A New Era In Sound Baths: Live From Your House, With Sound Meditation Presents!
Cover Photo By Manuel Cossio
Can I be really honest with you? I teach meditation; but sitting in silent meditation is like pulling teeth for me. I never know how loud my brain really is, until I actively ask it to be quiet. And yes, I know that this is the entire point of yoga. Yogas chitta vritti nirodha; yoga is the quieting of the chaos of the mind. I might have added in the word chaos, so that you could more understand my struggles. I have always known this about myself, so when my partner told me that we would be attending a sound meditation down in LA, I was skeptical to say the least. This sounded like the exact antithesis to what someone with a noisy mind should be attempting to drop in with. I thought that the sound of the gongs and the bowls vibrating off the vaulted ceilings of the cathedral would push my already flighty mind into the depths of terror.
You know what happened next.
It’s the same thing that has happened to so many of you after you filled into the womb of Grace Cathedral and laid down in surrender. It is the same thing that happened when the first gong sent a vibration down your chakras and sat vibrating in your kundalini space. It was the moment of pure…. transcendence.
I can’t tell you how many times since the beginning of the shutdown that I have closed my eyes and reimagined my body back at Grace, back in the presence of hundreds of other practitioners, back in the vibration of the bowls. My sympathetic system craved a parasympathetic release. And just before I thought I would go mad in the searching for an alternative method; Sound Meditation Presents, came through.
Not only did Simona and Guy manage to put together and release a new platform on which they are offering their quintessential sound meditations, they also did it with seeming ease. Their vibrancy and grace transfers so well onto the digital platform and into the comfort of your own home. Read on for a quick interview on how they got to work, what they are hoping for the future and how you can tune in.
SF Yoga: When the lockdown began in March, many people were frozen in fear and confusion, but you guys got straight into action creating a new platform and way for your sangha to interact with you. How were you able to be so proactive with your offerings?
Sound Meditation Presents: The passion and desire to want to keep sharing with our community. Also, feeling like tools for mental health are necessary NOW.
SF Yoga: Sound meditation seems like it would be a single faceted experience; in person. What upgrades did you have to make to your delivery in order for listeners to have as close to an in person experience as possible?
Sound Meditation Presents: We did a deep dive into production, audio engineering and sound design— and we’re still learning. When we first started gathering live streaming and recording gear (on the advice of our sound engineer Elephant Ear Audio) there was quite a bit of trial and error, but now we’ve got such an optimal sound. Sound design is a beautiful field, with the ability to create quality surround sound increasing each year.
SF Yoga: Binaural beats and other harmonic methods of meditation are known to aid in the activation of the parasympathetic system. Who would benefit most from this type of meditation right now?
Sound Meditation Presents: Everyone— all of us are facing so much stress and uncertainty right now. In this pandemic, we’re all living in unforeseen circumstances and novel pressures.
SF Yoga: Creating space for ourselves to engage in self care is of utmost importance right now, as our homes become multifunctional spaces. What tips do you have for creating space for ritual?
Sound Meditation Presents:
Set aside a comfortable space where you won’t be disrupted.
Create a nest where you have a pillow underneath your head and one underneath your knees too.
Light a candle! Or burn some incense, or drink some herbal tea (anything that lets your body know it’s time to relax).
Feel free to move your body beforehand (yoga, stretching) — or allow that to be part of the practice.
Release any pressure to do this practice “right”— you showing up is enough.
Turn your notifications off
Breathe deeply and allow your body to soften with each exhale
SF Yoga: What are your hopes for this new platform and your abilities to a)stream from anywhere and b) reach an infinite amount of people?
Sound Meditation Presents: You said it right there! Our mission has always been to make this incredibly accessible practice of deep meditation available to as many people as possible.
Now we can share this with anyone, any time, anywhere.
We want this tool to be here for you at the tender moment *you* need it.
We envision being a go-to app for sound healing— one day we hope to have many practitioners on the platform and uplift our whole community.
We also hope to stream “The Sound Healing Symphony” on the platform soon. We were planning on embarking on a big tour all over this year— and in a strange, unexpected way, we’ll do so— virtually.
Heads up— we might rebrand as “Holistic Resonance” or just “Resonance”.
Listen for yourself— go to www.soundmeditationpresents.com and click “Start Free Trial”. This also gives you access to a diverse and ever-growing library of 2/47 on-demand sound meditation experiences. +++ ALL the weekly live streams we do are part of our Sound Meditation monthly pass. We hope you float away into a sense of freedom ~
