Meditation classes that employ various sounds can relax the mind and nervous system.

Ads for sound therapy, or sound baths, say these musical sessions provide mental-health benefits like relieving stress and anxiety. Music and sounds can greatly impact mood and affect feelings, but how does calming music affect your brain compared to tenser music? I break down what’s known and what’s not about the science of sound therapy.

Neuroscientist Sara Lazar’s amazing brain scans show meditation can actually change the size of key regions of our brain, improving our memory and making us more empathetic, compassionate, and resilient under stress.