Ever heard of “spring cleaning” for your life? Sound healing is a way you can do just that.

Also referred to as sound meditation or sound bath, sound healing uses crystal singing bowls to emit a frequency and sound that can restore our internal balance. The sound prompts a physiological reaction and causes our internal biorhythms (e.g., heart rate, brainwaves) to attune to sound, having the effect of washing away the chaotic frequencies we pick up and internalize day to day. A sound bath is like when meditation meets guided-journey-into-the-self. If you want to clear out the old before summer hits and really start fresh, consider this unique healing modality.

We met with Alexandria Santaguida, a Toronto-based singer, songwriter, DJ, yogi and healer who hosts a monthly sound bath at SMPLFY studio and regular events throughout the city under her brand, NULOVE. We asked her what sound healing means to her.

KF: First thing’s first: How does sound healing work?

AS: I’ve learned a way to communicate with the bowls, and I believe every practitioner learns their bowls and how to communicate with them. Through that communication, the bowls tell me what the group I’m working with needs energetically. Each bowl resonates to a note in the musical scale that also correlates to a chakra in the body. These bowls are meant to help you release the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual aspects of you.

I move my ego out of the way and just act as a channel for the energy and healing to move through me. I also use my voice as another tool of sound vibration.

What kind of success stories have you heard from people who have been in your sound healing sessions?

I work with a lot of first timers and I often hear, “Wow, I don’t know what happened to me, but I feel so relaxed.” Many people pass out and fall fast asleep. Each person’s experience is totally unique to them and where they’re at in their journey. Each person receives exactly what they need.

For people who are new to this high vibrational energy, it’s not uncommon to find the sound uncomfortable at first. Discomfort often resonates with the chakra corresponding to the note being played. So don’t be alarmed if the physical body feels some tension or discomfort. It is simply that the body is not used to being around these frequencies and it often adjusts itself during the session. It’s actually a good thing: it means the body is feeling the changes that are needed from the frequencies.

When I start to sing, participants don’t realize that I’m singing; they think it’s a recording! People have shared with me that they are affected the most during the sessions when I sing. It’s common that at least one person per session will be bawling their eyes out–a much-needed emotional release that the body needed! But again, everyone’s experience is completely unique and will change from session to session.

Over the next week or so, you might notice interesting dreams, old emotions resurfacing and things triggering you. BE GENTLE with yourself. Let these things come up and let them go. The sound from the crystals and my voice, along with the healing intention moving through me as a channel, is here to bring those things up to be cleared! So be gentle, and let it come up so it can GO!

What was your introduction to sound healing? How did you get into it?

I’ve been in the yoga realm since I was fourteen. I’ve been teaching and playing the bowls since 2015. I am a vocalist first, so when I first heard the Tibetan bowls–my mom had them when I was young–I was fascinated by them.

When I later heard the crystal singing bowls online, I was drawn to them. I was hesitant on getting my own set for a few years. My ego would tell me things like, “Don’t get them. You don’t know how to play. What if you suck at it?”

So I used to pair up with other people who played the bowls, and I sang along as they played. Then I launched NULOVE (mindful yoga, meditation, music and dance events), and all of my events tend to have a component of sound healing.

There was one event that I hosted, and none of the people I knew with the bowls were available to play along with me. It was at that moment I realized that if I wanted to have this done, I would have to get my own set and do it all by myself…and did! I am grateful for the universe’s push for me to invest in my set. I haven’t stopped playing them since!

How can people experiment with sound healing at home? Does it work if you listen to it online or does it have to be in person?

You can receive some good vibrations and relaxation by listening to sound healing online. I often recommend this for people who have trouble sleeping. Let it play as you are getting to bed for a nice deep sleep. It is a totally different experience in person, but not everyone is able to make it to events and classes.

I have released an album online, Sounds From Above. It is one hour of sound healing music, totally improvised and done live in the studio.

Give Alexandria’s music a listen on her site, or check out her upcoming sound healing event in Toronto on June 22 at 7:30 PM at the Quiet Co.

Sign up to her mailing list for events, or get in touch at theonlyalexandria@gmail.com. Follow her on IG @theonlyalexandria, @nulovecommunity, FB, @theonlyalexandria, @nulovecommunity or Soundcloud at theonlyalexandria.