Most people know when they feel stressed or are feeling tired or overwhelmed,  but very few understand why their body reacts the way it does.  But once you understand the why your body reacts like this everything makes more sense and it also help with understanding why practices such as sound work so well in helping you calm your nervous system and your stress response.

Your Nervous System

Your body has an automatic wiring system called the Autonomic Nervous System,  it runs behind the scenes all day long.

A good way of thinking about this is when you think about driving a car.

1. The Sympathetic Nervous System (The Accelerator Pedal)

This is your stress mode your fight-or-flight.
When it switches on, you might feel:

• Tense shoulders

• Busy mind

• Faster heartbeat

• Shallow breathing

• Irritability, anxiety, or overwhelm

It’s not “bad” as you do need a bit of stress in your life, however it is not meant to be on all the time.
The problem is that for most of us, during our busy none stop lives, it is.

2. The Parasympathetic Nervous System (The Brake Pedal)

This is your rest and restore mode, your body’s calm place.
It helps:

• Slow your breath

• Relax your muscles

• Boost digestion

• Support sleep

• Lower stress

• Bring you into safety

Healing, clarity, emotional balance  that all happens here.

When life is intense, we get stuck with our foot pressed on the 'the 'Accelerator'.
Sound is one of the quickest ways to help your body press the 'brake.

Why Sound Helps You Feel Calm

Sound doesn’t just go into your ears, it moves through your body.
Vibration affects the nervous system in a surprisingly physical way.

Here’s the simple version.

The Vagus Nerve -Your Built-In Calm Switch

There’s a huge nerve running from your brain down through your chest, lungs and digestive system. It’s called the vagus nerve, and it controls a lot of your parasympathetic (calming) functions.

When this nerve is stimulated, your body naturally slows down, softens, and feels safer.

And guess what stimulates it beautifully?

✔ humming
✔ chanting
✔ crystal bowls
✔ Tibetan bowls
✔ calming music
✔ low, steady frequencies
✔ slow rhythmic sound

These vibrations gently nudge the body out of stress mode and into calm.

Sound is basically an external hand reaching into the body and whispering, “It’s safe to relax now.”

Interesting Research

1. Singing Bowl Meditation Study (2016)

A study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine found that after a single singing bowl session, participants had:

• decreased tension

• decreased anxiety

• decreased fatigue

• decreased depressed mood

Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5871151/

2. Sound Stimulation & Nervous System Recovery (2023)

Another study showed that sound-based stimulation helped the autonomic nervous system recover faster and improved heart rate variability, a key measure of nervous system health.

Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10509153/

Both point to the same conclusion: sound helps the body switch from stress into rest.

What This Means for You

When you work with sound  whether listening or using bowls  you’re not just relaxing.

You're helping your body:

• switch off stress mode

• soften tension

• regulate your breath

• activate the vagus nerve

• move into rest and repair

• feel grounded and safe

It’s a powerful tool that works with your biology, not against it