Celebs often post cheeky bathtime selfies... but Holly Willoughby’s was a little different.
It didn’t involve bubbles and rubber ducks but lots and lots of crystals as she showed off her latest wellness passion, the “sound bath”.
The This Morning star, 41, who launched her company Wylde Moon last November, is fast becoming the British answer to Gwyneth Paltrow and her lifestyle site Goop.
Holly’s jewellery, perfume and crystal diffusers are being snapped up by fans while others are following her advice on spirituality, essential oils, meditation and diet.
So can these crazes really work? I dragged myself off to find out…
Sound Bath
I love a good bubble bath, so hopefully bathing in sound is just as relaxing — although I’m probably not allowed to do it with a glass of red.
As a newbie, I got expert tuition from Laura Konst of crystal business Tali & Loz.
The sound bathcan works by hitting a singing bowl with a wooden stick or running it round the rim until it emits a low hum.
The ring of my metal Tibetan bowl is otherworldly, and I can definitely feel its relaxing appeal.
Laura, 33, explains that the reason Holly does this surrounded by her crystals is that the two go hand-in-hand.
“Everything has a frequency,” she says, and so, each sound or crystal resonates with different chakras [energy points].
As my bowl is metal it is supposed to work well with my root chakra near the upper thighs. A born cynic, I’m not that sensitive to it. But, as they say, many of us need to relax more.
Laura specialises in just crystals on her site taliandloz.com but stresses people don’t need to spend a fortune on a sound bowl.
Unfortunately, the shop I went to must have been the Chanel of sound bowl emporiums. So it’s no wonder I wasn’t too calm.
The bowl might have been ringing but so too were my ears — with the sound of a cashier demanding £79.
Meditation
Holly meditates every morning, which is no mean feat consider- ing she gets up at the crack of dawn to star on our screens.
I have a racing mind from when I wake, until hours after I am supposed to sleep, so I’m not convinced it’ll work.
Laura, who also meditates daily, tells me: “It’s not about thinking of nothing, especially if you’re just starting out. It won’t work. It’s about acceptance.”
She explains you should set intentions and manifest them. “If your mind wanders off and you start thinking about to-do lists, park it and go back to the meditation. The sooner you accept your mind is wandering off the sooner you learn to have peaceful meditation.”
It makes sense. It’s a way of being in the moment — however you get there.
When I get home, I sit on my bed and think about my breathing and being calm. But very quickly I’m thinking about thinking about it; analysing what I am doing.
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Crystals
Holly is a fan of semi-precious stones and expert Laura Konst is happy to show me her vast collection.
There are shiny gems the size of marbles, jagged lumps of fleck-filled rock and spiky sculpture-like stones.
Cross-legged on a yoga mat, Laura shows me how to cleanse the crystals before using them.
She sets light to a bundle of dry sage and moves it across the stones.
Plumes of smoke rise, supposedly extracting negative energy.
Laura says cleansing should be done with an intention in mind.
She explains: “It could be for self-love. You can do an intention of ‘I accept myself, I’m okay like I am’. It’s like manifesting.
“Say for example you use rose quartz for self-love, then you can carry it with you or you put it next to your bed or use it for meditation.”
I try to think about loving myself as I scan the stones but am too distracted by their beauty.
The crystals are stunning and I’m eying Laura’s huge amethyst not for its spiritual qualities but because it would look great in my bedroom. Crystals have to be charged up, apparently, using the full moon. Just line them up in the moonlight and they’re good to go.
Many women have taken to putting crystals in their bras so they stay with them all day (presumably it’s best to remove before going for a jog).
Overall, the experience has been enlightening. Even a cynic can see the benefit of taking time to clear the mind, be in the present and concentrate on yourself.
As for whether I feel relaxed and refreshed, I’ve learnt this stuff will work...if you want it to.
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