You would think the last thing you would need after a 48 hour migraine is a 90 minute Sound Bath with chimes, gongs and bells clanging, but I kid you not, it was just the absolute perfect end to what had been a horrific week again. If, like me, you are a migraine sufferer, then you’ll know that they are totally debilitating and exhausting, taking you away from your everyday life for long periods of time. So the idea of a sound bath wasn’t really at the forefront of my mind, however the relaxation part was calling out to me. My head had cleared and I needed to get out of the house!
I love Deva Yoga, it has a really chilled vibe when you arrive and the classes are nice and small so there is an overall feeling of calm and escapism. The smell of incense as you enter the studio brings an instant feel of tranquility along with the low lighting and peace. With only 8 in the room, participants set about collecting mats, blankets and cushions in readiness, all supplied although some people brought their own.
If you don’t know what a sound bath is, its simple. In general, a sound bath is a meditative experience where attendees are “bathed” in sound waves. These waves are produced by various sources, including healing instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes, rattles, tuning forks, and speach. The experience is to aid relaxation, stress reduction, and improved sleep. I wondered if it would work for me after the weekend I’d had, but I was willing to try anything!
The session is guided by a trained instructor, there is no skill involved from the participants side, apart from listening to the instructor and concentrating on your own breathing and relaxation. I guess if you attend regular sessions then the time it takes you to switch off to your daily thoughts will be quicker. The participants place their mats, and cushions on the floor, lie down, and tuck themselves into a blanket (my type of exercise class!), and then the session is guided. I thought initially that I would never be able to stop my mind racing through the list of daily things I needed to get done, but as the sounds began to change and form a pattern from quietness through to what sounded like extreme rainfall I found the muscles in my face relaxing and slowly through the session, as different sounds came through, my body felt very weighted on the floor. At one point I tried wiggling my toes and realised even they had switched off and didn’t want to move. I felt as though nothing else was happening anywhere apart from that studio in that moment. The sounds change throughout the session, some made me feel totally relaxed whilst others I felt refreshed. At times it can be quite loud and other times very quiet.
To me it was a unique experience and one that I will definitely return to. I went home feeling calm and my head was clear of all tension. I slept extremely well that night. I’m looking forward to the next session and will also check out what Deva Yoga has to offer.
If you’d like to find out more about Deva Yoga and their classes, click HERE.
