Sound baths: an interview and playlist from Dasha Shleyeva
Produced by Elizabeth Seward / Medicinal Media. Shot, edited. and produced by Rob VanAlkemade / Medicinal Media.
In this interview, Dasha Shleyeva shares a bit about sound baths and why they’re worth creating and participating in. Shleyeva offers sonic sanctuaries we can use to center our nervous systems and boost mood. Having seen the transformative effects of sound therapy is what keeps her committed to the work. Sound baths are known for their ability to improve sleep, enhance mindfulness, and promote emotional healing. Learn more about them in this short interview, and then we invite you to enjoy a custom sound bath playlist curated by Shleyeva for Medicinal Media.
Some words on the playlist and recommendations on how to best enjoy it from Shleyeva:
There is no wrong way to do a sound bath, but with the goal of arriving into a softer landing within yourself, I would love to share some suggestions that have allowed me, personally, to go deeper within a sound bath experience.
Get ready to listen. Grab your headphones, find a place where you won’t be disturbed and can let your body melt into a comfortable, restful shape.
Get cozy. Gather around you items of comfort and softness; perhaps a blanket, eye mask, bolster, a pillow. If laying on your back, consider rolling up a blanket under where your knees are, and let them slightly bend, to take pressure off of your lower back. Ideally, the blanket will be in a cylindrical shape, something akin to a foam roller or large burrito, (which is my own personal favorite measurement).
Get into it. As the sounds graze your ears, consider following your breath like a ribbon, tracing it from the beginning of an inhale, right at the top, until it becomes an exhale — and watching it connect to the next inhale. Without trying to change it. Just noticing the breath. You can notice any other sounds going on outside of the sound bath and just give them some awareness. You can observe temperature and sensation in the various parts of your body. You can notice the textures touching your skin. The fabric of your clothes, the pressure of your body on the surface you’re laying on. With each exhale, could you sink deeper?
Whether you daydream, fall asleep, or just stare at the ceiling, all is welcome.
This is for you.
Dasha Shleyeva (she/they) is a somatic educator and a therapeutic musician. She is a neurodivergent and queer Russian immigrant who is currently in a program studying harp-based therapies for clinical settings. Dasha has been playing music for over 20 years, and harp is the most recent instrument added to their repertoire. Utilizing the therapeutic harp approach, they offer amplified harp sound baths, ethereal loops, gentle field recordings, sound wave dynamics, and relaxing vocals. They love to provide embodiment education within physical-therapy-based yoga classes, woven with a grounding sound bath experience. Dasha’s deepest joy in life is reciprocally sharing embodiment, autonomy, and celebration for and between all beings.
You can listen to more of Dasha’s music on glacialmilkarts.com, Bandcamp, and Instagram.
Want more? This dreamy sound bath from Dasha was filmed in Portland, Oregon on an exceptionally rainy December evening.
And for more insight on the research that shows this type of sound experience can have a positive and science-based effect on our mental health and broader well-being, check out this story:
