What is sound bathing and why it is getting popular as an alternative form of meditation

Devanshi Sharma, founder of Svana Healing Sounds, uses a kansa singing bowl to create soundscapes

Sound bathing is exactly what it sounds like: "When we bathe, water touches every part of the body. Similarly, in a sound bath, sound vibrations and frequencies touch every cell in the body," says Devanshi Sharma, founder of Svana Healing Sounds. "You're immersing your body and mind in the frequencies of sound." An offshoot of meditative yoga, sound bathing takes many names - sound immersion, sound healing, sound meditation - but the underlying principle is the same: to connect with and impact the body's own sound frequencies.

Sound bathing has been practised as a form of meditation across cultures for centuries. In the north-eastern states of the country, and in areas of Tibet and Nepal, where the metallic Tibetan sound bowls get their name from, monks ritualised it. Recently, however, sound healing which is more personal and individualistic in nature, is being used in conjunction with yoga and even as a form of psychotherapy to treat psychological issues like anxiety.

Kansa bowls or singing bowls emit decibels in the frequency of 110 hertz to 660 hertz, depending on their size. They are the foundation around which other instruments, such as gongs and crystal bowls, are used. Sound bathing can be undertaken in groups or in a personalised one-on-one format where the bowls are placed on the individual's body. Then there are ocean drums, which mimic the sound of the ocean, storm drums, rattles and koshi chimes from France, all of which emit certain sound frequencies when banged.

Gayatri Singh, who conducts sound bathing sessions, says that sound helps take your brainwaves from a very active state to a relaxed state

"The idea is to create soundscapes," Sharma says, explaining how different sound atmospheres are created using these instruments, almost like a live ASMR. Gayatri Singh, founder of Gmantra Wellness, says the frequencies of the different sounds are aligned with the body's chakras or energy centres which releases healing. The idea is to cut your mind off from the state it was in earlier. "Sound waves travel four times faster in water. Since our body is 70 per cent water, when one is relaxed and sound waves hit you, healing is faster," she says, adding, "Stress is stored in our cells and needs to be released. This is where sound bathing helps. Sound waves are used scientifically as a diagnostic tool; the same sound is used as a healing tool."

The benefits can vary. Singh says that headaches and swelling lessen, as do sleep disorders; while Sharma has noticed that children with ADHD become significantly calmer after a few sessions. Former media professional Lara Bhalla juxtaposes the noise and chaos of the city against the soothing effects of sound bathing. An avid sound bather, Bhalla, who has attended sessions sporadically for the past five to six years, says the "audioscape inside your head" needs to be silenced before one can experience calmness. "I felt a progressive healing and found myself responding thoughtfully instead of reacting, and [my thoughts] slowed down," she says.

When paired with yogasanas, sound bathing is like a warm bath after a long trek, the cherry on the cake. Singh, who is also a Yin yoga practitioner, says sound bathing perfectly complements the meditative and restorative nature of this form of yoga. Usually, participants are given a sound bath after a session, when they're lying relaxed in the shavasana (corpse) pose. "For the body, exercise is good, and for the mind, stillness is good." Singh concludes. "Sound shifts your brainwaves from a very active beta state to a relaxed alpha state, which helps you heal."