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You are warmly welcome here. My name is Nicky, and I love sharing all of the practices which have been of deeply personal benefit to me at times in my life when I’ve needed support. My greatest allies have always been connection with the natural world and sound. These practices coupled with Yoga Nidra have helped me recover from illness, restore balance to my nervous system and manage chronic pain – they have been truly transformational for me.
From my deeply personal experiences, Sound and Ground has been created to pass on and share these beautiful practices and benefits with you. It is my hope they will bring you the same peace of mind, clarity, resilience and sense of fulfilment I have received and that these will be tools for life that benefit you beyond any sessions I may share with you.
“Music begins where the possibilities of language end.” – Jean Sibelius
No doubt we have all experienced the way music can evoke certain emotions and feelings, and even lift our mood. In sound therapy or a sound bath, we use instruments, ways of playing and tones specifically intended to allow the listener’s nervous system to regulate and rebalance, often meaning they experience a state similar to very deep relaxation or meditation.
It is now widely accepted that most illness is stress related. So it is important to recognise that practices promoting relaxation and stress reduction can be a very effective allies for physical and mental wellbeing.
There are numerous potential benefits of sound therapy, particularly for stress relief and overall mental well-being. Research has shown that sound meditation can significantly reduce anxiety and improve mood. For example, a study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine found that participants who experienced singing bowl sound therapy reported decreased tension and improved emotional balance.
“If we accept that sound is vibration and we know that vibration touches every part of our physical being, then we understand that sound is heard not only through our ears but through every cell in our bodies.” Dr Mitchell Gaynor
I specialise in sharing accessible sound sessions suitable for those in need of some soothing and deep rest.
All my sound offerings promote relaxation and wellbeing through sound and are:
• Delivered from a trauma considered perspective
• Culturally neutral and suitable for all – no specific belief system required
• Multi instrumental – working with gongs, singing bowls, percussion and more
• Intended to support and soothe sensitive and overstimulated nervous systems
• Offered from the heart, in the nurturing way I like to receive sound myself
• Infused with Yoga Nidra, mindfulness and nature reconnection
• Probably described as on the fairly gentle side of things in terms of volume!
I have a particular love for gongs and have received (and continue to do so) specific training in the use of these wonderful and evocative instruments from some of the best gong players and gong tutors in the world.
“The role of the gong in sound therapy is to promote health, relaxation and wellbeing through the application of sound waves, frequencies and tones to the body to ‘re-tune’ the various vibrational frequencies of various cells, organs etc. back to their ‘optimum vibration’ following stress, illness or dis-ease. Its ability to produce a wide range of tones and frequencies compared to other sound healing instruments which can be limited in their range means that the body can be washed by sound and the body allowed to select those frequencies needed for healing by the process of entrainment.” – Philip McNamara
Sound can really transport you on a journey of imagination. You may find during a sound bath that you fall asleep, daydream, deeply relax, process thoughts or emotions or maybe feel nothing much at all. The important thing to note is that it is such a unique experience for each listener and there are no right or wrong ways to experience it.
“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” – Leopold Stokowski
My regular sound baths are offered around Thetford, Norfolk and Brandon, Suffolk and include venues such as Culford village hall, Thorpe Woodlands, High Lodge Thetford forest and Brandon Country Park.
I offer indoor sessions year round and outdoor forest and hammock sound baths from April to October.
“There is no medicine you can take that has such a direct influence on your health as a walk in a beautiful forest.”
Dr. Qing Li
A walk in the woods may never be the same again…
Forest bathing, or Shinrin Yoku is a beautifully gentle and yet very effective mindfulness practice for wellbeing.
You could be forgiven for thinking it’s just a walk in the woods, but it is so much more than that.
When we forest bathe, we intentionally create space and time in our busy lives to slow down, to breathe deeply and to reconnect with the natural world. This can offer us so many wonderful benefits which can include:
Through a series of gently guided practices, we engage all of our senses – and find joy, awe alongside opportunities to rest, reflect and recharge as we soak up the beauty of the forest.
“In the forest, we begin to reconnect with nature and journey toward health and happiness. The art of forest bathing is the art of connecting with nature through our senses. All we have to do is accept the invitation.” – Dr Qing Li
My forest bathing sessions in Thetford Forest incorporate gently guided sensory practices, sharing circles, movement, stillness, ‘treelaxation’, some elements of sound therapy, tea and snacks as we finish the session.
It’s rare and precious time without devices, dogs, little ones we so often walk in the forest with. No distractions, just you and nature.
These sessions are offered outdoors, all year round and locations across Norfolk and Suffolk include High Lodge, Thetford Forest, Brandon Country Park and Lynford Arboretum.
Join me for a guided forest bathing session in a group, a private session for your family/friends, or a 1:1 personalised session tailored to your needs. I am proud to be working in partnership with Forestry England as their official provider of forest bathing within Thetford Forest.
The forest awaits!
“Let the judgments and opinions of the mind, be judgments and opinions of the mind, you exist beyond that.” – Ram Dass
A beautiful meditative practice for transformational and deep rest.
Yoga Nidra promotes deep rest and relaxation that isn’t found in your average meditation practice by promoting a slowing down of your brain waves – allowing your mind and body to experience the sweet spot between being awake and asleep and thereby giving the body total relaxation, and restoration: mentally, emotionally, and physically. This is a wonderful practice and can be deeply restorative for the body – one hour of effective Yoga Nidra is said to be as restorative as 3-4hrs of sleep.
“Yoga Nidra is systematic method of complete relaxation. It is a completely guided & 100% effortless meditation technique that takes you into the deepest states of rest and regeneration. With cumulative practice, sleep deficits are restored and deepened states of meditation are achieved without effort. Over time, the benefits are endless….” – Ally Boothroyd
EcoNIDRA™ is a branch of the yoga nidra tree where nidra meets nature connection. A Forest Therapy guide at heart, the founder of EcoNIDRA™ has created this blend of extremely deep relaxation, techniques deepening of our connection with nature, and seeds of transformation that we plant in the potent ground of our subconscious – in the sweet spot between wakefulness and sleep. In this practice you are guided on a relaxing journey through your senses, body and the earth. Through a series of nature-based visualizations and recorded soundscapes, your mind, emotions and body are invited to relax in such a deep way that you may feel more refreshed than after a couple of hours of sleep.
Both Yoga Nidra and EcoNIDRA are fully guided experiences, which means my voice is guiding you throughout the whole practice, this can be helpful if you have previously struggled with other meditation practices. Also, these are both best experienced laying down, this allows you to fully release all tension in the body and feel your connection to the earth. From this place of physical relaxation, relaxation of the mind can follow and in the deep states of relaxation these sessions offer you may find creative insights, clarity, greater connection to your intuition and of course, deep rest.
“There’s a place within us that is always wise and always at rest. Essentially what we’re doing in yoga nidra is dissolving our awareness and our attachment to name and form so that we can return back to that place within us, a place that is always at rest.” – Tracee Stanley
Sound therapy, meditation and forest bathing have scientifically proven potential benefits for your mental and physical health and well-being which can include:
I am qualified and fully insured for all therapies offered.
My training and qualifications are verified with IPHM, CTAA, Yoga Alliance, Meditation Alliance International, EcoNIDRA and TFBI, please enquire if you require more details. I also hold a current outdoor first aid qualification (16hrs)
