Some weeks ago my wife and I went to a sound bath at our yoga studio, Living Yoga. It seems like they do it with every season. Initially when she approached me about going with her, I was resistant. I’ve been doing Yoga and working a lot more on mind and body, but this kind of felt like way too hippy for me. In fact, I think that is exactly how I replied, “I’m not doing that hippy crap!”
In any case, as it usually goes, after my initial resistance I eventually told her that I wanted to do it with her. I try to do things with my wife, I feel like it brings us closer together and helps the relationship grow stronger. I’m glad I did.
I still have a bit of street in me, and I am still resistant to some things in the world. Remember, I am a male who was raised in the streets of the South Bronx during the 80s and 90s. All that I had around me was toxic masculinity, violence, gangs, and the instinct to survive. We survived by being tough, not by doing sound baths and looking inward. So yes, I’m still working on me and evolving.
As I mentioned, I’m glad I did this. I’m not entirely sure if I experienced any real benefits, but the experience itself was quite trippy. The part that blew my mind was how my perception of time was gone. I believe the class was about an hour long, and once the sounds began, I only perceived about 5 minutes. It was one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever experienced.
Another thing was that I was hearing voices and harmonies from the instruments. I thought that someone was vocalizing, or that they were playing angelic chants along with the instruments. They said that this was not the case and that it was how my brain was perceiving the bowls and sounds. Others appeared to have more of a visual experience due to the sound, but in my case, it was all audio.
I don’t know what happened during this time, but I am definitely intrigued and can’t wait for the next one. If you’ve never experienced this, I think you should definitely give it a try. Alex Beckmann and his wife Christine will probably do another one at the start of the next season. Keep your eyes and ears open, it’s definitely worth a try.
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
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