awake and deeply relaxed. During this phase I could feel the tension in my body rising until I could feel my pulse really intensely in my throat, then releasing to a state of complete peace. It was an intense sensation that I've not had before! As the drum beat continued steadily, I was focusing my mind on everything that I wanted to bring into my life alongside everything that I wanted to release, and could feel the energies swelling like the tides.
Next were the gongs and during this phase is when I began having visions. The tone of the instruments allowed my mind to slip into one of the deepest meditative states I've ever experienced. I saw beings of pure light dance across my field of inner vision, along with some scenes specific to my life playing out which carried messages that I needed to hear. Each time there was a distraction I found myself able to quickly bring my attention back to the gongs, and the visions and messages would continue. I noticed how the gongs and the singing bowls would wake each other up, with the reverberations from one causing tones to ring out in another, creating a wonderful and naturally developing depth, and a striking metaphor for how our own vibrations will impact those around us whether we intend to or not.
The final phase before closing with more shamanic drumming was the rain stick. Before beginning the bath our host had explained that the purpose of this instrument was to aid in cleansing our auric fields. I had felt so much tension rise up and out of my body that this phase was very welcomed! Almost instantly I felt the most lovely tingling sensation spread across my scalp before flowing down over the rest of my body.
Once the sound bath closed, we enjoyed a few moments of peace and silence before coming back into the room and sharing our experiences. Everybody had such unique experiences but what unified them all was a feeling of peace and calm, an alert restfulness that stayed with us through the rest of the evening and into the coming days.
Have you ever been to a sound bath before? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments below, and of course if there's anything else you've been curious about and would like me to try out and share, let me know! I'm always willing to try something new.
Have a great week,
Cheryl
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