Entrepreneur and wellbeing seeker Sunny Singh talks about the benefits of sound healing and exploring a lesser-known side of Ibiza, popular as Spain’s party capital.
In 2014, Sunny (Gurpreet) Singh founded RoundGlass Living, a digital platform which connects people with wellbeing practices from the world’s top teachers. His other venture, RoundGlass Giving, focuses on grassroots initiatives in Punjab to support community wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
As an authentic seeker of ‘Wholistic Wellbeing’ Singh explores pathways to happiness, health, harmony, and growth through the people he meets, the places he goes to, the projects that inspire him, and his practice of yoga, meditation, eating well, and connecting with nature and the community. In his pursuit of wellbeing through journeys around the world and sharing his interactions and experiences with world-class teachers and resources, he hopes to enable others to embark on their own journey of wellbeing. Constantly on the lookout for unique ways towards a happier and healthier life, he discovered the joys of sound therapy.
We spoke to him about his recent sound bath experience in Ibiza, Spain. Excerpts from the interview…
What exactly is a Himalayan Sound Bath?
A sound healing session or sound bath is a tool for positivity. It uses tonal frequencies to bring the body into a state of vibrational balance and harmony.
In a typical session, you lie on the floor or a yoga mat, (your head is aligned close to or alongside the sound healer) facing the ceiling, eyes closed and listening in as a trained practitioner plays a variety of instruments at different pitches and ensures you are ‘bathed’ in soothing sounds and vibrations. Mostly sound bowls of different sizes, made of different materials are tapped on the rim with a mallet. The sounds and vibrations are often accompanied by chanting.
From mantras and humming to instruments and sound bowls, various cultures have used sound as a tool for enhancing mental wellbeing over the centuries. The intention of all these therapies is the same: to move us from a place of imbalance to one of balance. The sound bath was one such opportunity which I experienced in Ibiza.
Why did you choose to try this in Ibiza?
Ibiza is not just a hedonist’s paradise offering sun, sand, and vibrant nightlife. I explored the other side of Ibiza — yoga retreats, healing therapies, fantastic restaurants, the fortified high town of Dalt Vila, and the quiet sandy coves off sparkling blue waters lined by pine-clad hills.
In Ibiza, I tried out the Himalayan sound bath with Mira Arad, a filmmaker and visual artist, who spent seven years in the Himalayas, studying Tai Chi, healing, and therapeutic sounds. The sound bath was hosted at the ATZARÓ Agroturismo hotel and featured famous Sufi musician and mystic Tahir Qawwal. Arad uses ‘full moon singing bowls’ for her sound baths. These metal bowls are specially made on full moon nights in the Himalayas. They are said to achieve high-quality sound energy in musical notes.
At the start of the session, Arad told me, “The sound bath will help tune your body and soul back to its natural state of being, taking it back to the ‘true’. It will help remove your mask and release traumas or hidden emotions you didn’t even know you were storing in your body.” And she was right! Arad’s session left me feeling peaceful and calm and elevated my day — intention combined with sound can have a magical effect on your wellbeing!
Apart from the Himalayan sound bath, I have also tried the sound bath at Crystal Mountain, an experimental hub of healing, health, and happiness that brings together an eclectic group of wellbeing experts, alternative healers, nutritionists, shamans, and vibrational energy workers.
Please describe the experience in detail. How did you prepare for it? Is it done alone? What was your frame of mind before you started? What made you think you needed it? What was the exact procedure? What were the sensations you experienced while it was on?
At Crystal Mountain, the immersive session was conducted by Tania Brown, a yoga practitioner with a deep understanding of the flow of breath and mindful connections. It was an experience like no other. The session began with a mild chanting followed by percussion from bowls of different sizes, each reverberating with a deep sound. Waves of sound washed over me as I lay supine on the floor, eyes closed. It felt like being in a deep meditative state and I was transported to a place of peace, calm, and relaxation.
How did you feel afterwards? What short- and long-term benefits have you felt?
I was rejuvenated and relaxed at the end of the session. I can’t think of a better way to elevate your day.
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