By Isabella Vale – Founder of Tarot Masters
There’s a moment in every sound bath where something in me lets go, not because I tell it to, but because the sound gives it permission.
If you’ve never experienced a sound bath, it might seem a little strange at first. You lie down fully clothed, often with your eyes closed, and let someone play crystal bowls, gongs, chimes, or even just their voice, all around you. That’s it. No movement. No effort. Just being bathed in sound.
And yet, it’s one of the most deeply healing experiences I’ve ever known.
A Different Kind of Medicine
I’ve sat in many healing circles over the years. Breathwork, reiki, movement, sacred plant medicine, you name it. But sound has a softness to it, a way of slipping past the mind and into the body that feels almost ancient.
Sound doesn’t need words. It doesn’t analyze or explain. It just moves. And in that movement, something inside you shifts too.
I remember one of my first sound baths here on Koh Phangan. The space was open-air, nestled in the jungle. A soft breeze was brushing over my skin. And then the bowls began. At first, I wasn’t sure if I could “feel” anything. But after a few minutes, a gentle wave of emotion rose up in my chest, not sadness, not joy, just release. I let the tears come without trying to figure out why. The sound held me.
Since then, I’ve returned to this practice again and again. Every single time, I leave lighter.
How Sound Baths Work (Energetically and Physically)
There’s a reason sound baths feel so profound, even if you can’t explain it logically.
On a physical level, sound vibrations interact with your body’s natural frequency. Certain tones can help regulate the nervous system, bring brainwaves into theta or delta states (which are linked to deep meditation and healing), and relax muscles and tissues.
But beyond the physical, there’s something energetic happening.
Every cell in our body holds vibration. Every emotion we carry. grief, anger, joy, all of them has a tone. When we’re holding onto stuck energy, whether it’s from stress or trauma or just everyday overwhelm, sound helps shake it loose. Like gently tapping a crystal to clear it.
And the beauty is, you don’t have to understand it. You just receive. That’s the real magic, sound healing is about allowing, not effort.
Sound as a Portal to Presence
For me, sound baths are a kind of meditation. But unlike traditional meditation, where the mind can wander, the vibrations pull you in. They keep you tethered to the moment in the most beautiful way.
Sometimes I journey. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I just float. Every session is different, because every moment in life is different.
But no matter what, I always come back feeling more me. More present. More open. More clear.
Sound strips away the noise of the world and tunes me back to my own inner rhythm.
Bringing Sound Into Everyday Life
You don’t need a full gong ceremony to receive the benefits of sound.
Sometimes I sit with a single singing bowl and play it softly in the morning as I sip tea. Other times I hum to myself when I’m feeling anxious or scattered. Even wind chimes on the porch or ocean waves can be healing if you listen with intention.
Your body knows what it needs. Just ask it, “What sound would soothe me right now?”
There’s also beautiful recorded sound baths online if you can’t attend one in person. Just find a quiet space, lie down, and let yourself receive.
Tarot and Sound: A Sacred Pairing
I’ve also started integrating sound into my tarot sessions. A few tones before a reading can shift the energy completely, softening the mind and opening the heart. It clears the static so the cards can speak more clearly.
Sometimes, after a reading, I’ll end with a short sound bath to help integrate the messages. Because what good is insight if we don’t give ourselves time to absorb it?
The Last Note
In a world full of noise, true sound is sacred.
It’s not just what we hear with our ears. It’s what we feel with our whole being. Sound baths invite us to stop trying to fix ourselves, and instead, to listen to the subtle, the unseen, the deep inner rhythm we often forget.
So if you ever feel like you’ve been carrying too much, thinking too hard, or spinning in circles, maybe don’t do more. Maybe just lie down. Close your eyes. And let the sound carry you home.
With gentle frequencies and wild jungle breezes,
Isabella Vale
Founder of Tarot Masters