My First Sound Healing Experience
Natalie Richardson
Long before I began holding space as a sound healer, I was once the person lying on a mat covered by a blanket at my very first sound healing session, unsure of what I was getting into.
The space itself was inviting, with soft lighting, blankets, and yoga essentials such as bolsters waiting for students, like myself, to settle in. At the front of the room, there were crystal bowls and chimes.
As I laid back on the mat, I realized how much tension I had been carrying in my own body. As a yoga instructor, it’s so easy to give and guide without remembering how deeply we, too, need to receive.
The tones of the bowls and chimes were both familiar and surprisingly new, resonating in places I didn’t expect. I wasn’t analyzing the sound or holding space for anyone else; I was simply there, breathing and receiving.
I felt myself softening and beginning to surrender to the moment. The vibrations of the bowls seemed to reach layers of stress I hadn’t noticed I was carrying, and with each breath, something inside me gently started to let go.
When the last tones faded into silence, I opened my eyes slowly and hadn’t noticed that tears were running down my cheeks, not from sadness but from release, the kind of release that comes when you’ve given yourself permission to let go.
My first sound healing experience reminded me that healing is not just about holding space for others, but also about allowing ourselves to be held. It shifted the way I approach sound healing, not just as a practice I offer, but as a gift I, too, am continually receiving.
This is why I now create space for others to experience sound healing. In class, you will take a few restorative poses while vibrations from instruments like bowls and chimes wash over you. These sounds help quiet the mind, ease stress, and invite the body into deep relaxation. Many people leave a sound healing session feeling calmer, more balanced, and renewed. I invite you to join me for my upcoming Sound Healing Series “Falling Into Stillness“— an opportunity to rest, release, and reconnect through the power of sound.
