TRIED & TESTED_SPA
We review a new sound therapy treatment in New South Wales
The treatment room I’m standing within at Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is unlike any I’ve seen before. Three large copper gongs are suspended on a stand. A maple harp sits beneath the window that overlooks the sandstone escarpments of the valley. Conducting our 60-minute ‘The Power of Sound’ session is sound-therapist, Polish-born Sonia, who has studied Gong Mastery for several years. She is currently the only sound therapist practising at a luxury lodge in Australia and New Zealand.
We are not sure what to expect – with the mystery only adding to my sense of curiosity.
Sonia covers us in layers of blankets to envelop us in a ‘cocoon’. Our eyes are gently covered with mask to help us detach from our surroundings.
The human body is made up of 80 per cent water and is deeply responsive to the frequencies and vibrations of sound. The purpose of the session is not only relaxation but to help us clear any blocked energy, facilitating the movement of chi or prana (positive life force) through the body.
The instruments create a wave effect that can lead some into a deep sleep because the frequencies are so high.
The mind, we are warned, may wander with our ‘monkey mind’ trying to figure out what is happening.
Feeling as warm as toast, the sound therapy begins. We conjure the image of a stream that is cleansing us, by our feet and our ankles – while a sound I don’t recognise encircles me. Another instrument creates contrasting audio and as predicted, my monkey within is on the move. I focus on my breathing while Sonia slowly integrates varying sounds and volumes to the practice.
Before long, I can hear that my partner has drifted off into a deep sleep, his ‘monkey’ has obviously been tamed, while mine continues to chatter, although is slowly showing signs of succumbing. My breathing slows. The sounds take on a new intensity and I feel what seems like a symbol or gong being chimed close to my ear. At one point, the sound seems to vibrate and swirl around the room, its depth and volume so concentrated, it almost sounds like an aeroplane taking flight. I’m never uncomfortable. As Sonia had predicted, my fingers start to tingle and I can feel a surge of energy rolling over my body.
As the treatment nears its end, Sonia gently brings us back into the present. The sound gradually stops completely and the silence we’re wrapped in for several moments feels almost sacred and spiritual. We both feel lighter and balanced, with a true sense of inner calm.