Be Like Water

About this event

Be Like Water: An Immersive Sound Journey at the Gibbes Art Museum Invites Charleston to Reconnect with Nature

An experiential gathering blending mindfulness, sound, and environmental awareness in collaboration with Charleston Waterkeepers

CHARLESTON, SC — What can water teach us about the way we move through life? On December 9, 2026, the Gibbes Art Museum will host Be Like Water, an immersive sound journey inviting participants to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and deepen their relationship with the natural world.

Created and facilitated by Arlyn Ruddy, founder of Awaken Spanda and conscious music artist known as GiRL, Be Like Water brings together mindfulness, the transformative experience of sound, and environmental awareness in an expansive sound experience within the museum’s rotunda.

Through a carefully curated soundscape featuring the sounds of nature, isochronic tones, and live sound bath instrumentation, participants will be invited into a space of stillness, reflection, and inner exploration. As vibrations wash through the space, the experience encourages participants to soften the body, quiet the mind, and consider water’s remarkable ability to flow, adapt, nourish, and transform.

Where in our lives are we resisting the natural flow? What might become possible if we allowed ourselves to move with greater ease, openness, and awareness?

These questions form the heart of Be Like Water, an experience rooted in the understanding that mindfulness can be a pathway back to our connection with nature. By turning inward, participants are invited to recognize the profound interconnectedness of the waters within our bodies and the waterways that sustain the Lowcountry.

Connecting Inner Awareness with the Protection of Local Waterways

Adding a community-centered dimension to the experience, Charleston Waterkeepers will join the event to share insight into the waterways of the Lowcountry and the importance of protecting and preserving the waters that sustain our region. The collaboration offers an opportunity to connect personal reflection with a broader awareness of our shared environment and our relationship to the natural resources around us.

By bringing together sound, mindfulness, art, and environmental stewardship, Be Like Water invites participants to experience water not simply as a natural resource, but as a reminder of our place within a larger, interconnected ecosystem.

About Arlyn Ruddy and Awaken Spanda

Arlyn Ruddy is the founder of Awaken Spanda, a sound-based transformational practice that has been curating unique “sound xperiences” in Charleston and beyond since 2018. With more than 20 years immersed in the holistic arts, Ruddy’s work explores the intersection of sound, energy, creativity, and conscious connection.

Through Awaken Spanda, she creates immersive experiences designed to encourage self-discovery, energetic awareness, and reconnection with one’s unique potential. As a conscious music artist known as GiRL, Ruddy extends this exploration through alternative hip-hop, electronic soundscapes, and soulful lyricism, using sound as a catalyst for movement, emotion, awareness, and transformation.

Event Details

Event: Be Like Water — An Immersive Sound Journey Date: December 9, 2026 Location: Gibbes Art Museum, Charleston, South Carolina

Experience One: 4:00–5:30 PM Register for the 4:00 PM experience

Experience Two: 6:00–7:30 PM Register for the 6:00 PM experience

Admission: $40 for members | $50 for non-members

What to Bring: Participants should bring their own yoga mat or similar mat, as the experience takes place lying down. Comfortable clothing, a blanket, a pillow, and any additional items needed for comfort are recommended.

Come be still. Come listen. Come flow.

Be Like Water.

For more information about Awaken Spanda, visit awakenspanda.com