From a global pandemic to an upcoming election and the stress of balancing work, life, and school, forces competing for our attention are louder than ever but sound itself can serve as a therapeutic way to quiet the outside world.

Longtime yogi Andrea Bridger fell in love with the soothing benefits of sound therapy years ago, and has incorporated them into her Southern Pines yoga practice, Om Shanti Healing. This fall, shes taking her practice on the road with Mindfulness on the Move a traveling studio where Andrea brings yoga, sound therapy, meditation or reiki to you with all the mats, props and tools needed.

This fall, Andrea is taking her practice on the road with Mindfulness on the Move a traveling studio where Andrea brings yoga, sound therapy, meditation or reiki to you with all the mats, props and tools needed.

While we are still in the middle of a pandemic and all that goes with that, not everyone is comfortable going to a studio and outdoor classes, and Zoom isnt for everyone, she says. I understand the importance of a self-care practice and my desire is to make these wellness modalities convenient.

With space for as few as 3 or as many as 15, Andrea can provide a relaxation session for friends in your home or backyard; a team-building experience in your office; or a space for relaxation or movement within a larger event.

We can customize a session for your individual needs and determine how much time you would like to spend on movement, sound bath, and meditation, she says.

Using Tibetan Singing Bowls placed on and around the body as well as the chimes of bells and the gentle vibrations of a gong, Andreas sound therapy sessions can calm the mind and activate the bodys natural healing systems. The calming and harmonizing sounds, as well as the gentle vibrations of the singing bowls, induce a feeling of well-being and deep relaxation that can either enhance a yoga session or help provide a much-needed pause to a busy life.

The calming and harmonizing sounds, as well as the gentle vibrations of the singing bowls, induce a feeling of well-being and deep relaxation that can either enhance a yoga session or help provide a much-needed pause to a busy life.

My yoga and meditation practice has taught me that life is about choices, Andrea says. We can choose the life we want to live, and we can retrain the mind to deal with life as it is, not as we think it should be. We all can choose to be happy in the ordinary moment that is enough.

Andrea has a 500 yoga certification and is a sound meditation guide as well as a level 2 Reiki practitioner. She offers private sound bath sessions in her Om Shanti studio space in downtown Southern Pines and in the past few months she has offered small outdoor classes in the Weymouth Gardens.

My yoga and meditation practice has taught me that life is about choices, Andrea says. We can choose the life we want to live, and we can retrain the mind to deal with life as it is, not as we think it should be. We all can choose to be happy in the ordinary moment that is enough.

Andreas website features a short sound bath, for those unfamiliar who would like to watch a preview of the experience.

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Mindfulness on the Move: Andrea Bridger Brings Yoga and Sound Therapy to You - Southern Pines Pilot