Explore The Instruments, Their Therapeutic Uses &

Sonic Signatures

Himalayan Singing Bowls -"A good place to start"

Himalayan Singing Bowls produce rich harmonic tones and gentle vibrations. They are one of the most researched sound therapy instruments with studies suggesting many benefits across mood, stress, and physiological relaxation.

Many people describe the the sound and feeling of Himalayan/ Tibetan bowls as nurturing, warm, grounding, safe, gentle, and like a 'sonic cuddle'.

Because of their gentle and supportive nature, they are often the ideal starting point for one-to-one sound healing, which can be layered and built on with other instruments as the journey deepens. It's common in a session with us to experience both bowls on and off the body, and a variety of techniques, intervals and tones. In groups we often start with Himalayan bowls, again, because they are the perfect, soft, gentle introduction to the sound scape before we go deeper.

If you're considering a one-to-one, this would be a good place to start.

Other ways Himalayan bowl sound may support you:

Stress-reduction & overwhelm
Anxiety & low-mood
Nervous system & emotional regulation
Grief & bereavement
Feeling stuck, in your head, or disconnected
Physical tension relief
Enhancing awareness, mindfulness and presence
Heart-rate variability & resilience improvements

Laura Found in Sound Playing Gong at Charity Sound Bath

Gongs - "Great for releasing pain, deep-rooted beliefs and unhelpful patterns"

Gongs are one of the most used and well-known instruments, especially in group sound baths.

Their low frequencies activate the parasympathetic response, helping the body switch out of fight-or-flight. At the same time, the complex harmonic spectrum quietens the thinking mind and encourages brainwave states linked with deep relaxation, emotional processing, and expanded awareness. This combination is why gongs can feel both grounding and transcendent — supporting inner release, clarity, and profound restoration.

Physiological, energetic effects and therapeutic uses of the gongs:

Deep relaxation
Chronic pain reduction
Clearing stagnant or dense emotional energy
Releasing physical tension
Nervous system recalibration
Encouraging surrender
Quietening the mind
Stress reduction
Emotional processing
Helping you to meet with and work with your 'shadow'
Dissolving fear-based beliefs and thoughts
Spiritual connection or transcendence

Some words to describe the sonic sound of gongs include: physical, powerful, expansive, deep, dark, dissolving, spiritual, other-worldly, transformative, moving, activating, intoxicating, insightful, gorgeous, releasing, moving, overwhelming, and confronting.

Because of this, working with the gong on a one-to-one basis may be best suited to those wanting to deepen self-awareness, clear unhelpful patterns, beliefs, or alleviate pain especially chronic pain. You can read more about the research we took part in here.

Typically, in a series of one-to-one sessions with us, gong therapy would come later in the journey, unless you particularly resonate with the gong sound, have specifically requested gongs, or it has been agreed with us that this is the best choice of instrument for the conscious work we are doing together.

In groups we only ever use gongs for a short period of time and in a very stabilising way, to support gentle release, overall wellbeing and relaxation.

Crystal Singing Bowls Found in Sound.png

Crystal Singing Bowls - "Connecting, clarifying, and pure"

Crystal Singing Bowls are one of the few sound healing instruments that produce pure tones — single, stable frequencies without harmonics, undertones, or overtones. This gives them a precise, laser-like quality that feels both clear and deeply soothing, almost like sound made of light.

Most bowls are made of 99.7% pure quartz crystal, giving them a unique resonance that many people experience as clean, spacious, and deeply balancing. Quartz has a stable molecular structure, and the tones it produces reflect this purity — helping the mind settle, the emotions soften, and the body remember its own coherence.

Crystal bowls are higher in frequency, and because of this, they are often described as angelic, ethereal, pure, gentle, steady, and uplifting, and are particularly supportive when clarity, emotional openness, upper chakra or energetic realignment is needed.

How crystal bowl sound may support you:

Emotional clarity and processing
Relaxation and nervous system soothing
Access to intuition and insight
Raising emotional and energetic vibration. Their angelic sound supports hope, joy & lightness
Heart-centred and upper chakra work
Aura cleansing

In a group sound bath, we use crystal singing bowls as part of the overall rich tapestry of sound and again, only ever in a supportive, gentle, stable way. In a one-to-one they may be blended with other instruments, such as gongs and the voice to support your intentions.

The Bass Drum - "Grounding, primal, and deeply rhythmic"

The drum is one of humanity’s oldest instruments — a sound we recognise instinctively because rhythm is woven into us long before birth. Its deep, steady pulse and tones feels primal and familiar, echoing the heartbeat in the womb and the rhythms of the natural world.

Physiological, energetic effects and therapeutic uses of the bass drum:

Grounding
Embodiment
Heart-mind coherence
Sense of safety and presence
Tension & pain relief
Guides the recipient into a trance-like state
Inner exploration
Diagnosing & dissolving stagnant and stuck energy

Some of the words associated with the drum's sonic signature are: Physical, deep, no-nonsense, tribal, primal, steady, safe, holding, soothing, primitive, hypnotic, clear, awakening, journeying, revealing, deep, journeying and diagnostic.

This makes the drum a great tool as part of a sound bath, or a deeper exploration of self on a one-to-one basis, helping to massage the whole body and encouraging heart-mind coherence, presence, and pain relief, as well as journeying deeper into altered states of awareness.

Passive Voice Therapy - "intimate, soothing, and transformative"

When you receive vocal sound passively in a session, the human voice becomes one of the most powerful therapeutic tools available. We use a range of vocal techniques — including toning, overtoning, and specific vowel sounds to reach parts of the body and energy field that many instruments can’t. Research in acoustics and vocal resonance shows that the human voice can penetrate tissues, stimulate the vagus nerve, and promote harmonic organisation in a uniquely precise and responsive way. Because the voice carries breath, emotion, and intention, it communicates safety at a primal level, helping the system soften, open, and return to balance.

The voice’s sonic signature is often described as: soothing, intimate, holding, transformative, gentle, loving, connecting, supportive, clearing, angelic, beautiful.

How passive vocal sound can support you:

Soothes loneliness, grief, and emotional vulnerability
Helps release fear-based patterns and internal tension
Encourages expression when words are hard to find
Brings comfort, belonging, and a felt sense of being held
Supports clarity, insight, and inner navigation during transition
Vagal nerve stimulation and autonomic regulation
Improved heart-rate variability (HRV)
Full-body resonance that softens tension and fascia
Brainwave entrainment toward calming alpha and theta states
Clears stagnant or heavy emotional energy
Balances chakras and the subtle energy field
Supports repatterning of long-held emotional imprints
Enhances intuition, inner listening, and higher awareness

In group sessions, we weave the toning and overtoning into the wider soundscape to bring warmth, tenderness, and emotional depth to the experience.

In one-to-one sessions, vocal work becomes more personalised — using tones, overtones, harmonics, and guided vocal resonance to support your intentions, release, clarity, and inner alignment. The voice may be blended with other instruments such as Himalayan Bowls or gongs, depending on your needs.

Monochord - "Harmonic, immersive, and balancing"

The monochord is a unique stringed instrument that produces a continuous blanket of sound made entirely of harmonically related tones. When its strings are played, dozens of the same frequencies rise and fall together, creating a rich, vibrating field that feels both grounding and otherworldly.

This harmonic “sound bath within a sound bath” helps the mind settle into stillness, encourages alpha and theta brainwave states, and supports deep nervous system regulation.

The experience is often described as floaty, expansive, timeless, womb-like, meditative, harmonic, balancing, and deeply soothing. Because the monochord surrounds the body with evenly spaced overtones, it can gently recalibrate the system — helping with emotional overwhelm, stress release, inner balancing, and a return to centre.

In one-to-one sessions, the monochord is especially powerful when played close to or directly around the body, offering a full-body resonance that supports relaxation, introspection, and subtle energetic alignment. In groups it is used as part of the tapestry of sound and frequencies to support relaxation and general wellbeing.

Therapeutic Percussion & Chimes

Our selection of therapeutic percussion includes a range of shakers, rain sticks, and chimes.

In a sound bath we use the rain sticks and shakers as part of the overall tapestry of sound and frequency to wake the body up, clear the aura, and clear the space. The same applies in a one-to-one, where they are often used at the end for the same purposes.

The Koshi chimes create soft, melodic tones that are light, clear, and gently uplifting. Each chime is tuned to a specific elemental scale, producing harmonics that naturally settle the mind and support emotional ease. Their delicate, cascading sound helps the nervous system soften in a way that feels safe, familiar, and almost childlike — making them especially soothing at the end of a session.

Unless agreed with us as practitioners, these instruments are only ever a small part of your overall session and never a main focus unless you have specifically requested a session with just chimes, or rain sound. In which case, we'd be happy to explore this with you.

How therapeutic percussion and chime sound may support you:

Clears the subtle field with light, high-frequency harmonics
Invites clarity and openness in the upper chakras
Balances and harmonises energy after deeper work (eg. gongs)
Brings a sense of brightness and renewal
Creates a sense of ease, safety, and comfort
Gently lifts mood and supports emotional lightness
Helps bring closure to a session by signalling safety and integration
Soothes inner-child states, loneliness, and emotional sensitivity
Supports presence and mindfulness through delicate, repeating tones