Atlanta artist gives passersby on the Beltline a chance to slow down and relax

We spend a lot of time thinking about what's next, whether it's the next task, the next place, or the next thing that needs our attention.

But on the Atlanta Beltline, one artist is giving the community a reason to slow down and listen.

Healing artist and hypnotist Becky Shanks brings her singing bowls to the popular walking trail, creating frequencies she says can help the body relax and the mind settle.

No appointment is necessary, just an invitation to listen.

"They are deeply relaxing. They're guiding the mind into theta," said Shanks. "Theta is the state of mind that we pass through in falling asleep and awakening each day. And in that space, the relaxation response is activated."

She said when the relaxation response activates, the body feels safe to relax, digestion begins, and the mind settles down and becomes quiet.

Shanks' audience is whoever happens to pass by.

Some keep walking. Others stop.

Shanks said even a few moments with the sound is a chance to step out of the day's mental clutter.

"They are very mystical and enchanting, and I think it's really nice to share that energy with a very chaotic world," she said.

For her, that's why the work belongs on the Beltline and not behind closed doors, but in a shared space where an entire community can discover it.

"These bowls are essentially broadcasting a field of energy. They're creating a pool of consciousness that is deeply relaxing, that's inviting the passersby to connect to the sound, to connect to the color, to connect to the frequencies and the energies of these bowls themselves," she said.

Sometimes a passerby becomes a believer.

Atlanta filmmaker Melvin Keith said he knows the feeling of always thinking about what comes next.

"The next thing, next thing, next thing. That's the business of that," Keith said.

The more time he spent with the sound, the more he said the feeling of urgency loosened its grip.

"The more I tuned into this, the signal became clear. It's hard to put into words, but it's a feeling of alignment," he said.

It's a lesson Keith said he carried with him after the sound faded.

"This taught me to let go of the insignificant," he said.

What Shanks hopes to offer is not silence from the world around us, but just a few moments to feel a little less overwhelmed by it.

Shanks told CBS News Atlanta that she is creating a school for unlearning, which is the intentional process of letting go of outdated or limiting beliefs, behaviors, and knowledge to make room for new ways of thinking and understanding through her healing arts business, Sacred: Human.