Karen Ponzio Photos
Jim LoPresti shakes away the stress with his bamboo leaf rattle.
If asked where one might go in New Haven for a moment or two of meditative stillness, few people would suggest Crown Street, known for its bustling and crowded restaurants and bars as well as a bevy of sounds that would challenge any symphony. But one place offers, among other wellness and restorative practices, a chance to take in an hour of music made specifically to center its participants and give them a chance to remain present and thoughtful in their minds and bodies.
Sound Bath Sundays are held once a month at Breathing Room, the yoga studio that sits on the second floor of LoRicco Towers. Participants are invited to come by, lie down, and simply let their stress go, all to music created specifically to help them clear their head and let their body unwind.
The flyer for the event posted on social media stated that participants would “embark on a transformative journey of connection and harmony through the power of sound.” On this particular Sunday afternoon, that sound would be provided by multi-instrumentalist Jim LoPresti, whose set up at the front of the room included a hand pan, steel tongue drums, a Tibetan singing bowl, a bamboo leaf rattle, chimes, and a gong. He also would be utilizing electronics that included prerecorded percussion to add to the mix.
LoPresti had the room set up with blankets and bolster-type pillows for each participant. Many arrived with their own yoga mats, and as they filed in and set up their spot for the event, some went right into comfort mode, covering themselves in a blanket or two and immediately folding into the peacefulness of the room and its warm relaxing vibe. LoPresti offered assistance and made sure everyone had what they needed to be comfortable.
The set up of the room.
Once everyone was in place, LoPresti began by welcoming everyone, asking if anyone had never participated in one before.
“The good thing is there’s not much to do but lay down, but every time I say that, I rethink it,” he said with a smile. “There’s a lot to do up here,” he added, pointing to his head.
He then explained that there would be 10 minutes of grounding followed by one hour of music playing. The session would end with five minutes of silence, followed by a little bit of talking “to bring us back.”
“This is a great way to wind down the week, or get ready for the week ahead. We can take some of that steadiness with us to Monday.”
As the grounding time began, LoPresti emphasized to the participants that this was “your time” adding that there was “no right or wrong way to experience it.” He reminded people that if anyone need to move around or get up, they could go ahead and do so. He also mentioned that if an outside noise was heard to “bring your minds back to the breath and body.”
“Be kind to yourself and relax. It’s tough to slow down. All these thoughts are a missed opportunity for mindfulness.”
He noted that some people use the time for meditation and others simply “drift off” to sleep, but that for everyone it was a chance to “slow down and stop thinking” once the music began. “How do we do that?” he pondered, and asked us to ponder as well.
LoPresti then began performing, the percussive tones changing and morphing throughout the hour. A longer, more dronelike sound came from a prerecorded synthesizer, while a sound like wind blowing through the trees came from the bamboo leaf rattle. The chimes gave one a sense of lightness, like a gentle drizzle of cool rain on a hot summer day, and the gong, which LoPresti ran the mallet along versus hitting it, offered a lower tone that inspired even deeper introspection.
The instruments used by LoPresti
This reporter participated to her fullest extent (save for trying to take some notes and photos without being disruptive to the process) and found it to be one of the first times in many years that she was able to shake away the pervasive thoughts of past and future to settle into the present and just be. Even the silence seemed to wash over the room in a melodic and cleansing way that offered a freedom from the car horns and shouting from the street below.
The session ended with LoPresti instructing the group to come back out with deeper breaths, adding that they could wiggle their toes and fingers to initiate movement, and then find their “path of least resistance” to sitting when ready. Each person took their own way and time, and everyone left the room smiling.
LoPresti, who has been a musician since he was 8 years old and a percussionist since he was 12, began playing hand pans around 6 years ago. He has many recordings of his music (including one which is made specifically for sound baths) on Bandcamp and has also performed at a variety of venues throughout the state. He has been facilitating both groups and private sessions with Breathing Room since the end of 2020 and is now a part of a regular rotation of sound bath practitioners that come through the space once a month. He noted that during the sound bath, the music he plays is “improvised, but with a little bit of structure.” He pays attention to tones, working to keep them “brighter and happier towards the end” of the session.
“It’s a grounding mindfulness meditation,” he added, noting that some people have a difficult time staying still and some even may have pain or discomfort come up that they can address elsewhere. But overall, he hoped people would be “uplifted.”
“I try to keep it really inviting for everyone so it isn’t too much,” he said. “It’s mindfulness.… I bring it back to that, the breathing and being aware of the room and each other. Music helps us to quiet our minds and stay steady.”
As someone who has practiced meditation and mindfulness himself for many years, LoPresti knows that it is, in the end, a practice, not a quick fix. The more we attempt it, the less difficult it can be to let ourselves have that time to stop, settle in, and let go.
“Ultimately, we don’t take time to sit and quiet our minds, so if you have that quiet time, you think, ‘OK, maybe I’ll set time aside for myself and do this more often.’”
As I walked down Crown Street after the session was over, I let the sound of the cars and the crowds move past me, and let the peacefulness remain.
Sound Bath Sundays happen monthly at Breathing Room. Please check out their website for more information including pricing and registration.
Jim LoPresti is a phenomenal artist; not only with the instruments he plays, but with the work he has done over many years as a Tattoo artist at Lucky Soul Tattoo in Amity. Jim, Tracey, and their daughter and the most caring and dedicated friends anyone can be lucky enough to have. Please take any opportunity to enjoy his work. You won't be disappointed.