What is sound healing and how does it work?

Sound healing uses vibrations from instruments like gongs and singing bowls to promote relaxation and emotional healing. It helps balance your energy and supports nervous system regulation.

How does sound healing actually work?

Sound interacts with the body through vibration. Because the body is largely made of water, sound waves can travel through tissues and influence the nervous system. Many people experience shifts in breathing, muscle tension, and overall state of awareness during and after sound sessions. In this work, sound is not used to fix or direct change. It creates a steady environment where the nervous system can respond in its own way. Rather than applying a technique, the focus is on allowing your system to settle, organize, and integrate at its own pace. Nothing is required of you during the process.

What is it like to experience sound healing with Julie Jewels Smoot?

Sessions with Julie Jewels Smoot are non-directive and presence-based. You are not guided toward a specific outcome or asked to process anything. Instead, you are met exactly as you are. Through the steady use of gongs, singing bowls, and subtle sound, a space is created where your nervous system can respond at its own pace. There is no pressure to relax, release, or change. You are simply invited to listen. This approach allows the experience to unfold naturally—through permission, not force. Nothing is required of you.

How do you use Chiron, Neptune, Sidereal Moon, Jupiter, and Heart Gongs in your sessions?

I use each gong as a field of sound rather than as a tool to direct or fix anything. Each one carries a different quality of presence, and I choose them based on what is already here—not based on a goal. The Chiron Gong is often present when something is ready to be named, without needing resolution. The Neptune Gong offers a more fluid, spacious field, where there is no need for clarity or structure. The Sidereal Moon Gong supports quieter, cyclical rhythms and inward attention. The Jupiter Gong creates a sense of space and openness, without pushing expansion. The Heart Gong holds a steady center, allowing the heart to be as it is. Sometimes one gong is used. Sometimes they are layered. Sometimes the sound remains minimal. Nothing is directed, and nothing is required. You are simply invited to listen.

Hand Over Heart Listening

Julie Jewels Smoot
4 hours ago
2 min read

A woman embraces tranquility at sunset, placing her hand over her heart in a mindful gesture of self-compassion and reflection, surrounded by calming elements.

There are moments when we need something simple and grounding. Not advice. Not solutions. Not another task to complete.

Just a moment to listen.

This practice invites you to connect with your body through gentle awareness and compassionate attention. It can be used before bed, during stressful moments, after a difficult conversation, or anytime you feel disconnected from yourself.

Purpose

Hand Over Heart Listening is designed to support emotional awareness, nervous system regulation, self-compassion, and reconnection with the body.

There is no goal to achieve. There is nothing to fix.

The practice is simply an opportunity to listen.

The Practice

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.

Allow your body to settle into a position that feels supportive.

Place one hand over your heart.

Place your other hand over your abdomen.

Notice the warmth of your hands against your body.

Take a slow breath in.

Allow a gentle breath out.

There is no need to force deep breathing. Let your breath arrive naturally.

As you continue breathing, notice the rise and fall beneath your hands.

You may feel movement in your chest.

You may feel movement in your abdomen.

You may notice very little at all.

Whatever you notice is enough.

After several breaths, quietly ask yourself:

"What feels present right now?"

Pause.

Listen without trying to change the answer.

Perhaps you notice:

Calm
Sadness
Relief
Fatigue
Frustration
Gratitude
Uncertainty
Nothing in particular

All responses are welcome.

If emotions arise, allow them space.

If thoughts arise, notice them gently.

If your mind wanders, simply return your attention to the feeling of your hands resting on your body.

Continue listening for three to five minutes.

Reflection

When you feel ready, ask yourself:

What did I notice?
What feels supported?
What might I need today?
What would kindness toward myself look like right now?

There is no right answer.

Closing

Take one final breath.

Feel the support beneath you.

Thank yourself for taking a few moments to listen.

Before returning to your day, gently remind yourself:

"I am allowed to meet myself with compassion."

Julie Jewels Smoot