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Sound bathing is the perfect complement to forest bathing.

Both practices are therapeutic in nature and work synergistically to change the entire energy state of your body.

The same way greenscapes can change your mood, certain musical notes can change your brainwaves. Think about this: You walk out of the forest and the concert hall feeling different than when you went in.

The same mechanisms are at work here.

There’s a lot of science behind both sound bathing and forest bathing that comingle.

We’ll talk about those next.

(And some things just make more sense outside the science lab.)

Sound and forest bathing just fit nicely together. They create a pleasant, nourishing experience.

 

Benefits of forest bathing

We have an entire page dedicated to the (known and measured) benefits of forest bathing. From mood to productivity, shinrin-yoku can give you major physical and psychological boosts.

Some of the major benefits include:

• Reduces stress
• Improves attention, memory, and focus
• Leads to more positive emotions and lessens negative ones
• Improves immune function
• Anti-cancer protein production
• Makes you feel more alive!

If you’re a nature lover, you just sort of intuitively know the intrinsic value of being in nature. You don’t need studies to tell you. But science is starting to unravel a deeper picture here.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what else research uncovers about the forest!

 

Benefits of sound therapy

In the same way, certain sounds seems to have a beneficial effect on the body. Data is starting to build around the effects of sound therapy as well.

Binaural beats are kind of a buzzword right now. Certain tones can change your brainwaves and help you get into the right headspace for certain tasks. Some help you concentrate, some energize your body, and some help you fall asleep.

Cool research findings are also showing that sound therapy can help with:

• Pain reduction
• Reduced anxiety
• Better sleep
• Better attention and focus

Some of the benefits are similar to the benefits of forest bathing. And actually, nature sounds are therapeutic in and of themselves too. The sounds of critters and wind through the trees have a more relaxing quality than meditation apps.

Forest and sound bathing have a rich medicinal synchronicity.

Both practices soothe our souls.

And I don’t know about you, but I want more of that^^^^

[For further reading, this article has a cool explanation about the Solfeggio Frequencies and this article goes deeper into music as medicine.]

 

So, let’s talk more about how to bring both practices together.

 

How to incorporate sound therapy with forest bathing

As you’ve read, the sounds of nature have an inherent therapeutic effect. So simply sitting among and becoming aware of the sounds of nature while you’re forest bathing gives you those benefits automatically.

But, you can also take a sound bath along with your forest bath.

You can take singing bowls, a flute, drums, or a finger piano along with you to the forest.

I recently grabbed a mini steel tongue drum from Amazon that came with a carrying case. It’s the perfect size to take into the forest for a little mesmerizing riff.

 

Here’s a short video about that.

 

You can incorporate music into your opening or closing ceremony or into your forest bathing practice itself.

Some other ideas for incorporating music include:

• Striking a note during your threshold exercise to signify entering the forest
• Playing a tune during your sensory work, adding an auditory layer to your sense of hearing
• Signaling your companions to come back together after group sessions
• Integrating music into your closing ceremony

However you use it, use music in a way that brings more joy to your life.

 

I love bringing integrating the artistries of haiku, poetry, cacao, music, journaling, and dance with forest bathing. These beautiful practices enrich one another and enliven your spirit, which is what it’s all about!

 

I want to know…

What is your experience with sound therapy? When have you felt the impact of music completely change your state of mind?