What to expect during a sound bath

Hear and feel the natural vibrations of the quartz crystals

These days you will find many people offering sound baths but just what is a sound bath?

Many sound bath events have become rich, multi-instrument productions — performers playing everything from crystal singing bowls to Chinese gongs, native Indian drums to didgeridoos, cymbals and bells and Tibetan bowls. It is a wonderfully diverse world. Some of these experiences are genuinely moving, and there is real value in simply lying down and letting sound wash over you. But not all sound baths are built around the same intention. For many, the focus has shifted from entrainment to entertainment — from something that works on you physiologically, to something you simply enjoy. That distinction matters to us.

At Healing Indulgence, our focus is the first word in our name — Healing

A Healing Indulgence sound bath begins with a brief introduction from Penelope and Trevor — covering what to expect, how the session will end, and giving you the chance to consent to being gently woken should you drift off and begin to snore. You will then be invited to find a comfortable position on your mat or chair.

Once everyone is settled Penelope will guide you through a gentle relaxation exercise (yoga kriya). As Penelope takes you to a deeper level of relaxation, Trevor will begin the sound journey — an immersive experience of vibration and energy. You will both hear and feel the natural vibrations of the quartz crystals as he gently strikes and strokes the singing bowls, the vibrations will resonate through your cells to help entrain their natural frequencies and generate alpha waves.

People often drift off to sleep during a sound bath — and that is completely welcome. But if you can, we encourage you to stay present with the sounds and energy, listening quietly from within. The more present you are, the more you receive.

At certain times, as you are sinking into deep relaxation, Trevor will play a series of slightly out-of-sync frequencies. These specific frequencies induce sonic entrainment — a way to encourage your brain to naturally vibrate at ≈8Hz and generate alpha waves.

In addition to the harmonic vibrations of the singing bowls Trevor interweaves the sweet melodies of Koshi chimes and rain-stick.

The Koshi chimes come in 4 different melodies, inspired by the four elements:

Terra
(G C E F G C E G)

Aqua
(A D F G A D F A / Pentatonic)

Aria
(A C E A B C E B)

Ignis
(G B D G B D G A / Pentatonic)

Each chime carries eight silver-welded rods, precisely tuned and set into a bamboo resonance tube. As the chime rings, the shorter rods gradually take over from the longer ones — creating a tone that seems to circle back on itself, full of overtones and quietly hypnotic.

Each chime has its own character, and they play beautifully together.

Each sound bath experience is unique – sometimes more physical sensations are felt, other times it feels like an emotional journey, and other times people will see colors, shapes, or images similar to a waking dream. Occasionally the sound bath will activate the higher mind and people will receive creative insights, or work out issues they couldn’t solve prior.

When you hear 3 small rings from the Tinga the sound bath is complete, please take as much time as you need before returning to the group.

As we near the end, the instruments will fall silent and we invite you to remain still for a few more minutes. If you feel the desire to move at this time, we encourage you to roll onto your right side and rest there. The silent period is a crucial step — it is in this post-entrainment period of silence that your body begins to heal itself.

Generally, a deep state of relaxation of the body and mind is achieved and most people look and feel brighter and more relaxed after a sound bath.

Sound Bath Etiquette

  • Arrive clean and free of cologne, perfume, or strong essential oil scents.
  • Turn your mobile phone off (not on vibrate).
  • Do not touch the sound bath instruments (even if you are super curious).
  • Arrive 10-15 minutes early so you can be sound bath ready at the scheduled start time.
  • Do not talk during the sound bath.
  • Do not drink alcohol or use drugs before or during the sound bath.

It is not uncommon for a participant to fall asleep during the sound bath and sometimes this can lead to snoring. Should you begin to snore we may gently touch your arm to bring you back to wakefulness.

Trevor Haynes

I am a subtle energy worker with more than twenty years of practice in sound healing, Reiki, and massage. I lead sound baths using frosted quartz crystal singing bowls and Koshi chimes — weaving harmonic resonance and Reiki to guide people into deep rest. My path to this work took me from corporate life to a decade living in an off-grid cabin, through studies at the Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai, and into the world of lomi lomi. I believes strongly in the principal that everything in the universe, including our bodies, is in a state of vibration and we each have the power to influence that energy.Read my bio ↝

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