The healing of sound

Meant to bring you into a deep state of relaxation by using various instruments including crystal singing bowls, Himalayan singing bowls, gongs, chimes, drums and more, sound baths create a combination of sounds - sometimes harmonious, sometimes dissonant - washing over you as vibrations and resonating on a cellular level.

Sound therapy, sound journeys and sound baths are a type of inactive mediation where the recipient lies down comfortably and gets fully immersed in the sound wave experience, explains instructor Karin Schulte.

“The different sounds can either be soothing, sometimes agitating, bringing out different emotions, helping to release them, she explains.

The combination of sounds are heard, but also felt physically, engaging the parasympathetic nervous system and ultimately encouraging a deep state of relaxation. The sounds of these instruments harmonize the body and allow deep relaxation of both hemispheres of the brain, stimulating stress release on many levels.

“Sound journeys invite the body to potentially help heal and restore itself and to enhance overall wellbeing.”

Different instruments and bowls are used like crystal singing bowls which are mostly are made of pure quartz crystal, but can also be made of other crystals. These bowls provide a pure, clear note, sounding almost etheric, says Karin.

Himalayan singing bowls (also called Tibetan singing bowls) are made of metal consisting of a metal alloy, usually containing copper, tin and traces of iron, lead, zinc, gold, silver and mercury and were originally used by Tibetan monks for spiritual ceremonies.

“These bowls have a main note or tone, but can have several sub-notes at the same time, depending on the mallet and method it’s being played with.”

Chimes also consist of a metal alloy and are connected with a string. When played they are rather high-pitched and are often used to induce or end a meditation of sound journey.

Gongs are often mainly made from bronze or brass, which are usually infused with many other metal alloys.

“Gongs are hand-made, hammered instruments and are one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. Archaeologists have found gongs from almost 4 000 years ago.”

It originated in in China, with the earliest written documentation back in the 6th century. Gongs come in many different sizes and when played, vibrate in multiple modes and can give a variety of different notes, depending on the way this percussion instrument is being played.

“Some gongs seem to directly touch the soul and when played as part of a sound bath invite an array of experiences on different planes - physical, emotional and spiritual.”

According to Karin sound instruments can be played individually or combined and seem to resonate with different energy centres in the body.

“I have found that bodies react differently and that I would not necessarily allocate a certain tone to a certain area of the body, although the lower tones usually resonate more with the lower parts of the body and have a grounding effect, whereas the higher tones resonate more with the upper parts of the body and head, tending to raise vibrations.”

For her it is all about balance, to make the experience grounding and uplifting at the same time.

Ultimately each person receives and gets out of the experience exactly what they need and are prepared to receive at this point in time.

Sound is vibration, so it all works on a vibrational level, resonating with our bodies on a cellular level, says Karin.

Also offering sound therapy to children, she explains most younger children don’t have the ability yet to lie still for a long amount of time, except when they are sleeping.

“The sessions I currently offer for children are about 30 minutes long, whereas the sessions for adults are around one hour long.”

The sessions consist either of a combination of yoga nidra and a sound journey or a sound journey only.

Karin describes yoga nidra as a guided meditation you ideally receive lying comfortably down on your back, putting you into a state of conscious sleep so your body completely relaxes, as relaxed as it would be when sleeping, while you stay consciously awake following the voice of the instructor and usually dipping in and out of consciousness.

“In essence the journey is the same for adults and children, although the wording for the children’s yoga nidra is simplified and adjusted to their age.”

Karin’s journey with sound started many years ago when she experienced her first individual sound journey sessions by a lady who visited from South Africa and working with Tibetan singing bowls.

“I was blown away by the inner experiences these journeys provoked and also by the emotional releases and simply feeling good afterwards and being more in touch with myself.”

Experiencing quite a few more sound journeys either individually or in group settings afterwards she was always extremely drawn to the Tibetan and crystal singing bowls and several other instruments used.

In 2018 Karin did her first yoga retreat in Thailand which she in hindsight describes as a reset button, kick-starting her interest in doing more inner work and getting in touch with her spiritual side.

“On that retreat I bought my first two Tibetan singing bowls. After that, whenever I got a chance or travelled, I slowly started building my sound journey collection, simply because I liked them and each instrument seems to tell a story and holds its own energy.”

During lockdown in 2020 Karin signed up for an online course at the Sound Healing Academy in the United Kingdom and afterwards ordered herself a set of eight crystal singing bowls from France.

“I have three children who were the perfect ‘guinea pigs’ to practice my course assignments on! They especially loved it when I played the singing bowls instead of reading them a bed time story, to fall asleep, and they still occasionally enjoy it to this day.”

Karin has since expanded her collection and added a gong and various other Tibetan singing bowls, most of them made in Nepal.

“I have offered group sound baths in collaboration with other therapists combining various mindful practices, for example yin yoga and sound, somatic movement and sound or tai chi and sound.”

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