It was one of those cloudy days where the fresh breeze was just cool enough to make me reach for a light sweater from the closet.
As I opened the door and took off my shoes, the soft music that filled the room seemed to gently leave the burden of the week behind me, just as if I had left my shoes outside the door.
Susan Barlenbach’s warm, welcoming smile set the perfect tone for the space she had so carefully designed.
Her living room in Bow was a tranquil sanctuary with mats, bolsters and pillows scattered on the floor, each piece a silent invitation to relax.
Next to it was an overflowing basket with cozy pillows and soft blankets, which gave the area a touch of comfort.
The room was bathed in a soft, golden light that gave off a calming glow and made it feel like a sanctuary away from the world. Large windows offered a picturesque view of the trees outside, their green branches swaying gently in the breeze.
I could easily imagine myself making myself comfortable with a book, wrapped in a blanket, and looking out.
In a corner of the Greyhouse Studio in Bow, Barlenbach had arranged her collection of crystal bowls in a semi-circle, each surrounded by flickering candles that cast a warm, dancing light. She sat on a cushion behind the bowls, a gong resting in the background, waiting to be used.
“Everything vibrates down to the molecular level,” says Barlenbach.
In her 42 years as a music teacher, including her current position at Dunbarton Elementary School, she has experienced firsthand the profound impact music can have on lives.
“The idea of sitting in a vibrating room triggers resonating vibrations in our bodies. This is very beneficial and healing.”
As Barlenbach struck each crystal bowl, their distinct, resonant vibration enveloped me.
The sound waves flowed through the room and dissolved all ambient noise.
I felt something I had never felt before – the striking of one bowl sent a deep pulse through my chest, while another sent gentle waves of vibration through my feet, completely immersing me in the interplay of sound and feeling.
Barlenbach’s journey into the world of therapeutic sound baths began after she experienced one herself and was deeply moved by the process.
“Music moves me so much,” she said. “The vibrations, certain sounds together really trigger an emotional response in me.”
For everyone who comes to Barlenbach’s sound bath, the experience begins with gentle music and an invitation to make yourself comfortable. She then explains the role of each instrument and leads her guests through a short meditation.
But it’s not just the crystal bowls that make the sound bath unique. Each instrument offers its own distinctive sound experience. The wooden wind chime evokes the feeling of rain gently tapping against the window when shaken, while the rotating wind wand creates the feeling of a helicopter hovering overhead.
Barlenbach has heard stories from her guests about how the sound bath has improved their sleep, relieved back pain and even provided emotional relaxation.
“I think that in this very hectic world where we’re hyper-focused on work, a deep state of relaxation just sets you up for a calm week when you come to something like this,” Susan said as she got ready for her private sound bath session on Friday. “I feel like it really ties in with my work as a musician and music teacher.”
For more information, visit greyhousestudionh.com.
