Grace Diviny, Staff Writer
On Thursday, October 1st, the Music Industry Club came together at Hunt Union Waterfront to host a sound healing bath activity for students who may be looking for a way to relax or destress after a long week alongside appreciating forms of music in a non-traditional way.
The event, hosted by Antonio Merlo, was filled with a good number of people as they brought yoga mats to lie on, with some bringing blankets or pillows for an enhanced experience of feeling at peace. The club also had free yoga mats ready for people to grab if needed. Merlo had a variety of sound bowls surrounding him, alongside a brass flute and multiple bells as people began to settle into position.
Before the session began, Merlo advised everyone to turn their phones to airplane mode so as not to cause any distractions during the session. He also advised people to lay down instead of sitting upright for a more relaxed effect.
Afterwards, Merlo told everyone to focus on their breath and to get relaxed as he slowly started the meditation session. For 45 minutes, he continuously played sounds from a variety of the sound bowls, with him occasionally using bells or the wooden flute towards the end of the session to heighten the session for people.
Once he finished, he told everyone to slowly get up when ready with no sudden movements, wanting them to feel as relaxed as possible. Merlo talked about his sound journey, describing how it started with his father and his friends being musicians who played the piano and violin, respectively, alongside growing up with clocks that made him appreciate the different tonalities around him growing up.
He stated he wanted to help relax people through his work as a massage therapist, in which he incorporates sound healing into his works. He also delved into the multiple uses of sound bowls and where you can find them, even using a cake pan as a personal sound bowl. At the end, Merlo invited multiple people to sit in a chair with one of the bowls on our head as he lightly tapped it, giving us a personal sound bath into our ears.
Something that I found fascinating whilst telling us about his backstory was that as humans, we are all atoms and have our own vibrations that make us connected to sound, and that the sound bowls are stronger than our vibrations that take us out of our awake state. As someone who personally taps into the realm of spirituality, I do feel as though we have our own vibrational energy that we channel in a variety of ways, and this session allowed me to tap into that inner energy that made me feel rejuvenated and relaxed again after a week of chaos and stress. Even if you don’t believe in it, I absolutely recommend going to a sound bath meditation session at least once for the experience and relaxation of it!
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