Have you heard the terms sound bath, sound healing, sound therapy, or sound meditation and wondered what the what? It’s becoming a buzz word - the next wellness concept to be embraced by the masses. However, sound therapy has been around for thousands of years. Tibetan singing bowls have long been used to improve physical and mental heatlh. Vibration was used by the Greeks to aid digestion, treat mental disorders, and induce sleep.

My exposure to sound therapy was very minimal. I’ve had yoga teachers use a singing bowl at the end of class, on occasion, and one of my teacher training instructors played a really cool instrument to help calm our minds before we taught our first class, but nothing formal. However, I’m a big believer in the benefits of meditation, so when my friend sent the invite to a sound healing meditation class it was easy to say YES!

We signed up for the class at Infinity Holistic Wellness & Yoga with Liz Mandeville - who is also a lifelong musician. Infinity is located in the Monadnock Building in the South Loop of Chicago. The studio is very cute and cozy with an entry area and class room separated by a curtain (they lock the door while class is in session). The room was set up with mats, bolsters, blankets, and blocks. I brought my own mat because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Liz uses singing bowls, tuning forks, drums, and other instruments.

We claimed our spots and began to set up for class. We used the props provided to make ourselves as comfortable as possible for the next hour - basically savasana for an hour. They also gave us these bean bag eye masks that were amazing! The weight on my eyes was very soothing. I placed a bolster under my knees, covered myself with one blanket and placed another under my head. Liz began class explaining the benefits of sound healing meditation - including balanced chakras - and progressed to a full body relaxation exercise with a drum and it worked brilliantly. I could feel each body part relaxing as we moved from our toes to the crowns of our heads using our breath. This was the only guided portion of class, the rest was only sound. The singing sound bowls were next and I was shocked at how much sound and vibration can be created from these little bowls - it fills your body. Chimes were used at the end to guide us out of our meditation and back to reality.

I loved this experience and can’t wait for my next sound meditation class! A few words of advice, dress warmly and use the restroom before class! I was pretty chilly and had to use the restroom halfway through class, so I wasn’t able to relax completely. However, even with those distractions, I felt incredibly relaxed at the end and felt the benefits into the next day. I slept through the night without waking up for the first time in I don’t know how long, woke up early feeling rested, refreshed, and relaxed. I wish I could take a sound meditation class every night before bed! My experience was very positive and I’d recommend it to anyone - I may or may not be a little obsessed with finding my next class.

My Experience with Sound Healing Meditation