GOOD VIBRATIONS

If you’ve all but given up on summoning the mental focus required for meditation, then reverberation could be the kind of mindfulness for you. Manifesting in what’s known as a “sound bath” or “sound healing”, it’s a term used to describe the low-frequency hum produced when a series of specially tuned bowls, made out of either metal or crystal, are played in harmony by a trained practitioner – producing a vibration that’s believed to have beneficial effects on the mind and body.

Because it’s something that’s done to you – usually while you lie on a mat – rather than by you, it’s basically meditation for the lazy (and especially appealing for those who have found themselves in the depths of the internet at 2am searching for sounds to soothe them to sleep). While there’s rarely any contact with your body – unless combined with reiki or another alternative-medicine practice – it’s just as relaxing as any massage, and the meditative effect is believed to be beneficial for blood pressure and immunity.

It’s the same principle adopted at Humming Puppy, a chic yoga studio in Sydney’s inner west and Melbourne’s Prahran that uses an advanced acoustic system to give off certain frequencies (7.83hz and 40hz) while its yogis practise, with those frequencies believed to be similar to the ones the brain experiences during states of deep meditation. The result is a bonafide buzz that can be felt from the moment you walk in, and while the science behind it is still contentious, the feel-good factor is doubtless.

Ready to dive into sound healing? A one-on-one session will bring maximum benefits. Or if you prefer strength in numbers, Melbourne-based Positive Music offers it as an exercise in team building (for a collective high without the need for a downward dog in front of Paul from HR).

hummingpuppy.com; positivemusic.com.au