Want To Raise Your Vibration? Sound Baths Might Be Your Next Wellness Move
As the New Year approaches, you're likely asking yourself, "How can I level up in the coming year?" Because… goals! And while you may notice a few recurring trends: exercise more, travel more, lose weight, and get organized. Sound familiar? What you might not realize is that your list of New Year resolutions isn't complete without exploring the latest millennial wave in health and wellness: sound baths.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about your next wellness move:
What is a sound bath?
Though a newer craze in western society -- sound baths, aka an immersion in sound frequency -- aids to guide participants into deep meditation. Believe it or not, the ancient, alternative healing practice is said to predate Christ. Yep, that's right!
Now, think of the last time you were at a concert, blasting the music in your whip while singing along to Lizzo's "Good As Hell", or posted up in the club. Now, multiply that by 10. While there's literally no water involved, a sound bath is a full body experience using a variety of crystal bowls, gemstone bowls, cymbals, and gongs to create repetitive sound frequencies. The end result is said to take your meditative experience to the next level!
What are the benefits?
Practiced by Tibetans for more than 2,000 years, it's believed that Greek physicians used a variety of instruments including flutes, lyres, and zitters to heal their patients. They also used vibration to improve digestion, treat mental illness, and soothe sleeplessness. Meanwhile, ancient Egyptians recount musical incantations for healing the sick. Research dating as far back as the 19th century even credits the relationship between music and healing to improving:
- high blood pressure
- stress and anxiety
- overall wellbeing
What’s all the hype about?
If having a slew of A-list fans like Jhene Aiko, Kendall Jenner, Robert Downey Jr., Charlize Theron, and Laurence Fishburne isn't enticing enough, everyone is talking about it! In fact, Aiko recently gave a nod to the healing practice when she dropped a six-minute sound meditation track titled "Trigger Protection Mantra" before promising followers on Instagram more immersive sound bath experiences. "Color therapy + aromatherapy + sound healing + modern mantra + conscious breathing = an experience of a lifetime," she wrote. Adding, "this is what I am here to do and I am so grateful for the peace and clarity I have found on my path." Need I say more?
How to invest in sound bathing
There's a slew of options! Try a group sound bath session -- prices can range from $30 to $65 -- or for a pretty penny, a private sound bath. Not ready to immerse yourself in the sound of music among others? No problem! You can experience a similar level of relaxation from the comfort of your home!
Here's how: Center yourself in a comfortable place. Sit on a cushion and surround yourself with your crystal bowls. Enhance the ambiance by lighting a candle to evoke spiritual energy. Now, sit back, relax, breathe, and feel the music -- even sing.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
How Wellness Enthusiasts Approach Productivity Differently
The First Time I Tried Acupuncture
Oat Milk, Tongue Scraping, Transformative Travel & Other Women's Health Trends
Featured image by Shutterstock
Did you know that xoNecole has a podcast? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to join us for weekly convos over cocktails (without the early morning hangover.)
Lover of tacos and a killer jacket. Keanu Reeves is bae. Mother of two amazingly awesome children. I live by one rule: Don't be a Richard. Follow me on Instagram @truthhawkins.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images