Sound Bath and the Healing Power of Sound
by MassiveMusic
Blog
25.07.2018



Our mission at MassiveMusic is to turn up the volume on the power of sound and music, using our platform to promote conscious and mindful creativity.
So we thought it was time for a new sound bath with Stacey Griffin from Shift Meditation. A healing musical performance where participants lay on the floor in savasana and let the waves of sound wash over them.
Curious to know more? Read all about it.
But first – breathe in, breathe out and let it all go.
Even in silence we are sound.
Everything – even the tiniest, most insignificant thing – is in a state of vibration. We simply don’t think about it. The screen you’re looking at, the coffee you’re drinking, that happy thought you had when you woke up this morning.
Every little thing is vibrating at a specific rate, body parts included – and together they create our own resonant frequency.
So, together with a few clients and friends of the family, we thought to immerse ourselves in soothing sonic resonance emitted by crystal singing bowls and gongs.
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The first time we at Massive had a sound bath was at the Shelter, the dance club situated in the basement of the A’DAM Toren.
This time we were still in the tower but we partnered up with Gibson who were happy to host it at their hub – which, in case you didn’t know, is one of the cosiest offices in the whole city of Amsterdam.
The experience was very different from the first time: weirdly enough, the sound volume of the crystal bowls and other instruments was louder than at the Shelter. But also: different vibes, different energy in the room, different ambience (to be pronounced with a French accent) and, above all, a magical sunset that kept us company throughout the whole session.
Sound bath? A subjective experience.
Here’s what some of our guests, as well as people from Massive and Gibson, had to say right after the session.
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Ebony Tuasela
Account Director Music & Brands
MassiveMusic
“I’ve done various sound bath sessions before – three of them with Shift Meditation. An immersive, lovely experience that is unique for everyone.
As a yoga teacher, my love for yoga and meditation makes me feel like on the mat is where I belong. Merging this world together with the power of music and sound is a dream come true to me. And being able to share this with others, our clients and friends, makes it even more special.
The collaboration with Gibson was a natural choice – we not only share the same building, but also the same passion and love for music.”
Cece Wyldeck-Estrada
Creative Development Manager
MassiveMusic
“Sound healing is something that I always wanted to try. I have trouble really concentrating during guided meditation so I was very intrigued to hear this was a shortcut to that Theta brainwave state.
The atmosphere in the room was positive and made me feel ready. When the initial guided meditation started, I still found it extremely hard to switch off my work brain thinking of all current projects, but the moment we laid down and the first wave of sound hit me, everything was silenced. I had no thoughts and I was able to silence any stress and shut off from the world for an hour.
How nice would it be to experience this on a regular basis to get to even deeper levels of euphoric relaxation.”
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Bas van Geldere
Projects Coordinator
Gibson
“The experience for me was mostly one of new discoveries. Having this ultra-relaxed event in our showroom was a completely new experience.
Obviously, most sound in our Gibson Room is produced by strings and/or amplifiers. At this sound healing session though, every cubic meter of our space was filled with the unique frequencies of Stacey’s sound bowls, gongs and percussion. For me personally, I have to admit I found it challenging to fully submerge into the experience, as I was mostly worried about all the possible noises that might get everybody out of their meditative states.
Will the airco kick in? Oh, I hear the elevator again.. Will the strings of our guitars start resonating inharmoniously? Will Stacey’s incense trigger the fire alarm?
Still, I found myself falling in and out of a *much needed* ultra-relaxed state of mind. Also, I caught myself wanting to peek from under my eye-mask..
And just when Stacey asked us to seek our inner sunshine and let it radiate out, the sun itself poured its light into the showroom, making it look magical. Let’s do this again soon!”
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Nicola Oldfield
Personal Assistant
Design Bridge
“I went in with no expectations as I heard different opinions from friends’ past experiences. However, I don’t think I’ve ever felt as relaxed as I did throughout the session. I had a niggling pain in my neck before the class which was twitching towards the end of the session and, although it felt tender, the next day was already a lot better.
I also had an incredible night’s sleep! I will definitely be trying it again.”
Georgie Thompson
Senior Client Manager
Design Bridge
“I had been trying to attend a sound bath for a couple of months and was really pleased to have been invited by MassiveMusic to attend this session. I was really intrigued to see what my experience would be like as I am new to meditation and often find it quite hard to relax.
I can honestly say it was such an amazing experience. Stacey led us through a beautiful session that put me into a kind of meditation that I’ve never experienced before. My body reacted completely differently to each sound which I found really interesting. The location was also perfect, a gorgeous room with sunset view – what more can you ask for?”
Ekaterina Golovkina
Producer
WE ARE Pi
“I immediately ‘passed out’ and my mind started to wonder in the busy world of my thoughts. Lots of things that I forgot about popped up. Lots of new exciting ideas sparkled as well. Unlike the others, I felt super energised after the session and ready to rock the night.
Though, as soon as my head touched the pillow, I was gone. I slept like a rock – a calm and happy baby rock.”
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Music is an intangible, powerful healer.
And no, we are not biased. Science backs us up.
With all this in mind, it makes sense to use the power of sound to heal and promote health in our lives. A topic we are really fond of, as we believe people should speak more about healing and mental health in the creative industry.
To give you an example, that little blue line below shows the activity of one of our participants during the session – and how the sound bath experience managed to lower the heart rate.
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Through sound, we can change the rhythms of our brain waves, our heart beat and our respiration affecting our overall health.
Not just on a physical level, but emotionally and spiritually as well.
Made it to the end of this article? You might be interested in feasting your ears on this Music x Mind playlist which includes ambient, soothing sounds, bespokely curated to help your mind reach a place of calm, peaceful solitude.
Take a moment to breathe, relax, and let your mind be still.
Click HERE to listen and subscribe to the Music x Mind playlist on Spotify.
Photo Credits
Bas van Geldere
Ilaria Mangiardi
💟 Do you want to read more about our ‘Music x Mind’ initiative?
Music x Mind: let’s talk about mental health
Jambient, Vol. 1 (Live) A jam + ambient album by MassiveMusic
AMSTA: Bespoke playlists to support residents of nursing homes
Mindscape: the app that combines music, voice activation and AI