What Sound Healing Means to Me

People often ask me, "What is sound healing for you?"

Honestly, it didn't begin for me as a technique or a healing modality. It feels more like something that slowly followed me through life, long before I even called it sound healing.

My connection with sound actually began in a very sweet and slightly funny way.

When I was a little girl, my father used to play the tabla on my head. Yes… literally on my head. Apparently my head was sometimes more available than the actual tabla.

And somehow it worked — within a few minutes I would fall asleep.

So technically speaking, my first sound healing sessions happened before I even knew what sound healing was.

Looking back now, I realize it wasn't just the rhythm. Those patterns created repetitive sensory input that calmed the nervous system. My breathing slowed, my body relaxed, and sleep came naturally. In modern language, we might call this nervous system regulation through rhythm and sound.

Years later, around 2014, I started going to the Gurudwara more consciously and listening to kirtans. Even when I didn't understand every word, the musical structure and repetition naturally slowed the mind. Rhythmic chanting and melody are known to help the brain shift toward calmer brainwave states, which is why devotional music often brings a feeling of peace.

I was also deeply drawn to Indian classical music. Certain ragas have an incredible ability to slow everything down inside you.

Instruments like the tabla, sitar, and flute each affect the body in unique ways. The tabla introduces rhythmic cycles that influence attention and internal rhythms like breath. The sitar produces rich harmonic overtones that the auditory system processes very deeply. And the flute, with its pure and continuous tone, often creates a naturally calming effect on the nervous system.

Then at some point, Tibetan singing bowls entered my life. Their sustained tones and layered overtones create acoustic waves that the body perceives not just through hearing but also through subtle physical resonance.

I remember one very special moment when I visited Neem Karoli Baba's Kainchi Dham Ashram. I had taken my Tibetan bowl with me. Sitting quietly there, I began gently rimming the bowl, and the sound naturally guided me into a deep state of stillness.

Another moment happened when I first arrived in Rishikesh in 2021. I was staying near Triveni Ghat, and in the evenings I would hear someone playing the flute from a distance. I never knew exactly where the sound was coming from, but the melody would float through the air.

There was something about that distant flute that brought a deep sense of surrender inside me — like a reminder of something bigger and unknown.

That experience stayed with me, and today the flute is also part of my sound healing sessions in Tapovan.

Later I experienced Nadbrahma meditation, where you hum for an extended time. As I hummed, I could feel the resonance inside my chest and skull. Humming is known to stimulate the vagus nerve, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the state where the body relaxes and restores itself.

Sound Healing in Rishikesh

Today I offer sound healing sessions in Tapovan, Rishikesh, where instruments like Tibetan bowls, flute, and drums are used for nervous system restoration and deep relaxation for the body and the mind.

For me, sound healing in Rishikesh is quite simple.

It is about creating a space where people can slow down, lie down, breathe, release emotions and allow their body to reset. Sound helps the nervous system move from stress toward balance — something many people are seeking in places like Tapovan, which has become a hub for meditation, yoga, and sound healing.

But beyond all the science, there is also something beautifully human about it.

Sound is everywhere — in our breath, in our heartbeat, in music, in nature.

Sometimes all we need is a moment to pause, listen, and let the body synchronize with the rhythms around us.

And who knows… maybe some of us just need someone to gently play the tabla on our head again so we can finally get a good nap.

Interested in experiencing a sound healing session at Aavya? Explore our private sessions or browse upcoming retreats that include sound healing. You can also reach out to us to book a session during your visit.