The Ambient Soundbath, Sound Meditation and what is Soundbath Meditation®?
The Ambient Soundbath has its roots in the practice of sound meditation. Sound meditation was something that I began exploring as an undergrad at Goddard College in Vermont some 25 years ago. With a combined goal of having a deeper music listening experience and pursuing a natural, heightened state of awareness, I blended my vipassana, or insight meditation, practice with a self-discovered deep listening and sonic awareness practice.
Where the Ambient Soundbath was created as a sonic break from the everyday routine, a space for thinking and being; the Soundbath Meditation® is meant to go deeper. Where the Ambient Soundbath can create a temporary state of well-being, Soundbath Meditation® aims to create a more permanent feeling of well-being and inner peace.
Soundbath Meditation®, on some level, is not different from mindfulness meditation, in this regard. With mindfulness meditation, the purpose is to become aware of what is currently happening around you, rather than focusing on something different than the present. With Soundbath Meditation®, you become aware of what is happening around you, sonically, and focus on that. In this way, Soundbath Meditation® is a hybrid of mindfulness meditation and vipassana (insight) meditation, where you are both aware of what is currently happening around you (mindfulness) and focused on what is happening as it happens (vipassana/ insight).
When the Ambient Soundbath Podcast first came online there was little reference to sound meditation that didn’t, eventually, lead back to the work of, Deep Listening pioneer and composer, Pauline Oliveros. However, since then, many new websites and articles have popped up talking about the benefits of sound meditation, sonic awareness, even “live” soundbaths. I believe that we’ve reached a new era for sound as a way to create sustainable heightened states of awareness and consciousness and I believe the time has come to begin to talk about and teach the benefits of Soundbath Meditation®. I will be talking about this more in the days, weeks and years to come.
If you’re interested in being a part of a virtual Soundbath Meditation®, please contact me here.
For now, please continue to enjoy the Ambient Soundbath Podcast and Soundbath Meditation® as a gateway to sustained inner peace.