Combining traditional sound bath meditation and floating, Western Washington University’s Wade King Student Recreation Center is hosting a floating sound bath on Feb. 3 from 6-7 p.m.
The event takes place in the Rec Center’s pool, where air mattresses will be provided free of charge for attendees to enjoy a unique form of meditation.
Crystal Clausen, the Rec Center’s communications consultant, shared the inspiration behind the event.
“Our Aquatics Coordinator held these events for the community in a prior position and brought it to my attention as something new and exciting to try at Western for our campus community,” Clausen said.
A sound bath is a form of meditation dating back to ancient times, where participants are immersed in sound vibrations from a variety of different tools, such as gongs and crystal bowls.
“Sound bath experiences can promote deep relaxation and support personal well-being for participants,” Clausen said. “This event also provides an opportunity for students to step away from the academic and personal demands of the quarter and engage in intentional rest and restoration.”
This sound bath offers students an opportunity to experience something new while also positively impacting their mental health.
Clausen added that she is “Hoping the experience fosters a sense of belonging within the campus community and increases participants’ familiarity and comfort with the campus recreation pool environment.”
College students can benefit from sound baths, given their unique schedules during an often-stressful time of life.
Mace Rockett, a third-year student at Western, regularly attends sound baths hosted in the Bellingham community.
“Being in college is a lot to handle. Sound baths provide me with a time to relax my mind and body,” said Rockett.
Cora Murphy, a fourth-year Western student, attended her first sound bath on Jan. 23 and would recommend the experience to her peers.
“As a student, I think that sound baths help me to slow down and be where my feet are,” Murphy said. “Focusing on the present and not worrying about school or any other aspects of my life allows me to calm down and feel more grounded when I go back to the faster pace of my life.”
Bellingham-based sound bath meditation instructor and former Western student, Kristi Moseley, recommends sound baths for all students, and explains the science behind their benefits.
“(Studies) show that relationships improve. Emotional regulation improves. There's serotonin and dopamine rises, so our ‘feel-good hormones’ are being supported and firing,” said Moseley, who also owns Mystic Heart, a local sound bath business. “That leads to more contentment, more empathy, more creativity, more problem solving and a feeling of peacefulness.”
These mental and physical benefits are valuable for college students as they continue to navigate a new phase of their lives.
“I wish I would have known about it while I was at Western,” said Moseley. “Just to manage the plate full of student life, to decrease stress and tension, to decrease anxiety or that feeling of being overwhelmed with papers being due and so forth.”
The Rec Center’s event is special as it adds another form of tranquility, floating, through providing air mattresses for students to lie on in the pool.
“Floating is so powerful, and it relaxes our nervous system almost immediately,” Moseley said.
The event can be registered for through the Western Involvement Network, and is free for students with Rec Center access.
Mackenzie Rankin (she/her) is a reporter on The Front’s campus life beat. She is a third-year public relations journalism major. Aside from finding new stories to write, she can be found doing art or on walks with her friends. You can reach her at mackenzierankin.thefront@gmail.com
