The Power of Sound for Co-Regulation in the Perinatal Period

From the moment of conception, a mother and baby are in constant energetic and physiological communication. This intimate bond is a dance of rhythms—heartbeats, breath, hormones, emotions, and nervous system states. Sound becomes an extraordinary bridge in this dance, offering a shared vibration that nourishes both mother and child.

Co-Regulation Begins in the Womb

- - The baby senses and responds to the mother’s emotional state through biochemical and vibrational cues. Her stress or calm directly affects the baby’s developing nervous system.
  - Gentle, soothing sounds—especially those offered in a sound journey—help activate the mother’s parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” state), creating a calming environment for both.
  - When a mother listens to grounding tones like crystal singing bowls, ocean drums, or a steady heartbeat-like rhythm, her body settles, and this calm is biologically shared with her baby.

Sound as a Co-regulation Tool

- - Pre-natal benefits: Sound Journey sessions promote emotional regulation, lower cortisol levels, reduce anxiety, and increase oxytocin. These states create a womb environment rich in safety and connection.
  - Post-natal support: Newborns continue to co-regulate through the mother’s presence, voice, breath, and touch. Sound journeys can help a mother reset her own nervous system, especially during the intense early postpartum period.
  - Bonding through vibration: Repeated exposure to certain sounds or lullabies in utero can become familiar and comforting to a newborn post-birth, offering continuity and grounding.

Emotional & Energetic Resonance

A relaxed, emotionally attuned mother sends signals of safety, rhythm, and love—and sound is a direct pathway to amplify these states. Whether through harmonic resonance or intentional silence between sounds, a Sound Journey creates space for inner coherence that radiates outward to baby.

Perinatal Sound Journey Experiences

In April we began a weekly offering for classes alternating between locations in Los Osos and San Luis Obispo. Check our schedule for any updates. You can also schedule private sessions with Dee.

Join us for a soothing sound journey created especially for parents (including expectant parents), partners, and caregivers with babies up to one year old. This is a nourishing space for deep relaxation, bonding, and well-being for both you and your precious little one.

Commonly known as sound baths, these experiences feature gentle vibrations and calming harmonic tones from instruments such as crystal singing bowls, chimes, and soft rhythmic percussion. Loud or intensely vibrating sounds are avoided to ensure a nurturing and safe environment for sensitive little ears and nervous systems.

You’ll also be guided through light breathwork and vocal toning to support nervous system regulation, emotional connection, as well as stimulates cognitive and language development.

This is a comfortable, flexible space created with your needs in mind. Feel free to tend to your baby however needed—nurse, feed, change a diaper, walk, rock, or simply be present. You’re among others doing the same, with full permission to just be.

As babies become more mobile and curious, the experience may shift to include gentle movement and playful sound exploration.

Benefits of Sweet Lullabies Sound Journeys:

Soothing Vibrations for Babies – Infants are highly receptive to sound, and gentle tones mimic the comforting sensations of the womb, supporting relaxation and sleep.
Emotional Connection – Shared moments of sound and stillness strengthen the bond between caregivers and babies, fostering deeper attachment.
Relaxation for Caregivers – Parenting can be overwhelming; this experience offers a chance to pause, breathe, and reset, reducing stress and creating a more peaceful home environment.
Improved Sleep Cycles – The calming effects of sound can enhance sleep patterns for both babies and caregivers.
Regulated Breathing & Energy – Gentle rhythms and breathwork help caregivers feel grounded and present, while babies absorb the soothing energy around them.

***As with any wellness practice during pregnancy, we encourage listening to your body and consulting with your healthcare provider if you have any concerns.***

As a holistic practitioner, my mission is to illuminate pathways to enhanced health and well-being through transformative experiences, including Sound Immersion Journeys, Facilitated Drumming Experiences, Song Circles, and Mindfulness-based Nature Retreats. Each offering creates a sacred space for nurturing and nourishing body, mind, and spirit while promoting therapeutic and holistic health benefits across mental, physical, and social dimensions of well-being, including stress relief. By sharing the sacred wisdom and evidence-based practices in my well-being offerings, I aim to do my part to help foster communities where mindfulness, kindfulness, and harmony flow freely, nurturing the well-being of all. More About Dee.

Public and private events offered throughout San Luis Obispo County.

Flowing and Growing Through Life

The process of becoming

Once again, we come full circle to the summer solstice—a time to reflect on cherished memories, and to nurture hopes and dreams for this season of the year and for this season of your life.

Nature, in its seamless cycles, offers us profound lessons on transformation. The transition from one season to another, the rhythm of day turning into night, and the calming of storms all illustrate that change is not an abrupt event but a continuous process. Each element in nature plays its part in an ongoing dance of transformation. A fallen leaf decomposes and enriches the soil, which in turn nourishes new plants. Similarly, a pine cone can either nurture wildlife or give rise to a new tree. These natural processes highlight that what seems like an end is merely a step in the journey of becoming.

Personal Evolution and Self-Discovery In our own lives, we frequently encounter moments that compel us to reflect on who we are and who we are becoming. Challenges, milestones, and pivotal events serve as catalysts for introspection and growth. These experiences often prompt us to question our identity and our path.

The Concept of Un-Becoming Paul Coehlo, author of “The Alchemist” wrote, “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” The idea of “un-becoming” suggests shedding layers of ourselves that are not aligned with our true essence. It is about letting go of societal expectations, conditioned behaviors, and false identities that obscure our true nature. By un-becoming, we create space to rediscover our authentic selves.

Embracing True Nature Discovering or rediscovering our true nature involves deep introspection and a willingness to confront and release what no longer serves us. It requires us to tune into our inner voice and values, and to live in alignment with our authentic self. This journey of becoming involves showing up in life in a way that reflects our true nature, be it in health, relationships, or other life circumstances.

Practical Steps for Transformation

Mindfulness and Reflection: Regular practices of mindfulness and reflection can help us stay connected with our true selves. Journaling, meditation, and spending time in nature are effective ways to cultivate awareness.
Letting Go: Identify and release beliefs, habits, and patterns that do not resonate with your true self. This can be a gradual process, requiring patience and self-compassion.
Embracing Change: View challenges and changes as opportunities for growth. Embrace them with an open mind and heart, trusting in the process of transformation.
Nurturing Relationships: Surround yourself with people who support and inspire your journey of becoming. Positive relationships can provide encouragement and perspective.
Living Authentically: Make choices that align with your values and true nature. This might involve setting boundaries, pursuing passions, or taking risks that feel right for you.
Sound and Connection at the YOUniversity: Our bodies, like finely tuned instruments, resonate with the vibrations of life around us. By aligning ourselves with these natural frequencies, we can achieve a state of harmony and balance. Modern science and ancient wisdom both emphasize the importance of this alignment, highlighting techniques that transform energy, promote wellness, and foster deep connections. At the YOUniversity, we offer unique experiences that merge modern science and ancient wisdom to transform energy and promote wellness, including: Sound Journeys, “Joyful Rhythms” Drum Circles, Song Circles, and Nature Retreats.

By embracing the concept of un-becoming, we open ourselves to the endless possibilities of who we can become. Just as nature transforms, so do we, continually evolving and becoming more aligned with our true selves.

BeYOUtiful!

Check out our upcoming events to support you throughout each season of your life!

Offered year-round in Los Osos, CA and various locations throughout San Luis Obispo County. Visitors to the beautiful central coast of CA are welcome!

Public and custom private events! Inquire about hosting an event!

See ALL of our events on our CALENDAR page

~Dee DiGioia, Founder of “Mindful Kindful YOUniversity” / Sound Healing Practitioner / Drum Circle Facilitator / Mindfulness & Life Skills Guide for Well-being through Nature Connectedness Retreats

~ Additional Inspirations ~

Everything in the universe changes energy all the time. What falls apart becomes source. It’s an exchange. There’s no judgment. There’s no positive or negative. It’s just energy transforming.

Let Nature and the elements support you.

Engage in the practice of releasing dense, heavy energy. Allow the wind to carry it away, let it drift downstream in a river, transform it through the power of fire, or compost it into the earth. In exchange, invite lighter, transformational energy to enter your being. Feel nourished and renewed by this natural process of release and renewal. ~ Dee DiGioia

“What if the task is simply to unfold, to become who you already are in your essential nature: gentle, compassionate and capable of living fully and passionately present?” ~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer

“When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.” ~Ram Dass

“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition. Each time, you’ll learn something. Each time, you’ll develop strength, wisdom, and perspective. Each time, a little more of the competition falls away. Until all that is left is you: the best version of YOU.” ~Ryan Holiday

“When all is said and done, life is the real curriculum. Life itself is the real curriculum. And how we are in relationship to this very moment is the real meditation practice.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn