Manchester Cathedral Sound Bath – A Milestone in the Life Is Sound Journey
Testing the singing bowls in Manchester Cathedral ahead of the event
The Early Days of Life Is Sound
I have been hosting sound baths for around 18 months now. Starting out at Space At The Mill with around 35 people. The first session was full, and that continued that way before I thought, where would be another great venue? One day I was driving past the historical Victoria Baths and thought, imagine a sound bath in the Baths. I made the phone call to Chris at Victoria Baths, who kindly arranged to show me around, and the rest is history.
Life Is Sound really started to grow from that point. Victoria Baths was around 80 capacity, and those sessions started to be fully booked too. Victoria Baths is an acoustic dream, it gave me the true understanding that I would only ever hold my sound baths in venues that added to your experience. As we drew into winter, the venue became too cold to carry on the sessions there, so I opted for Stretford Public Hall as the winter venue for the sound bath sessions. It was not as acoustically mesmerising as Victoria Baths, but it still has that old nostalgic wonder about it. It was different, but great. It felt like a real community as we went into the darker, more introspective winter sessions, day and night, if you like, between spring/summer sound baths and autumn/winter sessions.
"Life Is Sound has always been about listening – not just to the music, but to yourself."
The Vision Expands – Finding the Next Venue
As we approached spring of this year, you might remember me feeling that question burning in the back of my mind. What is the next level up for Life Is Sound? Where is another venue that would leave you in awe? And as I googled for weeks on end, I decided Manchester Cathedral would be spectacular. I ended up meeting with Anthony from the Cathedral, who kindly showed me around the magnificent piece of Mancunian architecture. The building itself I had never stepped foot in before, and the details I could see were something of artistic wonder. I knew if I could pull a sound bath off in this space, it would be an experience that you would remember for a long time. This venue was a whole different league to what I was currently operating at.
My son was about to be born, and I was wondering if I was taking too much on. Something felt right, and I knew this was the step to take. Maybe I was ignorantly unaware of how much time and effort it was going to consume over the next few months from when I signed on the dotted line of the hire agreement.
"Sometimes the space you step into is not just a room. It is the reflection of who you're becoming."
One of the event poster designs, which you helped me choose
Preparing for Manchester’s Biggest Sound Bath
Leading up to doing the sound bath, which is technically Manchester’s biggest sound bath and something I’m extremely proud of, there was a lot of preparation, a lot of marketing, a lot of postering. I do all the designs, marketing, admin, myself and it really is a lot of work. It felt like every night there was something that needed doing. There were moments where I wondered if I had taken on too much. A venue as grand as Manchester Cathedral would need a certain number of people to fill the space just to break even with the hire fee. But I trusted this was the right move, and that this venue in particular was calling me.
Lately, I’ve been in a phase of life where I can feel another spiritual shift. Maybe you know that feeling too, like something bigger is unfolding. It’s not the first time I’ve felt it, so I didn’t see it as a coincidence that this particular venue was pulling me in, right at this point of growth.
As the months rolled by, the spaces slowly filled, and everything was leading up to this day.
Sound Testing and Final Preparation
I went down to the Cathedral mid-weekend with my good friend Tim. I wanted to test my singing bowls and handpan in the space. I wanted to see, hear, and feel how they responded there, to decide whether I’d need to go all in on production or just trust that the venue’s acoustics would carry the sound naturally.
Setting up to test the singing bowls
The Cathedral is open to the public, so as I played the bowls, people instantly stopped and stood still. That moment showed me how well the bowls were resonating. I moved to the centre of the venue and started to play handpan, and people just seemed completely mesmerised. Not just by the sound itself, but by the instrument. It’s still new to so many.
I even met a few people that day who ended up booking onto the session. Two genuinly nice people, Edwing and Max, they were both really interested in the singing bowls, Max was visiting from Italy, excited by what they had heard in that spontaneous moment, I saw that two tickets were booked and Max actually came back over from Italy for this event so it was really special to see them show up on the day. Those moments are the things that stay with you for a lifetime and it is one of the reasons I love this path so much, because it brings people together, all connected via sound.
The Day Arrives – Nerves and Deep Trust
The day had finally arrived. I packed up all the instruments as usual, but this day, for some reason, I was nervous. For me, it had been such a huge build-up of months of prep, but I was ready to deliver a session to you, someone who had put your faith in me to deliver something special. That is my duty as the sound bath guide. I have to play my instruments well. I have to personally make sure I am able to hold the space, to be grounded, calm, and help that energy shift through you via sound, to help you feel lighter by the time you leave.
To make sure I was the most calm I had ever been before a sound bath, I decided to get there earlier than usual, only to be told we couldn’t set up until 5pm and doors were at 6pm. I felt a bit of panic rise, but the people around me, the team that support me at the sound baths, are incredible. Sessions this big are not something I could do alone. Angela, Maureen, Leah, Helena, Jemila, Zaba, Janat, Lola and James all helped get everything top tier before the very first person entered.
My role is sound, instruments, speakers and microphone check, and being the general guide to help everyone reach the high standard I hold myself to for these sessions. I take my role in this space very seriously. You spend your hard-earned money to come and relax, so it is my duty to make sure I not only help you relax, but I wow you in the process. A Life Is Sound session is not your typical sound bath. It is an event that attracts a beautiful array of energies that is hard to put into words.
Such a special moment as I could feel the sound and the Cathedral create pure magic together.
Atmosphere, Energy and Stillness
As the doors opened and you stepped into the space, I noticed the effect the energy of the Cathedral was having on you. From doors opening to the start of the session is an hour. You place your mat, have a chat or reflect, grab a herbal tea we offer which is kindly blended by Earth and Herb, and typically you can feel and hear the energy building. I can also sense the point where you are ready to start. Yet in the Cathedral, even with so many more people than usual, the volume stayed very chilled. The energy was beautiful, and I knew this session was going to be pure magic before I even played the first note.
I also decided to display some copies of the Life Is Sound Daily Wellness Journal. I had five copies, and you purchased them all. This brings a lot of joy to me. The main reason being, if you can couple the power of a sound bath with the art of journaling, you are now doing some deep work that will help shape you into the version of yourself you would like to be.
Before starting, I always enjoy a quick prayer of gratitude and also ask for guidance throughout the session so I can calmly deliver it to the best of my ability for you. It’s also a moment for me to ground myself and relax before I help you do the same. Years back, I used to make crowds jump all over the place. Now I help people lay down and relax. Yet the nerves that occur beforehand can still feel familiar, even though the environments are completely different.
The Sound Journey Unfolds
I always lead my sessions welcoming you with some gentle relaxation techniques, followed by the singing bowls. As soon as I played the first bowl of the note, I looked up and just thought: wow. This is absolute magic. I was thinking, how would I be feeling if I was partaking in this? I could only smile as I saw all my efforts leading up to this start to make sense, the thing that I called into reality, as you started to drift off and some snores even commenced.
“I saw people drift. I heard soft snores. I felt the whole room exhale to stillness. And I smiled.”
I was excited to get to the handpan part. One thing about delivering sound baths is the enjoyment of playing for you. It’s not so much a performance, but in a way, it is. I really enjoyed that moment. It was a special milestone. My heart was full. Playing the handpan to you is always a great feeling, I had a moment of wow, I am playing my handpan in Manchester Cathedral, that was a personal special moment for me as I have grew with the instrument over the past couple of years. It has taken me a while to fully see how much these sessions help people, and I get so much joy from that.
The hardest part of this session was delivering wave drum sounds to so many of you. I was physically exerted after that section. I had to make sure I reached everyone, as that instrument is a crowd favourite. It felt like doing around 50 squats in a row, who knew that you can burn calories whilst delivering a sound bath?
Like every sound bath, the time flies by. Even though I had extended this session slightly, it went so quick. The energy at the end was indescribable. I stood at the back and took it all in. These sessions are only possible if you show up, and you did. You made this dream a reality, to which I am thankful.
What Comes Next for Life Is Sound
Your words afterwards, as I spoke to some of you, made it clear that this was your favourite venue so far. If you’ve been to a few sessions, you told me this one felt like another level. And if this was your very first sound bath, I hate to break it to you, but it may be hard to top that. Quite a few of you asked me, will I be back here again? I plan on speaking with Manchester Cathedral and seeing if we can make it a regular thing, because you loved it so much and it really is the perfect fit for Life Is Sound.
I spent about a week just floating on a high from how special that session was. It is a true blessing to get to host these sessions for you.
We also have our regular sessions at Victoria Baths over the next couple of months until mid-September, which means there are about three sessions left there. After that, I’ll be looking for some winter magic as I see what’s possible in the next step of the Life Is Sound journey.
Thank you for joining me on this journey, for the contribution you make to it, and for inspiring me to keep finding ways to help you relax in the most meaningful and rewarding of settings.
“You helped create this moment. Your energy was part of the healing. Thank you for walking this path with me.”
I managed to capture a couple of really wonderful moments from the handpan section of the sound bath. You can watch that below.
If this was your first time joining a Life Is Sound session, I’m so glad you found your way here. And if you’ve been part of the journey for a while, you already know… the best is always yet to come.
We’ll be returning to Victoria Baths for a few more magical sessions this summer before we move into the next season of sound. You can check upcoming dates and secure your place here:
I also captured some of the handpan moments from Manchester Cathedral, which you can watch below if you want to revisit that feeling or experience it for the first time, you will also find all my other handpan recordings here.
🎥 Watch the Handpan Performance
If you're drawn to take the practice deeper…
Try the Life Is Sound Daily Wellness Journal, available at all events and online. It's a powerful companion to the work we do in each session:
And if you're interested in future events, behind-the-scenes content, and reflections like this one…
Thank you again for being here, it means more than you know.
With deep gratitude,
James
Life Is Sound
