Sound baths and pregnancy

If you only read one bit

The honest answer

Plenty of people come to sound baths while pregnant and find them some of the most restful hours of their pregnancy. Lying down, warm, in a dark room with nothing asked of you is a lot of what a pregnant body is asking for.

But we will not tell you a sound bath is proven safe in pregnancy, because no clinical studies have looked at sound baths in pregnancy specifically. Anyone who says otherwise is guessing.

What we can tell you is the sensible precautions, the questions worth asking your midwife or doctor, and exactly what we change in the room when you tell us you are pregnant.

Before you book

Check with your midwife or doctor

Talk to your midwife, GP or obstetrician first. It is a quick conversation, and it matters most if any of these apply:

• You are in your first trimester. Many practitioners suggest waiting until the second, simply because there is no research either way.
• Your pregnancy is considered high risk, or you have a history of miscarriage.
• You have epilepsy or a history of seizures, or a pacemaker. This applies whether or not you are pregnant.
• You are sensitive to sound, or get dizzy or faint easily.

You do not need a note from anyone to come. We just want you to have asked.

In the studio

What we change in the room

• Tell us at the door. Quietly is fine. It changes how we set you up.
• Away from the gong. We place you away from the gong and the closest instruments, so the sound reaches you softer.
• No bowls on the belly. We never place singing bowls on a pregnant abdomen.
• On your side, not your back. From around 20 weeks, lying flat on your back for a long time can press on a large blood vessel and leave you dizzy or nauseous. We set you up on your left side with bolsters, a pillow between your knees and support under your head.
• Near the door. For the bathroom, which is a fair consideration at this stage.
• Up slowly. At the end, roll to your side and take your time sitting up.

A common question

Volume and your baby

Babies start to respond to sound from around the middle of pregnancy, and general pregnancy guidance is to avoid prolonged very loud noise.

A sound bath is played at a resting volume for most of the hour. The gong is the one instrument that can swell, and that is the reason we seat pregnant guests away from it. If you would like it gentler still, tell us and we will keep the volume down around you.

Choosing a class

Which class suits pregnancy

• Sound Bath. The gentlest option. You lie on your side and the sound does the rest. This is where we would start.
• Yin + Sound. Long held floor shapes and bowls on the body. Tell your teacher. Some shapes need adjusting in pregnancy, and bowls go nowhere near the belly.
• Nervous System Reset. Gentle movement and somatic exercises before the sound. Tell your facilitator, and skip anything that does not feel right for your body.
• Private sessions. Possible, with the same precautions. Get in touch first so we can plan it around you.

Afterwards

After the session

Have some water, get up slowly, and expect to feel sleepy. Many people feel calm and heavy for a few hours, which in pregnancy is usually welcome. If anything feels off, rest, and call your midwife if you are worried. Our aftercare guide has the rest.

Where to start

What we actually run

• Sound Bath · 60 or 90 min The easiest door. You lie down under a blanket and the sound does the rest. No experience, no effort.
• Nervous System Reset Somatic tools and gentle movement first, then the sound. The one to book if you arrive wired.
• Yin + Sound Long supported shapes with Tibetan bowls resting on the body. Part deep stretch, part vibration massage.
• Private sessions Energy field reading, frequency and vibration work, one to one with Ange.

All at 5/1A Windsor Place, Windsor, ten minutes from the CBD. Mats, bolsters and blankets provided. See this week's timetable and prices.

Keep reading

More from the journal

• What to expect at your first sound bath
• What to wear to a sound bath
• Sound healing aftercare
• Every article in the journal

The rest of it

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