After months and months of uninterrupted bad news, we all feel run down and look for ways to relieve stress and center ourselves. Have you thought of meditation? Sound baths can help you stay focused during meditation – and you can even do them at home. Here is how.

Start with basic meditation

“Meditation is just an exercise to get you inside and be present in the moment,” says Tara Atwood, a New England-based expert on sound baths and meditation. “This is often quite difficult as our minds wander.”

Let’s get real: it’s hard to stay present in the moment when the moment is so tense. From the pandemic to global warming to domestic and world politics everything seems to be mixed up right now and it can feel downright impossible to tear your mind away from all the horror. However, you need to do it for your own well-being. You have to find joy and self-realization. And for some, meditation is really the key to that.

If sound baths sound interesting to you, try a simple meditation first. You don’t have to be fully immersed in it and show up at your local meditation center every day – YouTube is full of simple, guided ones Meditations You can do it anywhere, anytime, and experts like Atwood have their own available, even.

At its most basic level, meditation is about focusing on mindfulness, paying attention to every breath that goes in and out of your body, and noticing where your mind wanders. It doesn’t have to be intimidating – just close your eyes and take a moment to focus on your breathing. Atwood points out lower blood pressure, reduced anxiety and tension-related pain, and an increase in happiness and creativity as some of the many benefits of meditation.

OK, so what is a sound bath?

Sound baths and sound therapy are used in meditation to help you focus and stay present, explains Atwood, “With every sound, tone and note, you are brought back to the moment.”

“Sound healing therapy uses aspects of sound and music to improve physical and emotional health and wellbeing,” she says. “Rich audible tones and invisible frequencies are heard and felt, and our bodies naturally vibrate with the frequencies emitted into the room, restoring normal vibrational frequencies from non-harmonizing parts of body, mind and spirit, while in a deep state of relaxation and healing. The frequencies of tones and audible tones have profound effects on our breath, blood flow, cell movement, biorhythm, thoughts and our brain waves. “

Atwood uses old Tibetan singing bowls and alchemy bowls made of pure quartz crystal for their sound baths, but you can also start a little smaller. She said you can even hum and vibrate with your voice.

Take a look at the offers online: Amazon sells singing bowls as well as independent specialties Shops. Some bowls only cost around $ 35, so you don’t have to break the bank – and cause yourself financial stress to be less anxious.

Once you have received your singing bowl or vessel, rub or beat it (usually with a tool provided) to create the desired vibrations.

What you can expect from sound baths

We live in a chaotic, rarely mindful era, so this zone may be difficult for you to break into. Don’t worry if your thoughts wander a lot at first. Stay tuned and work hard to focus on your breath and your body.

“A sound bath (both virtual and in person) requires that you be in a quiet and safe place where you can relax completely and be present without distractions,” says Atwood, who recommends finding a safe and quiet place and your Make sure that the temperature in the room is moderate and lie down on the floor in a comfortable position with pillows.

When doing guided meditation, she adds, “You are invited to be present in the room first while focusing on your breathing and your breath. You may be asked to perform a body scan to connect with your physical body and focus your mind on the here and now. ”Relax your body completely and make sure your hands and feet are not touching.

Again, don’t worry about going to personal meditation centers if you don’t want to – or if you freaked out during these pandemic times for taking deep breaths surrounded by other people.

“It’s okay to take part in virtual sound baths,” says Atwood. “In fact, I practiced personally before the pandemic because I can’t play live for myself, but simply listened to myself over a loudspeaker to play a previously recorded session. After having personally experienced sound baths daily during training in India and now virtually at home, I have found that the experience is essentially the same and leads to similar and comparable results. “

If you choose to go this route, record your singing bowls and then listen to your recordings through headphones while you meditate.

Don’t worry about getting this “wrong” somehow. The goal here is to not worry and instead enjoy some peace and quiet. If you feel like you are relaxing and connecting with your mind and body, then you are doing it right. Case closed.