Author: Sebastien Lagree
The year 2020 has been a difficult one for many of us, as we cope with the rapid changes and the new normal that COVID-19 has brought on.
During times like these, it’s critical to take care of your health, and embrace every resource available to do so. While we often preach the importance of prioritizing mental health, a lot of people don’t know how to go about doing this.
How can we actively create a state of inner peace? What tools can we integrate into our lives to be more calm, happy, and emotionally balanced?
Sound Healing is the perfect answer to these questions - just ask internationally well-known instructor and wellness practitioner, Ana Netanel.
“Sound Healing is an acoustic sound journey using specific frequencies that relax the body, clear the subconscious, calm the mind, and activate your body's natural healing systems.
Sound Healing is so effective because it influences our emotional bodies as well as our physical bodies,” Ana exclusively tells GLAMOUR SA, nothing that the benefits include improving sleep, concentration, decreasing depression, normalizing blood pressure, relieving anxiety and stress, inducing complete relaxation, and much more.
Ana adds: “My mission is to help people relax and heal so they can show up fully in their lives. My expanded vision is to create a wellness community where people feel safe, supported and uplifted so they can heal deeply and bring that healing vibration into their community. Ultimately create a global healing community.”
Ana has shared Sound Healing with many celebrities, and during lockdown, she and client Karrueche Tran co-hosed Instagram Live Sound Bath sessions every Sunday for both of their followers.
She has also taught the likes of Tori Spelling, Dean McDermott, The Doors' guitarist Robby Kreiger, actors Calum Best, Rob Heaps, Peter Gadiot, and singer Maejor, music producer and long-time collaborator with Justin Bieber.
If you’re looking for ways to live a more fulfilling life and work on improving your wellness during lockdown, then look no further.
What is sound healing and what are some of the ways it is used to improve mental, physical, and emotional health?
Sound Healing is an acoustic sound journey using specific frequencies that relax the body, clear the subconscious, calm the mind, and activate your body's natural healing systems.
Sound Healing is so effective because it influences our emotional bodies as well as our physical bodies. Different sound vibrations interact with our physical and energetic bodies in beneficial ways:
- Activates Higher States of Consciousness
- Unlocks Blocked Emotions
- Relieves Anxiety and Stress
- Induces Complete Relaxation
- Promotes Deep Meditation
- Heightens Clarity
- Improves Ability to Concentrate
- Relieves Insomnia
- Decreases Depression
- Normalizes Blood Pressure
- Relieves Physical Pain
- Release Emotional Trauma
In my practice I use gongs. The gong vibrations impact the body and its meridians. It releases blocks, reduces tension and stimulates circulation. The gong changes the feelings that are blocked by cutting the thoughts that sustain and recreate the feelings.
How did you end up practicing Sound Healing?
At an early age, my grandmother Elise, who I was very close to, was diagnosed with leukemia. That tragic event sparked my desire to learn more about health and healing.
Also my mother started one of the first day spas in Florida and I began helping her find healing modalities for her center.
What is your mission with your Sound Healing practice?
My mission is to help people relax and heal so they can show up fully in their lives. My expanded vision is to create a wellness community where people feel safe, supported and uplifted so they can heal deeply and bring that healing vibration into their community. Ultimately create a global healing community.
What is your goal when working with your clients?
My goal is to help my clients heal past traumas, relieve stress and anxiety , and let go of anything that no longer serves them, so they can live the best life ever. I tune into their individual needs and create custom sound healing based on their goals.
How would you define wellness and what inspired your interest in wellness?
Wellness to me has three parts: body, mind and spirit. When these three are in balance and thriving that is when wellness is achieved. I feel it's an ongoing process, choosing what feels good and helps you get better, stronger, more relaxed, what makes you happy. Every choice you make creates your wellness. I got into it because I just wanted to help people feel better.
How do you practice wellness in your daily life?
With every choice I make, I choose to live the best life ever. What does that mean? I practice gratitude, I eat healthy, I walk on the beach, I love being in nature. I listen to high vibrational music. I also light candles. It's the little things that add up to feeling good.
How would you describe your philosophy or motto on health and wellness?
If you are not having the best life ever, change your story.
How do you think that fitness and wellness can be therapeutic?
Fitness and wellness make you feel better. When you exert more energy, you get more energy. If you feel tired and exercise, you immediately feel better and have more energy.
Exercise has been shown to improve your mood. It produces changes in your brain that regulate stress and anxiety. Exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which produce positive feelings. I personally love kundalini yoga.
Who or what gives you the most inspiration and motivation to achieve your health and wellness goals?
My children inspire me to be healthy and achieve my wellness goals. They give me the most motivation because I want to do fun hikes and they keep me inspired.
Also being a mom, the wellness aspect is to keep calm, go with the flow, be flexible and happy. It is especially important to have self care so you can show up fully for your family. Fill your cup so you can help others.
What tips would you give to someone wanting to live a more healthy and mindful lifestyle?
Make small choices that make you happy. Choose to feel good. Meditate, feel grateful, focus on the positive .
Do you have a tip you can share for an easy way that people can use music or sound at home to relieve stress or anxiety?
I have a sound healing album that I recommend. There are two tracks. One is a sound bath experience that you can fall asleep to. The other track is ho'opono pono, a hawaiian forgiveness prayer .
Why do you think celebrities continue to trust you with their wellness goals? What are some of your favourite experiences working with celebs?
I think celebrities trust me because they feel my energy is pure, and sweet, many have come to my events, also through referrals. Celebrities continue to work with me because they notice an improvement in their lives.
Some say it opens up opportunities for them, they get the job, extra interviews, and notice positive changes. They are more present. One of my favourite experiences is I did a sound bath at a beach house and at the end of the sound bath, the dolphins came. Another one, one of my client's young sons, was having trouble sleeping through the night.
I came to their home and did energetic clearing with the Sun gong and they told me that night, he had the best sleep and slept 11 hours. That makes me happy to hear the good stories. Before the pandemic, I flew out to Spain with one of my students, actor and sound healer Adrain Nunez, to do a sound bath for the cast and crew of a Spanish movie before their premiere.
They enjoyed it so much and they were very relaxed for the premiere. The funny thing was that all they were talking about was the sound bath, and how amazing they were feeling, instead of the movie. I also enjoyed sharing sound healing for the cast and crew of Grey's Anatomy.
The first one we did, everyone was so relaxed it was hard for them to go back to work. So the second time we came we did a shorter, 45 minute sound bath.
What do you like to do in your free time? What do you like to do for fun?
In my free time. I love spending time in nature, especially at the ocean. I love going to visit my mom in Hawaii and swim with the wild dolphins.
What is something people may not know about you?
I was born in Romanina, moved to Queens, NYC when I was 5, and grew up in South Florida. I moved to LA 10 years ago from Kauai, Hawaii's garden Island. I also play djembe.
