Bathing in Sound
Sundays & Mondays 3:30 – 7:30 pm
1 & 1 1/2 hour sessions
beginning June 21st 2022
(please contact for other available times)
Current Protocols
It seems our days for larger gatherings in person – face to face, heart to heart, are still ahead of us – soon to come we hope. As unprecedented as these times are, it’s important that methods of alternative and complimentary care still be available.
I’ve decided to offer individual sessions until we’re able to gather in groups indoors. In order to comply with current health and hygiene requirements regarding the covid virus, I first need to share my hygiene and sanitation protocols.
- Yoga mats and hard surfaces will be sanitized with alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.
- Before you arrive I’ll place your yoga mat 6 feet from the face of the gong, I’ll sit behind the gong while playing.
- Each person is required to wear a mask into the house then take a seat on your mat. Once we begin to stretch and come into position for receiving the sounds of the gong, I recommend your mask be removed. If you are not comfortable removing your mask, you may keep it on. If you need to use the restroom or get up at any point you should wear your mask.
- Bring only essentials with you into the house which might include your own blanket or additional cushioning if you’d like that placed on top of the mat, as well as an eye pillow or covering. I’ll provide a small towel for under the knees, an additional blanket if needed as well as a neck pillow with towel to cover.
- Any fabrics used during the session will be laundered with hot water after each use. The restroom will be supplied with paper towels for drying hands.
- If you have a temperature or feel any symptoms related to the virus, cold or flu, please refrain from attending the Gong Immersion.
- These Gong Sound Immersions will take place at my home in Phoenica. The fee at present is $55 for the hour, $65 for 1 1/2 hours per individual session.
Gongs and Baths
In the last few years you may have heard the term Gong Bath, and wondered, “How do I take a bath with a gong? Or, why would I?”
If you haven’t had the opportunity to hear and feel this brilliant instrument played in person, consider offering this restorative experience to yourself.
The term bath is used in the wellness community to describe the current of sound flowing over your body; where you bathe in sound current, not that there is water involved! (But please, do bring water to drink). The Gong has been utilized for thousands of years as an instrument of healing and meditation in spiritual traditions. In recent years the instrument has gained popular favor. The experience can be deeply meditative, relaxing, and at times evocative. I use the term immersion – it is truly an immersive and soothing experience.
I first experienced the sounds of the gong when I began my path as a Kundalini Yoga student in the mid-80’s. I lived in Los Angeles and attended classes at the studio on La Cienega Blvd. The gong was played on a regular basis at the end of most classes and I was there almost every day for two years – there was a lot of sweat and groaning in those days and the gong was sweet medicine! When I moved to Glastonbury in 2017, I located a Kundalini Yoga class to join in group practice. It was my teacher in Glastonbury who facilitated the study and playing of the gong in the tradition of the Kundalini lineage, and it was there I deepened my relationship with the instrument so that I may offer this experience of immersive sound to others. It is mostly in this tradition I share the sounds of the gong.
“My Gong Bath Experience with Janet was amazing. It was extremely relaxing and carried me to a very peaceful state. The sounds of the gong penetrated my physical, mental and emotional bodies! The vibration of the sounds was instrumental in moving out old areas of stress. I felt freer and more harmonious after the “Bath”!! For all of you who enjoy trying new therapies, I highly recommend treating yourself to a gong session.”
Lynn Harris Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist
Your arrival
When you arrive you’ll be asked to sign the sign-in sheet and take a seat on your mat. Please set your cell phone to airplane mode or turn off.
- (slight variation depending on session length) There will be 10-15 minutes preparation for the gong – light stretching, a brief overview of the history and use of the gong, time for questions, and setting of intention.
- 30-35 min. of receiving the gong sounds
- Approximately 10-15 minutes for gentle re-entry and grounding
The sounds emanating from gongs are difficult for the human brain to follow. You may drift off to a deep relaxing sleep or meditative theta state, or even feel unusually alert. People have varied responses and each individual sound immersion can be experienced differently by the same person. The sounds are clarifying, and clearing. You may find deep feelings arise – this is an opportunity to let them move through you, to release and balance in the current of sound.
Some of the states you may experience:
- deep relaxation
- feeling emotionally moved
- being visually inspired and stimulated
- aware of body tingles as sound moves through old injuries, energetic blocks
- falling asleep. you might even snore! it happens and it’s ok!
Things to consider before your sound immersion
- Wear comfortable, loose and flexible clothing
- No heavy meals the hour prior to your session; best to eat earlier or after the session
- Keep hydrated during the day – sound travels best through water!
- Please refrain from wearing any scents
WOW…such a lovely gong immersion session in a private & serene space! Janet’s guidance & intuitive approach helped me connect to a deeper level within during this powerful & sacred experience.”
Alicia P.
Please read before class
Attending a gong meditation is not appropriate in certain instances. If any of these descriptions apply to you, you should not attend and please let me know if you have questions.
- you’re wearing a pacemaker
- you wear hearing aids (please remove)
- are pregnant
- have tinnitus – the gong could exacerbate your symptoms
- have used recreational drugs or alcohol the same day
- are on psychiatric medications
- no children under 7 years of age
Payment & Schedule
Pay by cash or local check at time of class
Please email, call or text 828.544.2869 with the message Gong for 1 by 1pm on your preferred day with your preferred time. I’ll reply with a text or call to schedule and give you the address. You can also email janet@anima-arts.com and if you have questions, ask away!
If you’d like to read a bit more about the gong, please explore the article at the link below
Learn about Gong Baths
Shimmers in the ephemeral,
Daniel Barber, Sonic Presence Coach
thundering revelatory affirmation,
sirens circle dancing on the wind,
imagery giving way to buoyant, glorious waves of sound
ushering me into the cracks and crevices of
the unseen and unattended.“
“I’ve always loved the bold beauty of gongs and have had a few “gong baths” in my time. But Janet brings a musical and mystical mojo to these experiences that is extraordinary. Her sensibility and her playing allow me to release my “musician’s mind” and proceed faithfully into inner listening territory that often eludes me. These experiences with Janet and the gong are helping facilitate a “soulular” regeneration in me in a way that perhaps only sound, so masterfully and mystically employed, can.”
