With all of us in the middle of the coronavirus lockdown – which is now rightly extended to May 3, 2020 – there are some welcome changes we are noticing all round us. The skies are bluer and the air visibly cleaner. With the noise of the traffic significantly reduced we are hearing sounds of birds chirping that we had not for years! Isn’t it pleasing to hear that chirping and the sound of the breeze wafting through trees? Why is this so pleasing and uplifting?
Noise pollution has a lot to do with stress
Conduct this simple experiment. Drive with the car windows rolled down and then with the windows rolled up. It isn’t just the temperature that makes a difference to your stress levels. It’s also the noise that contributes to stress levels.
I made a sort of discovery years back when I used an electric vehicle for the first time. We don’t even notice the noise and vibration when operating a regular combustion engine. We are used to it. So, when using an electric vehicle, the lack of this noise and vibration feels quite wonderful. One can quickly get used to this more relaxing form of transport! So this was when I realised how much of a difference noise makes to our stress levels. Slowly I began to differentiate between my own positive and negative responses to various noises. Some sounds – such as the birds we hear today – make me happy. On the other hand angry voices, honking and discordant sounds cause stress.
What is sound bath therapy?
Ancient Indian beliefs support what we know as sound bath therapy today: mantras and shlokas intoned in human voice, the sound of bells, chimes, singing bowls and gongs have long been a part of our culture. Much like the kind of meditation session we have after our Saturday classes. In the west also, the concept of immersing oneself in such sound waves is catching on and is being called sound bath therapy. This is seen to improve overall health and wellbeing and restore balance. As the vibrations of specific sounds literally wash over the body, this helps the body relax, releases stress and anxiety, and could even help reduce pain. Some experts also believe that sound baths can help to strengthen the immune system and stimulate circulation.
Some practitioners of sound bath therapy make use of traditional, audible sounds such as bells, chimes, singing bowls and mantra chants as part of their therapeutic practice. Mainstream doctors such as oncologists also use what can be termed as one form of sound bath therapy. They use ultrasound therapy: focused ultrasound therapy is seen to relieve pain. It is sometimes used as part of cancer treatments to target secondary tumours. This type of therapy is termed as ‘high-intensity focused ultrasound’ which is seen to concentrate sound energy on a target in the body to ‘thermally destroy tissue’. Rather than a standalone therapy, it is used along with immunotherapy and radiotherapy for treating some cancers.
There are of course, skeptics who question the therapeutic value of sound baths. To them, my question would be what is the harm in it?
Sound baths can be a part of yoga therapy
There is no doubt that some sounds are relaxing and uplifting whereas others have the opposite effect. There is no doubt that sounds such as music or chants can help us relax, uplift us and reduce stress. It is also a fact that there are no negative side effects of sound bath therapy. I continually fine tune and customize my yoga therapy sessions according to individual requirements. Since yoga therapy is a holistic therapy for mind-body wellness, it therefore follows, that sound baths can be a valuable adjunct to therapy sessions. As such, sound baths could well become a part of yoga therapy in times to come.