Today, we’re talking about singing bowls and yoga. Often, the only sound we hear during yoga is an instructor calling out the poses and giving us some very necessary alignment cues. What happens when we add sound therapy to the mix? Here are three big benefits we (and our customers) enjoy.
1. Setting your intention.
When we come to our mats, we want to let everything else fall away. This is without a doubt one of the biggest challenges in yoga: switching off “work brain”, “mom brain”, or any other mode of being, and staying present throughout our practice.
Truthfully, we’re not always going to achieve that, and that’s okay. But one traditional use of singing bowls during yoga is to mark the beginning or end of the session. Over time, the singing bowl can train your brain to more easily shift toward what’s happening on your mat. When you or your instructor strikes the rim of the singing bowl, let it be a signal that goes straight to the core of your being. You’ve arrived.
2. Stimulating your flow.
Listening to a singing bowl or engaging in any other type of sound therapy or sound bath can enhance the physical part of your practice. Many of the benefits of sound therapy involve vibration. Since our bodies are anywhere from 60-70% water, singing bowls can move us from within while we outwardly perform yoga postures.
Even during a power yoga session, this vibration can help us with circulation and lymphatic drainage, maximizing the good things we hope to see from our practice. After all, yoga is one of the best ways to support natural detox and maintain joint and muscle health. The sound can also inspire us to move more easily and fluidly as we transition between poses.
3. Simplifying savasana.
Savasana, or corpse pose, is easy for some, and difficult for others. This final resting pose is meant to bring everything you did over the course of your yoga session together. It lets each pose really sink into the body via the fascia. The intricate casing the fascia provides over our every internal feature changes as we move. We want it to cool down into a new and better shape following yoga.
So if you think savasana is just a meditation moment you aren’t sure you need, do it for your fascia. Sound therapy makes it easier to cool down because it’s a fast and efficient way to relax. It can occupy the part of your brain that would like to get up and move on with your day.
Don’t sleep on sound therapy for yoga! Many of our customers - practitioners and instructors alike - have already found that it’s a phenomenal way for yogis of all levels to level up in their practice.
Do you use a singing bowl or any other sound during your yoga sessions? Why or why not? How do you set your intention at the beginning of yoga, and is staying put in savasana tough for you? Share your thoughts below, and be sure to visit us again soon.