What is a Sound Bath?

Gordon Rosenberg has for more than four decades researched, developed and practiced relaxation, healthy sound, and energetic wellness programs. Today, as Soundwell Boise, he and his wife Debby and their associates play up to a dozen crystal singing bowls tuned to the notes of the musical scale, along with gongs, keyboard, tongue and pan drums, guitar, flutes, chimes and more accessories. These "Sound Bath Meditations" transmit powerful energy which often guides the participant into a profound state of deep relaxation, introspection, stress relief, inner calmness, and even the partial alleviation of acute or chronic pain. Our intent is to help you access a state of deep relaxation, mindful stillness, and general well-being.

The vibrations produced by our instruments create a physical state conducive to deep relaxation. Researchers and professionals in multiple fields of practice have for many years proved scientifically that relaxation itself is often the first step to our physical and mental wellbeing. Our Sound Baths can significantly help you achieve this desirable calming and healing state. Our instruments are specifically chosen and played in ways which generate healthy vibrations in the cells and organs of the body. Our bodies are great resonators. They are largely water, which actually transmits sound and energy five times better than air. The body is also crystalline in structure, allowing these instruments to resonate deeply within.

Repetition Brings Best Results!

We have all spent years holding onto stress, tension and pain in our bodies; it takes some time and effort to learn how to access and release it. For best results, we recommend attending multiple Sound Baths. As with most things that are good for you, the adage “the more you practice/the more you benefit” is true for our Sound Baths. Each time you participate in one of our events, your body’s receptivity to the sounds will deepen and likely have more beneficial effects for you.
There is no “quick fix”; you don’t walk away from your first of our Sound Baths (or any other discipline) having received maximum benefit. If you really want to allow your body to benefit from our positive sounds you need to return consistently. Otherwise, it’s just a day’s entertainment. We are dedicated to bringing you the most authentic and effective relaxation and wellness enhancing experience possible!

What are the benefits of regularly attending a Sound Bath?

“Sleeping prophet” Edgar Cayce said in the first half of the 20th century, “Sound will be the Medicine of the Future”. That future is now, as discoveries by today’s scientists and sound researchers lead to the inevitable conclusion that consciously-applied sound can be a healing and balancing element in our bodies and our lives. Vibrational healers, energy workers, sound therapists, musicians and researchers seem just beginning to explore the powerful effects which healthy energy vibrations and tones can have on the human physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies.

Benefits of regular attendance include:

Emotional Balance
Stress Relief
Harmony and Flow
Reduce Anxiety
Deep Relaxation when other Meditation Techniques Fail
A Clear Mind with Increased Focus
Feel Lighter in Your Body
Achieve a Meditative Mind

New scientific research is showing the tangible and positive benefits of sound meditation. An enlightening 2016 study conducted at UCSD with singing bowls has shown powerful effects: “As compared with pre-meditation, following the sound meditation participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood” What’s more, this new research suggests “Feeling of spiritual well-being significantly increased” … and “participants generally express feelings of deep relaxation and inner peace following the sound meditation” Sound Meditation...“may be a feasible low-cost low technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well-being”

What kind of instruments are played at a Sound Bath?

Crystal Singing Bowls

Crystal Singing Bowls are made from 99.992% pure crushed quartz and heated to about 4000 degrees in a centrifugal mold. The bowls produce powerful pure tones that are very nurturing to the human body. The bowls come in all the different notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) and correspond with one's energy centers or chakras. When multiple bowls are played together harmonically the sounds are elevating and hypnotic.

Benefits of listening to crystal bowls include:

Pure rich crystal bowl tones will impact not only the physical structures in the body but also on the conscious level.
Using Crystal bowls for healing can have profound effects on the organs, cells, and skeletal structure; thereby bringing all systems into balance.
Crystal Bowls are wonderful tools for manifestation as they transmit our thought energy; the bowls become the carrier wave of our intention.

Gongs

Gongs can be especially effective in supporting meditation practice, and often bring about a positive state of emptiness or expansion of consciousness. Gongs provide an auditory experience characterized by overtone harmonics and binaural effects. The unique quality of these sounds bypasses the thinking mind on a physical level, facilitating the release of mental forms. This opens the door to the exploration of deeper states of coherent awareness.

The act of striking a gong sets off multi-tonal vibrations that cascade over the listener, creating a profound and palpable vibration. This sensory experience stimulates the nervous system and draws attention into the body. As attention becomes coherent within the body, it can lead to the recognition and release of bodily tension and unconscious mental energy, contributing to a shift toward greater calm and understanding. It all starts with deep relaxation and often leads to profound realization. Gongs are a very powerful tool for personal growth and awakening.

Tongue Drums and Hand Pans

Tongue drums have become integral to sound healing practices due to their capacity to generate calming and resonant tones that facilitate relaxation and well-being. Known for their accessibility and ease of play, these instruments offer a unique blend of vibrational therapy and meditative qualities. The gentle and rhythmic sounds produced by tongue drums are believed to induce a meditative state, fostering mindfulness and inner peace.

Beyond their musical attributes, the tactile experience of playing a tongue drum—feeling the vibrations and connecting physically with the instrument—can contribute to grounding and emotional release. The versatility in scales and tunings allows practitioners to choose specific tonalities that align with the therapeutic goals of a session. Whether used individually or in group settings, tongue drums provide a creative outlet for expression and a communal experience that enhances the overall healing atmosphere..

Chimes and Bells

Chimes possess a distinctive characteristic as rod or bell-shaped instruments that produce a brief, singular tone when struck. Unlike instruments like singing bowls, which create a sustained sound, Koshi Chimes or Tibetan Bells produce notes that last only a few seconds, offering a momentary auditory experience. This ephemeral nature makes chimes particularly effective for resetting attention and clearing the mind. The rapid onset of the chime's sound captivates attention, breaking free from repetitive thought patterns and emotions.

This allows for a shift in focus toward clear space or the specific meditation at hand. Chimes also serve as natural tools for setting intentions. As the sound clears mental patterns and directs energy, it can support the manifestation of intentional energy, whether it be joy, compassion, desires, wishes, or prayers. Utilizing the focused energy during the rise and fall of the sound, individuals can align their intentions with the purpose of creation, bringing their aspirations to fruition.

What do I need to know before attending a Sound Bath?

Come prepared to relax. Try and be present in the moment. Your to-do list can wait for one hour.
Bring a mat, pillow and such if you wish to lie down. Chairs are provided. If you tend to fall asleep, please sit up instead, as our healing sounds are more beneficial when you stay conscious of them, and also to not disturb others.
Bring a blanket or wrap as one tends to cool off when relaxing deeply.
Please arrive on time or a little early to be ready to relax. We start promptly once everyone is settled, and entering late can be distracting for everyone.
Afterward, we invite you to maintain a quiet stillness as you depart. We believe conversation can dissipate the beneficial energy for you and others, which has been generated in the room.
Our events are for 18+ age. Please leave children and infants at home. It’s not just that they may be bored and distracting to parents and others, the sounds we produce are actually not intended for developing ears and consciousness. We play for older psyches and hearing levels.
By donation cash at door or venmo @Gordon-Rosenberg-3 (use x5411 if requested). You may attend our Library events for free, but we graciously accept donations from those who can help us do this work. The space is provided to us, but we are not paid for our services. We appreciate your support!

Disclaimer: What our Sound Bath is not.

This is not a social group, or a healing circle. There are plenty of other places for those things. Rather it is an opportunity for each attendee to have an individual meditative experience supported by lovely relaxing music. There is no need to discuss your experience with us or anyone after. We actually recommend that you gather yourself and leave in silence, as we find that conversation in the room after tends to dissipate the healthy energy we've generated with our combined sounds. A simple nod and 'thank you' works for us after, rather than needing to engage us or anyone else in discussion.

We are soundweavers, who are neither qualified nor interested in practicing therapy with our audience members. If you find issues coming up for you as a result of our sound baths, that you feel a need to process in any way, we recommend that you locate the appropriate person or practitioner to help you. If you feel you must discuss anything in depth with other attendees, we would prefer that you arrange to do so elsewhere, rather than distract others in the room from having their own meditative experience. We band members too need to pack up promptly and vacate the room for another user, and we also appreciate the opportunity to bask in the silent space after we play.. We play sounds and combinations of sounds intended to have certain postiitive effects on body and mind, we don't play recognizable music or rhythms you may typically hear at a music event. You are always free to have your own experience. Thank you for your attendance.

Soundly,

Gordon & Debby Rosenberg and our musical friends