The magic of sound is that you never know what to expect.
When you go through a journey of Sound Healing your experience may be more tailored to a specific intention you have or be focussed on a certain part of the body or an emotion you want to release.
However, you might not know what it is that needs your attention and feel overwhelmed by this.
This is perfectly acceptable; sound meditation can help point you in the right direction whether physically or mentally. You might also be in a perfect state of wellbeing and not feel the need for anything. This too is fine and also welcomed – sound meditation as well as being healing, regulating, releasing is also balancing and a connection to your higher self. Sometimes you might experience something that takes you by surprise that you did not expect.
Intentions: You do not have to set an intention before your sound meditation, but some people like to. It can help you to direct your attention and shape how your mind engages with your practise. A few benefits are:
- Staying present and anchoring your attention – it gives you brain a purpose
- Help to transition from the day to a more relaxed state
- Repeating intentions can further support them – adds continuity over time
- Deepens the practise further than just relaxing
Intentions do not have to be complex, keeping it simple is always effective. Some examples: - ‘I am open to anything that arises’ - ‘I treat myself with kindness’ - ‘I observe without reacting’ - ‘May <insert name or ‘I’> be happy and healthy’
Expectations: We have spoken about the calming and relaxing benefits of sound meditations, but it is important to note that it is not healing (as is sometimes labelled) in a medical sense. However, it is supportive and can work alongside any other experiences, treatments and day to day life.
In my first experience of sound meditation, I was in a large hall with lots of cushions and blankets to aid comfort. I was nervous about staying still for so long. There was some noisy road works outside that felt jarring compared to the calm environment. However, what was 45 minutes felt like 10 by the end. I lost any concept of time, and whilst I did not have an out of body experience, I felt a profound sense of peace.
It is helpful to remember to approach your session with a will to experience, not to achieve.
Any experience is completely normal, but some common ones are: - ‘My mind wandered’ – this is fine - ‘The effect was subtle’ - ‘I felt relaxed and calm’ – some people may even fall asleep, your body may be craving this - ‘I did not expect to feel so emotional’ – this can be any range of emotions, happy or sad
- ‘I felt a sense of leaving my body’
- ‘I was distracted by the traffic noise’ – part of our practise is to come to acceptance of this and over time it will become easier.
- ‘I am feeling an ache in my body’
- ‘I felt a tingling in my body’
Everyone’s experience will be different and yours will be different each time, the most important thing is to stay open and non-judgemental, and most importantly – enjoy! ��