Rachel Seshan began her career in litigation focusing on commercial and construction litigation for diverse clients from banks to developers and general contractors. This experience laid a solid foundation for her current practice: utility law. Rachel is an enforcement attorney for the Public Utility Commission of Texas, focusing on electric industry.
The term woo-woo is defined as “dubiously or outlandishly mystical, supernatural, or unscientific” and while I like good supernatural fiction, I stick to science and facts otherwise. So, it was with bit of skepticism that I followed fellow committee member Corrine Smith’s suggestion for a wellness event: sound bath. But turns out that sound baths aren’t woo-woo. There’s sound scientific evidence supporting the use of sound baths to help manage tension and even with healing.
How Sound Baths Work
A sound bath is a meditative experience using instruments. That’s it. Participants are “bathed” in sound waves produced by various instruments such as gongs, crystal singing bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, and chimes. These instruments create deep, resonating vibrations that can help induce a state of relaxation and meditation.
During the sound bath session, we started with light yoga movements. It is already proven that yoga reduces stress and restores balance of your autonomic nervous system (ANS)–more about the ANS later. So, then we laid down on our mats, with a nice blanket while the practitioner played the instruments. The idea is that the sound waves envelop the body, and that vibrational impact further quiets the mind and releases physical tension. The low-frequency sounds also reduce your heart rate and blood pressure, inducing a state of relaxation. Now you’re in state of relaxation similar to reaching a level of meditation that would otherwise take significant practice daily over the course of years to achieve.
Benefits
Studies have shown sound baths offer the following tangible benefits:
Stress Reduction: The vibrations can help lower cortisol levels, the hormone associated with stress. This alone would be worth the time invested.
Improved Focus and Clarity: Additionally, the meditative state induced by a sound bath can enhance mindfulness and mental clarity. That mediative state cut the cognitive chatter so the period after, you have heightened awareness and creativity and better problem solving. Sharp focus and clear thinking? Sign me up for twice a week!
Decreased Tension and Fatigue: The deep relaxation achieved during a sound bath can help release physical tension and reduce fatigue, which equals increased energy levels for all.those.meetings.
Enhanced Emotional and Physical Well-being: Sound baths can also promote emotional healing by helping to release negative emotions and reduce anxiety. This can lead to a more positive outlook and better emotional resilience, which will help foster better relationships with clients, colleagues, and even friends and family. But there’s more! Studies have shown those low frequency sounds can alleviate physical pain including headaches. And remember that acronym, ANS? ANS dysregulation causes fatigue, anxiety, digestive problems and even heart attacks while keeping your ANS balanced helps manage those issues. Speaking of sleep….
Better Sleep: Regular participation in sound baths can improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing stress. And better sleep can lead to improved cognitive function allowing you to be able to maintain that peak level of performance in your legal practice, as well as other areas of your life.
My conclusion is not one I ever thought I would reach, but maybe being open to some woo-woo in our lives is good. Sound baths look like an express pass to efficient stress management and better physical and mental health. For me, I will be incorporating sound baths into a self-care routine to help me navigate the demands of our profession, and daily life, with greater ease and resilience. Join us for the next one soon! And be sure to thank Corinne!