"I'm floating. I'm one of about 60 people lying on individual air mattresses, drifting along the surface of the pool inside the giant, glass Natatorium at the Dublin Wave Water Park and Aquatic Center. On this October morning, it also feels like we're being carried along by a current of sound - a sonorous, shimmering tone emanating from a 20-inch Chinese wind gong that sound healer Lara Sweazey is rhythmically tapping at the front of the pool."
"Sound baths are an increasingly popular form of meditation and healing, immersing people in the soothing rhythms and tones of traditional instruments, such as gongs, crystal bowls, chimes and drums. This immersion is supposed to help people relax, meditate and potentially find relief from chronic pain, depression and anxiety. For some people, Sweazey says, a sound-induced meditative state can surface strong emotions that are ready to be released, leading to a sense of personal transformation."
"With my eyes closed, I began to see shapes and colors behind my eyelids. As the sound became more penetrating, I actually thought of myself floating through stars. Then came the image of the bare winter branches of a tree outside the window of my childhood bedroom. Those branches soon filled with leaves - big, green and luminous. I can't say what any of this means,"
About 60 people float on individual air mattresses in a glass Natatorium while a 20-inch Chinese wind gong is rhythmically tapped, creating a sonorous, shimmering tone. Amplified thrumming fills the space and deepens until it dominates the soundscape aside from the rush of pool drains. Sound baths employ gongs, crystal bowls, chimes and drums to immerse participants in soothing rhythms and tones intended to promote relaxation, meditation and potential relief from chronic pain, depression and anxiety. Sound-induced meditative states can surface strong emotions for release and foster personal transformation, and participants report vivid visual imagery and calming states during sessions.
Read at The Mercury News
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