6 Things I Recommend Practitioners Bring to a Sound Bath

I first discovered crystal singing bowls almost 10 years ago now. In that time, I’ve learned so much and experimented a lot with how I hold space in sound baths. What my sound baths look like now is quite different to what they looked like when I first started out. 

Over time, I found ways to make my life as a practitioner easier and enhance the experience for the attendees. Both are important because if I feel stressed, that will affect the way I play and the vibrations participants receive. I want to be the centre of calm and there are a few things I do to achieve that. I also want everyone who attends to be fully immersed in the experience and feel like they have been able to make the most of taking time out for themselves. My packing list reflects this.

The full checklist of things I bring to sound baths include:

• Singing Bowls, Practitioners Bowl and Crystal Singing Pyramid 

• Mallets, plus spare, just in case (I've had many dreams about forgetting my mallets and not being able to play the bowls :))

• Cushion to sit on

• Tingsha chimes, rattles and shakers

• Ceremonial blanket that sits on top of my yoga mats

• Palo santo, my smudging feather, incense, a lighter and my ceramic smudging dish

• Candles

• Crystals and fresh flowers to create an altar

• Oracle cards

• Soft warm lighting and lamps

• A decent speaker (to play music while people are entering the space)

There are 6 things in particular that I want to highlight because I didn’t realise how valuable they were until later on as I gained more experience. 

Items that make my life easier as a sound practitioner

Sound meditation cushion

It didn’t take me long to realise sitting on a cushion while playing singing bowls was preferable. However, it took me a while to find a cushion that actually felt comfortable. It wasn’t until last year actually. 

Everything I tried and tested up to that point hadn’t felt quite right. When I was sitting still, they were fine. The cushion supported a straight spine and posture which is what you want for meditation. When I started to move around to reach different bowls, the cushion became uncomfortable. As a sound practitioner, I need to move!

So, I designed a cushion with sound practitioners in mind. Instead of using buckwheat, which most meditation cushions do, my cushions are filled with a high density foam. This means they are thinner and you feel closer to the ground. The foam adapts to whatever position you are in, supporting you as you lean forward and to the side. Now I always have my sound meditation cushion with me.

Silicone mallet

Part of creating an immersive soundscape is playing more than one crystal singing bowl at a time, layering the notes and vibrations and filling the room with soothing sounds. This does take time to master and build your confidence in. Something that helps me is having a silicone mallet as part of my collection. 

I mostly use suede mallets. I haven’t found anything else that sounds as good. The only exception is when circling around the rim of the bowl. Due to the texture of suede, it can be harder to build pressure or you might notice that you can almost hear the mallet brushing against the bowl. Silicone mallets (or wands) are much smoother so they create a cleaner sound and they build friction quicker, which is what you need to hear the bowl sing. The caveat is you can’t use silicone for any other playing technique. Chimes with silicone wands just don’t sound right!

With both mallet options, you can chime on one bowl with the suede mallet and play around the rim with the silicone mallet on another bowl. I always have a silicone mallet on hand. 

Carry cases

Depending on where you bought your crystal singing bowls, you might not have been offered the option of a carry case. This is a reminder to be very careful about how you transport your crystal singing bowls to sound baths. They are made of pure Quartz which is a breakable glass so if they aren’t packed properly, you could get to your destination with damaged bowls. 

I have a whole article on how to look after crystal singing bowls with videos on how to pack them. For a quick rundown, pick a carry case the size of the largest bowl that will be in the stack. I Know This Girl has 8-inch and 10-inch cases. They are fully padded and lined. 

When packing the bowl, keep it in the plastic bag it came in or something like a silk scarf so you pull on the material, not the bowl itself. Use foam padding like the packaging it came in between each bowl to stop them from moving around and knocking each other. Never put the mallet inside the bowl. The middle is the weakest part. Our cases have a pocket on the side for the mallet. A good case will protect your bowls for years. I never have to worry about the condition of my bowls when I arrive at a sound bath!

Incense, sage and palo santo

As I’m setting up the space for relaxation, I like to activate the senses so that as soon as people arrive, they start to feel calmer. I’ll play music as everyone is settling in and burn incense and/or palo santo or sage throughout the session. It sets the atmosphere of the room and offers another anchor of calm as people drift into relaxation. 

Incense and palo santo are great options because I don’t need to monitor them. I’m not giving myself something else to think about during the sound bath. I can light the incense and smudge the space with the palo santo before anyone arrives and then set them down on a dish as I lead the sound bath. My favourite incense scents are available in the shop alongside dishes handmade by artisans in Nepal. They look so serene when set up on an altar. 

Tingsha chimes

Just as I want to create a soothing start to a sound bath, I want to have a soothing end that enables attendees to carry the relaxation of the sound bath into the rest of their day. So I’m intentional about how I bring the sound bath to a close. There is an element of creating a sound journey with the bowls that takes people into deep relaxation and then guides them out of it. 

You can also use complementary instruments to guide people back to alertness without startling them. I like using Tingsha chimes at the end of a sound journey to call people back to the present. It’s a bright, resonant sound that focuses the mind in a gentle way. Remember, you don’t have to spend the whole sound bath sitting behind the bowls. You can walk around with practitioner bowls, crystal pyramids and shakers. All add to the sound experience. 

Eye masks

Ahead of a sound bath, I’ll let attendees know that I recommend bringing a blanket, a mat (if they aren’t supplied) and cosy socks. Something else I suggest is an eye mask. People find it really helpful for switching off from the outside world and focusing their mind on the soothing sounds. It could be something you choose to offer as an extra way to support your clients. 

If you have your own studio, you could sell eye masks in your reception area like many studios sell mats and other accessories related to their classes and sessions. If you are hosting a retreat, you could offer it as part of the package. Assemble a welcome box with a few pieces to support their wellbeing such as an eye mask, incense and even a cacao mug if you are planning on doing a ceremony together. It makes people feel taken care of from the beginning of the experience. 

However you decide to bring eye masks into your offerings, you can order them wholesale from I Know This Girl, along with the sound meditation cushion and the other Sound and Ceremony items. Get in contact for all the details. 

One of the most rewarding parts of growing as a sound practitioner is being able to experiment and curate a sound bath that feels authentic to you, your energy and the space you want to hold for others. There are many elements you can bring in and use in your own way so you feel comfortable and confident in your practice and your clients feel relaxed and taken care of. 

If you would like to talk about how you are hosting sound baths and explore what else you could do, book a mentorship session with me. I offer these to help sound practitioners feel connected to and confident in their sound healing practice after their training and as they build their business.

For all the singing bowls, instruments and ceremonial rituals mentioned here and more, explore the I Know This Girl shop.