The Cool Current | Sound Bath at 105f South Loop / Chicago, IL on 10/11/26

The Cool Current: A Sound Bath at 105F South Loop in Chicago, IL on 10/11/26

$40.00

Every class in this room runs a similar direction: heat up, push through, sweat it out. That's the whole design, and it works — but it only works because something eventually has to come back down. Heat needs a cool-down the same way effort needs rest. Most weeks, that part gets skipped.

This is the evening where it doesn't.

You'll come in off Polk Street, trade the mat you usually sweat through for one you simply lie down on, and let the room do something different for once. We'll open with a short guided meditation to slow the breath. Then the instruments begin.

Marian Kraus of Higher Frequency Living plays live on large titanium and bronze gongs, Himalayan singing bowls, handpan, didgeridoo, shruti box, chimes, drums, jaw-harp, and voice. Each one keeps generating sound long after it's struck or bowed — no sequence to follow, no pace to hold, which for a room full of people used to counting postures and breath cycles is its own kind of relief. The sound doesn't move through a series. It just arrives, from every side, and stays.

What happens next tends to move two ways.

One is a drop — the nervous system finally exhaling after a week of effort, muscles that have been working going properly slack for the first time in days. The other is a different kind of charge than the one you're used to generating here: not built through exertion, but arriving on its own, from the sound itself. People often leave calmer and clearer at once, which isn't a combination a heated class is built to produce.

You don't have to be flexible for this or push toward anything. Lie down. Let something other than effort do the work tonight.

Reserve your mat for the one class on the schedule that asks nothing of your body at all. Please note that the day of attendance fee is $45.00 - register today.

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About Higher Frequency Living Sound Baths

A sound bath is a meditation you do lying down. No water, no swimsuit, nothing to chant, no posture to hold. You come in, get comfortable, and listen while instruments are played live around the room.

I'm Marian Kraus of Higher Frequency Living. Since 2011 I've been leading these evenings in yoga studios, wellness centers, and holistic spaces across the Chicago area. On a given night I might play large titanium and bronze gongs, Himalayan singing bowls, handpan, didgeridoo, shruti box, drums, chimes, jaw harp, and voice. The room and the group determines which.

Not into Stillness? You might be siurprised

If your usual practice runs hot, fast, and sweat-soaked, lying still for 75 minutes can sound like the opposite of why you came. It isn't. The same capacity that gets you through a 90-minute heated class — the willingness to stay present when it's uncomfortable — is exactly what a sound bath asks of you, just pointed in the other direction. Several 105F regulars have said this is the hardest "easy" thing they've done all month.

How an evening goes

The shape is always similar. We open with a short guided meditation — five to ten minutes, long enough to slow the breath and let the day fall away. Then the instruments begin, and they don't stop. Most evenings run about 90 minutes, beginning to end.

What these instruments share is that their sound keeps going. A gong struck once produces overtones long after the mallet has left it. There's no verse, no chorus, nothing to count. Attention goes looking for something to follow, doesn't find it, and eventually stops looking. That's the doorway.

What people describe afterward

Usually two things, often in the same evening.

One is unloading. The breath slows, the jaw lets go, the internal commentary gets quieter and then intermittent. Many people slip into the hypnagogic state — that threshold between waking and sleeping where thinking loosens and images arrive on their own. We all pass through it briefly every night; here it can stay open long enough to notice.

The other is closer to being switched on. Sustained vibration doesn't only settle a nervous system, it stirs one. It's common to sit up at the end more alert and less cluttered than when you arrived, without having done anything to earn it.

What the research shows

Early, small-scale, and encouraging. A 2017 observational study reported less tension, anger, and fatigue after a single singing-bowl session. A 2023 randomized trial found reduced anxiety and improved heart rate variability after one session compared with control conditions, and a 2025 randomized trial of a four-week daily sound meditation program reported lower anxiety and lower salivary cortisol. Worth knowing — and worth saying plainly: this is rest and restoration, not medical treatment.

Questions people ask

What actually happens at a sound bath?

You lie down on a mat, fully clothed, and stay there. The evening opens with a brief guided meditation and then moves into roughly an hour of unbroken live sound — gongs, singing bowls, handpan, didgeridoo, and others played around the room. Nothing is asked of you. No chanting, no movement, no technique.

Do I need meditation experience?

None. This is one of the few contemplative practices that asks nothing of a first-timer, and there's no way to do it incorrectly. People who've given up on seated meditation often do well here, because the sound carries your attention instead of asking you to carry it.

What should I wear and bring?

Loose layers and socks. An hour of lying still drops your body temperature more than you'd expect, so bring more warmth than seems necessary. Mats and blankets are usually provided by the venue. A pillow, bolster, eye mask, or water bottle are all welcome. Arrive 10–15 minutes early so you're settled before we begin, and eat something light beforehand rather than a full meal.

What if I fall asleep?

Common, and completely fine. Dozing off doesn't mean you missed anything — the sound goes on reaching you, and the people…