SOUND HEALING YOUR WAY TO HEALTH IN THE NEW YEAR

Experience the healing power of music with a sound bath.

Sound healing has found a loyal following over the last few years and could well be the path to wellness that might work for you. A meditative acoustic session that brings you to a state of deep relaxation, sound healing activates your theta brainwave state and your body’s own natural system of self-healing. It provides a heart-opening experience connecting the mind, body, and soul, shares Roxie Sarhangi, a certified sound healer practitioner and artist. She has been practicing meditation for over 11 years and connects the transcendental power of meditation to her sound healing sessions.

For Sarhangi, sound healing experiences are heart-focused, encouraging a free-flowing energy of love and a lightness of being from within. She is inspired by the ancient Persian poet and mystic Rumi as a guide for each sound journey. Since her sound certification in 2018, she’s conducted hypnotic, soothing sessions, which include a guided meditation. The Los Angeles resident curates elevated sound healing journeys at inspiring locations in Southern California, among other noteworthy environments, and offers virtual and in-person sessions for individual and corporate wellness. She shared her insights on sound healing for better health in the new year:

What is sound healing and how does it work?

Sound healing is a meditative, acoustic sound ‘concert’ that brings you into a state of deep relaxation and, oftentimes, transcendence. It improves physical and emotional health and well-being. Participants simply lie down on a yoga mat or in any comfortable place and position. The practitioner guides participants into the session—a sound journey—while they experience soothing sounds and vibrations using a variety of instruments. I play seven crystal bowls, a symphonic gong, an ocean drum, kochi chimes, and Tibetan bowls. The seven crystal bowls are tuned to the notes of the seven chakras/energy centers. They are also tuned to 432 hertz, the vibrational frequency of nature. The gong is used to release tension and blocks in the body and helps break up incessant thoughts. Sound healing causes brainwaves to slow down to a profoundly relaxing and restorative state.

I think it has found favor in recent years because there is a lot of stress and anxiety right now, and people are willing to try healing modalities that perhaps they would be hesitant to experience before. For individuals who have a harder time meditating, a sound bath provides a very easy way to unwind in a deeper manner. Sound has been used as an ancient healing modality for centuries. It is also highly effective and there are studies to back it up. But if you simply try it, you will feel better and want to do it again!

What are the benefits of practicing sound healing?

There are many benefits with sound healing. Individuals will likely feel deeply relaxed and at peace. Often people feel an overall lightness of being. Every guide/teacher/practitioner has their own unique approach. In my practice, I incorporate the ancient poet and mystic Rumi’s work into my sound healing sessions, which are heart-centered, connecting the mind, body and soul.

Responses from clients range from: This was the reset I needed to a transcendental, out-of-body experience; a feeling of floating and a sense of hope; new clarity, less anxiety to a feeling of peace after losing a loved one; emotional breakthroughs and less physical pain; feeling/having a new perspective after a divorce; powerful visuals from childhood to simply feeling more relaxed. Every person will have a different experience. The beauty of it is that in every session you can also have a new experience. All of them are exactly how it should be!

Search for sound healing or sound baths in your area. Look at the practitioner’s website and see if they resonate with you. The fundamental principles are the same, but every teacher has their own style and can offer additional or different instruments and experiences.

Sound healing affects our emotional and physical bodies in profound ways. Some of those include:

■ Reduces stress and anxiety

■ Activates higher states of consciousness

■ Unlocks blocked emotions

■ Induces complete relaxation

■ Promotes deep meditation

■ Heightens clarity

■ Improves ability to concentrate

■ Relieves insomnia

■ Decreases depression

■ Relieves physical pain

■ Releases emotional trauma

■ Cultivates a feeling of peace