Just found some tracks on Youtube from one of my favorite albums of all time- the Apple recording from the Radha Krishna. I still have the vinyl but it is not remotely playable! But I could never get rid of it- especially since it has the transliteration of all the chants from the Devanagari- it was my first real introduction to Sanskrit. I remember when I used to chant along with it as a teenager and experiencing the familiarity of the language and my homesickness for India even though still today I have not yet been there in this lifetime.
Healing and Resonance...
At last I am done with three months of intensive teaching- sound healing courses for massage therapists. Not to complain, to be able to provide continuing education credits for massage therapists is a wonderful thing. It is an incredible venue to be able to bring sound healing further into the mainstream. There are many who come thinking they are just coming to get their CEUs and discover a whole new healing modality that they were previously completely unaware of. The deadline for Florida massage therapists to get all their CEUs and renew their licenses is tomorrow. So it has been a pretty intense period of time. And some very powerful experiences and beautiful healings. Here is a testimonial from a participant in a tuning fork workshop a couple of weeks ago who had a pretty amazing experience while receiving a session with the Brain Tuners.
On a different note, there has been a lot of discussion in my world lately about vibrational energy and resonant frequency. One of the things I have been thinking a lot about is telluric energies, or electrical currents that run through the earth. There is a theory that languages, music and cultures developed from these telluric energies and are inherent to those areas. Hence the great differences in, for example, Far Eastern and Germanic languages and music. This could also have to do with the different flora in different areas and part of the problem of introducing foreign species of plant life. They react strangely, are invasive, whatever... because they really are vibrating at a different frequency than the plant life- or animal life- around them. Some of them adapt. They become entrained to the vibration around them. Whichever is the stronger vibration will win out.
On a different note, there has been a lot of discussion in my world lately about vibrational energy and resonant frequency. One of the things I have been thinking a lot about is telluric energies, or electrical currents that run through the earth. There is a theory that languages, music and cultures developed from these telluric energies and are inherent to those areas. Hence the great differences in, for example, Far Eastern and Germanic languages and music. This could also have to do with the different flora in different areas and part of the problem of introducing foreign species of plant life. They react strangely, are invasive, whatever... because they really are vibrating at a different frequency than the plant life- or animal life- around them. Some of them adapt. They become entrained to the vibration around them. Whichever is the stronger vibration will win out.
The End of "Life"...
I spent the last three weeks immersed in Keith Richards' autobiography "Life" when I wasn't immersed in Kirtan Camp, California dreaming, and landing back in the hot humid un-reality of Florida! It was one of those books I did not want to end and have been going back to it for days re-reading different parts of it that struck me the most. I actually had a piece of paper that I kept tearing in half over and over marking another page, then another and another. What a great heart. So honest, such simple straightforward eloquence and deep appreciation. Such a deep love and appreciation for music, for the people in his life- family, friends, acquaintances, fellow musicians- and for his memories of a very packed life.
I have to share some of this. "For many years I slept, on average, twice a week. This means that I have been conscious for at least three lifetimes." This book is so full that it is like reading about three lifetimes and pretty much every moment of it is captivating- at least it was for me.
When he was little his grandfather Gus would take him out on his wanderings. "His warmth, his affection surrounded me, his humor kept me doubled up for large portions of the day. It was hard to find much that was funny in those days in London. But there was always MUSIC!... You had no idea where you'd end up. Little shops around Angel and Islington, he'd just disappear into the back. 'Just stay here a minute, son. Hold the dog.' And then he'd come back saying, 'OK,' and we'd go on and end up in the West End in the workshops of the big music stores, like Ivor Mairants and the HMV. He knew all the makers, the repair guys there. He'd sit me up on a shelf. There'd be these vats of glue and instruments hung up and strung up , guys in long brown coats, gluing, and then there'd be somebody at the end testing instruments; there's be some music going on. And then there'd be these harried little men coming in from the orchestra pit, saying, 'Have you got my violin?' I'd just sit up there with a cup of tea and a biscuit and the vats of glue going blub blub blub like a mini Yellowstone Park, and I was just fascinated. I never got bored. Violins and guitars hung up on wires and going around on a conveyor belt, and all these guys fixing and making and refurbishing instruments. I see it back then as very alchemical, like Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I just fell in love with the instruments."
But my absolutely most favorite part of the whole book is one beautiful paragraph where he describes Roy Orbison. He's talking about when the Stones are in Dunedin, New Zealand, very early on in their career- 1965, and it's been an incredibly long day and it's wet and dark and they're all totally depressed. As he puts it, "Boredom is an illness to me, and I don't suffer from it, but that moment was the lowest ebb. 'I think I'll stand on my head and recycle the drugs.'" And then...
"But Roy Orbison! It was only because we were with Roy Orbison that we were there at all. He was definitely top of the bill that night. What a beacon in the southernmost gloom. The amazing Roy Orbison. He was one of those Texan guys who could sail through anything, including his whole tragic life. His kids die in a fire, his wife dies in a car crash, nothing in his life went right for the big O, but I can't think of a gentler gentleman, or a more stoic personality. That incredible talent for blowing himself up from five foot six to six foot nine, which he seemed to be able to do on stage. It was amazing to witness. He'd been in the sun, looking like a lobster, having a chat, smoke and a drink. 'Well, I'm on in five minutes.' We watch the opening number. And out walks this totally transformed thing that seems to have grown at least a foot with presence and command over the crowd. He was in his shorts just now; how did he do that? It's one of those astounding things about about working in the theater. Backstage you can be a bunch of bums. And 'Ladies and gentlemen' or 'I present to you,' and you're somebody else."
I have to share some of this. "For many years I slept, on average, twice a week. This means that I have been conscious for at least three lifetimes." This book is so full that it is like reading about three lifetimes and pretty much every moment of it is captivating- at least it was for me.
When he was little his grandfather Gus would take him out on his wanderings. "His warmth, his affection surrounded me, his humor kept me doubled up for large portions of the day. It was hard to find much that was funny in those days in London. But there was always MUSIC!... You had no idea where you'd end up. Little shops around Angel and Islington, he'd just disappear into the back. 'Just stay here a minute, son. Hold the dog.' And then he'd come back saying, 'OK,' and we'd go on and end up in the West End in the workshops of the big music stores, like Ivor Mairants and the HMV. He knew all the makers, the repair guys there. He'd sit me up on a shelf. There'd be these vats of glue and instruments hung up and strung up , guys in long brown coats, gluing, and then there'd be somebody at the end testing instruments; there's be some music going on. And then there'd be these harried little men coming in from the orchestra pit, saying, 'Have you got my violin?' I'd just sit up there with a cup of tea and a biscuit and the vats of glue going blub blub blub like a mini Yellowstone Park, and I was just fascinated. I never got bored. Violins and guitars hung up on wires and going around on a conveyor belt, and all these guys fixing and making and refurbishing instruments. I see it back then as very alchemical, like Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I just fell in love with the instruments."
But my absolutely most favorite part of the whole book is one beautiful paragraph where he describes Roy Orbison. He's talking about when the Stones are in Dunedin, New Zealand, very early on in their career- 1965, and it's been an incredibly long day and it's wet and dark and they're all totally depressed. As he puts it, "Boredom is an illness to me, and I don't suffer from it, but that moment was the lowest ebb. 'I think I'll stand on my head and recycle the drugs.'" And then...
"But Roy Orbison! It was only because we were with Roy Orbison that we were there at all. He was definitely top of the bill that night. What a beacon in the southernmost gloom. The amazing Roy Orbison. He was one of those Texan guys who could sail through anything, including his whole tragic life. His kids die in a fire, his wife dies in a car crash, nothing in his life went right for the big O, but I can't think of a gentler gentleman, or a more stoic personality. That incredible talent for blowing himself up from five foot six to six foot nine, which he seemed to be able to do on stage. It was amazing to witness. He'd been in the sun, looking like a lobster, having a chat, smoke and a drink. 'Well, I'm on in five minutes.' We watch the opening number. And out walks this totally transformed thing that seems to have grown at least a foot with presence and command over the crowd. He was in his shorts just now; how did he do that? It's one of those astounding things about about working in the theater. Backstage you can be a bunch of bums. And 'Ladies and gentlemen' or 'I present to you,' and you're somebody else."
Music Heals... Kirtan Camp- 2011!
Just got back from an amazing 7-day Kirtan Camp with Jai Uttal last night! I believe the end count was 55 kirtanistas chanting their hearts out... crying, laughing, singing, praying and playing together. An atmosphere of love, nurturing and support...
I realized sometime over the course of the last few days that I felt physically better than I have in a very long time. Was it the food- mostly raw, all organic... the climate- San Anselmo, CA, just north of SF- and the awareness of what an incredible physical drain Florida has on my body... the music- chanting, playing harmonium and drumming for the better part of 7-8 hours a day... the devotion, the bhakti, the shakti? Well, I think it had to be all of the above... again my favorite word comes to mind- WHOLISTIC. Healing on all levels- body, mind, heart and soul. Giving myself space to be and to heal. I realize how little music I have been enjoying for myself and my own spirit lately.
Such a good reminder of why I do what I do.
So simple.
Music heals.
Sound heals.
Love heals.
Here is a just a glimpse of the absolute sweetness of it all- which also speaks to Jai's generosity and spirit of willingness to share with no agenda of his own. Someone asked about how he combined other instruments with his kirtan and specifically enjoyed his use of the banjo- which is something I have always loved in his music, so the next day he brought it in.
I realized sometime over the course of the last few days that I felt physically better than I have in a very long time. Was it the food- mostly raw, all organic... the climate- San Anselmo, CA, just north of SF- and the awareness of what an incredible physical drain Florida has on my body... the music- chanting, playing harmonium and drumming for the better part of 7-8 hours a day... the devotion, the bhakti, the shakti? Well, I think it had to be all of the above... again my favorite word comes to mind- WHOLISTIC. Healing on all levels- body, mind, heart and soul. Giving myself space to be and to heal. I realize how little music I have been enjoying for myself and my own spirit lately.
Such a good reminder of why I do what I do.
So simple.
Music heals.
Sound heals.
Love heals.
Here is a just a glimpse of the absolute sweetness of it all- which also speaks to Jai's generosity and spirit of willingness to share with no agenda of his own. Someone asked about how he combined other instruments with his kirtan and specifically enjoyed his use of the banjo- which is something I have always loved in his music, so the next day he brought it in.
The Physics of Water and Tibetan Bowls- Part Two
Well, to someone else this might have just been a cool and interesting video- it certainly was to me! But it was also much more than that. I was immediately intrigued because what I saw in the video somehow reminded me of what was happening in the bowls. It was clearly not the same but definitely seemed related. I immediately went to the MIT website and was able to find the email address of John Bush, the math professor on the video. (If you don't know what I'm talking about see last week's blog post.) I was hoping perhaps he could explain what I was seeing. I didn't really expect a response and actually felt a little shy about it but my curiosity far outweighed my sense of awkwardness.
I wrote John an email the same day- in fact probably within the hour of seeing the video because I was so excited about what I had been observing and the possibility of an explanation. I described as best I could what I had been seeing and asked him if he was familiar with the singing bowls. I really figured that even if he hadn't witnessed this in the bowls that he may have been familiar with it in some other capacity and that it was probably some boring "old news" to him and since he was some really important busy guy from MIT the chances of hearing from him were slim at best!
In fact I heard from him within 24-48 hours of sending the email and he was very interested in what I was observing. He said it sounded like the phenomena of "walking droplets" his friend and colleague Yves Couder had been exploring. He attached an article describing the walking droplets and I was pretty convinced that this was exactly what I had been seeing when I played the bowls with water in them. He was not familiar with the bowls beyond that he thought he might have heard one at one time.
This is the URL for the article. Unfortunately I could not get the link to work in this post but you can cut and paste the URL into your browser and it should work.
http://www.lps.ens.fr/~boudaoud/Publis/Couder05Walk.pdf
We continued a dialogue and because it fit right into the work he was already doing, within a short time he had a grant to study the fluid dynamics of the water in Tibetan bowls, specifically in relationship to the wave-particle phenomena in quantum mechanics, previously a theoretical foundation but unproven (and/or not disproven) on a macrocosmic level. I picked out a couple of bowls for him that best displayed the action and they were soon at home in the MIT Math Lab. Before I sent off the bowls though I couldn't resist my own humble demonstration for the world to see.
The bowls I used in this video were two of the bowls I sent to MIT.
Not long after that I was in Massachusetts visiting my mother less than an hour away from Boston and I was invited to come to the Math Lab to see what they were doing. I was very excited! It was pretty much what you would expect of a lab that was studying fluid dynamics- lots of faucets set up at different heights and beautiful large format photographs of drops of water, water patterns and insects walking on the surface of water. And on a white formica counter top was a Tibetan bowl that had been marked in four places around the edge with a Sharpy- clearly the spots where the waveforms would first begin to emerge as it responded to the sound. The bowl had a wire attached to it from a large speaker which would resonate the bowl when they turned it on. That way they could keep the sound at a steady volume to observe and film what was happening. So basically the bowl vibrated by sympathetic resonance rather than someone manually playing it. It was very cool and odd and interesting to see this sacred sound object being used as the centerpoint of a science experiment. The whole question initially was whether they could get the water to "walk". They were excited to try it with silicon fluid because of the difference in viscosity. (Excerpt from an email a couple of weeks later:
"I just came up from the lab, where Denis has seen bouncing of drops of silicon oil in Bowl #1.
Tomorrow, walking!")
All in all I sent them four bowls. I spent lots of time trying out bowls to see which ones really worked the best with the water, in terms of showing the unusual movement of the fluid. I have gotten so that I can tell just by looking at the shape of a bowl whether it will respond especially well with water in it. I am always amazed and fascinated and sometimes still totally surprised by what I see. For example, a few days ago we put water in a smaller bowl, less than four inches across and the droplets formed a beautiful symmetrical pattern all clustered together in the center of the bowl.
The research project was completed in a little over a year and three weeks ago John Bush sent me the original article plus a short article that was in the BBC. It has received a lot of press in various physics and science magazines. This is the link to the article in the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13972556 (Again, you'll have to cut and paste the link. Sorry)
The videos are fascinating so if you don't feel like reading the articles watch this.
This first one is silent but very interesting:
The bowl in the video of the attached article is one of the ones I sent them. He also gifted one to his good friend Yves Couder who I believe was the original inspiration for the research project.
Here is the video from the BBC article.
I am sort of an insane fanatic now and spend absurd amounts of time playing bowls with water in them and watching, watching, watching. Not only that, I find myself watching all kinds of other drops of fluid. Every morning I take a liquid sulphur supplement and I have to count the drops as I add it to water because I have to take a very specific amount. It seems to have an odd consistency and the bouncing is very obvious.
I wrote John an email the same day- in fact probably within the hour of seeing the video because I was so excited about what I had been observing and the possibility of an explanation. I described as best I could what I had been seeing and asked him if he was familiar with the singing bowls. I really figured that even if he hadn't witnessed this in the bowls that he may have been familiar with it in some other capacity and that it was probably some boring "old news" to him and since he was some really important busy guy from MIT the chances of hearing from him were slim at best!
In fact I heard from him within 24-48 hours of sending the email and he was very interested in what I was observing. He said it sounded like the phenomena of "walking droplets" his friend and colleague Yves Couder had been exploring. He attached an article describing the walking droplets and I was pretty convinced that this was exactly what I had been seeing when I played the bowls with water in them. He was not familiar with the bowls beyond that he thought he might have heard one at one time.
This is the URL for the article. Unfortunately I could not get the link to work in this post but you can cut and paste the URL into your browser and it should work.
http://www.lps.ens.fr/~boudaoud/Publis/Couder05Walk.pdf
We continued a dialogue and because it fit right into the work he was already doing, within a short time he had a grant to study the fluid dynamics of the water in Tibetan bowls, specifically in relationship to the wave-particle phenomena in quantum mechanics, previously a theoretical foundation but unproven (and/or not disproven) on a macrocosmic level. I picked out a couple of bowls for him that best displayed the action and they were soon at home in the MIT Math Lab. Before I sent off the bowls though I couldn't resist my own humble demonstration for the world to see.
The bowls I used in this video were two of the bowls I sent to MIT.
Not long after that I was in Massachusetts visiting my mother less than an hour away from Boston and I was invited to come to the Math Lab to see what they were doing. I was very excited! It was pretty much what you would expect of a lab that was studying fluid dynamics- lots of faucets set up at different heights and beautiful large format photographs of drops of water, water patterns and insects walking on the surface of water. And on a white formica counter top was a Tibetan bowl that had been marked in four places around the edge with a Sharpy- clearly the spots where the waveforms would first begin to emerge as it responded to the sound. The bowl had a wire attached to it from a large speaker which would resonate the bowl when they turned it on. That way they could keep the sound at a steady volume to observe and film what was happening. So basically the bowl vibrated by sympathetic resonance rather than someone manually playing it. It was very cool and odd and interesting to see this sacred sound object being used as the centerpoint of a science experiment. The whole question initially was whether they could get the water to "walk". They were excited to try it with silicon fluid because of the difference in viscosity. (Excerpt from an email a couple of weeks later:
"I just came up from the lab, where Denis has seen bouncing of drops of silicon oil in Bowl #1.
Tomorrow, walking!")
All in all I sent them four bowls. I spent lots of time trying out bowls to see which ones really worked the best with the water, in terms of showing the unusual movement of the fluid. I have gotten so that I can tell just by looking at the shape of a bowl whether it will respond especially well with water in it. I am always amazed and fascinated and sometimes still totally surprised by what I see. For example, a few days ago we put water in a smaller bowl, less than four inches across and the droplets formed a beautiful symmetrical pattern all clustered together in the center of the bowl.
The research project was completed in a little over a year and three weeks ago John Bush sent me the original article plus a short article that was in the BBC. It has received a lot of press in various physics and science magazines. This is the link to the article in the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13972556 (Again, you'll have to cut and paste the link. Sorry)
The videos are fascinating so if you don't feel like reading the articles watch this.
This first one is silent but very interesting:
The bowl in the video of the attached article is one of the ones I sent them. He also gifted one to his good friend Yves Couder who I believe was the original inspiration for the research project.
Here is the video from the BBC article.
I am sort of an insane fanatic now and spend absurd amounts of time playing bowls with water in them and watching, watching, watching. Not only that, I find myself watching all kinds of other drops of fluid. Every morning I take a liquid sulphur supplement and I have to count the drops as I add it to water because I have to take a very specific amount. It seems to have an odd consistency and the bouncing is very obvious.
The Physics of Water and Tibetan Bowls- Part One
Okay,so... the big news is that the research paper on the fluid dynamics of Tibetan singing bowls by MIT Professor John Bush and Denis Terwagne of Belgium's University of Liege has finally been published! Why is this of special interest to me? Well, for one thing because I instigated the study.
Here's how the whole thing happened. Once upon a time there was girl named Rosie who was very captivated by a video called "Cymatics" which shows the work of Hans Jenny and how sound affects matter through various medium, including liquids of varying viscosity and certain non-liquid substances such as lycopodium and iron filings. The different materials respond to sound in their own unique ways according to their physical properties- but ALL of them respond. According to the different frequencies they organize themselves in different (and typically orderly) fashion. As the frequencies change the patterns and structures change.
If you are not familiar with the concept of cymatics take a look at this short video.
Okay, you may have figured out by now that Rosie is me, so I'll continue in the first person just to move things along.
As I was teaching my own sound healing workshops I thought it would be fun to do some of our own simple cymatic experiments so I took a frame drum and put sand on the head of a drum and then toned into the edge of the drum. As soon as I hit the primary tone of the drum the head of it would begin to vibrate through sympathetic resonance and the sand would organize into a pattern. This was cool, fun and interesting but it took a lot of breath!
Eventually I got a Tibetan singing bowl and decided to see what would happen with water in the bowl. What I discovered was that when the bowl was struck with the water in it, it would immediately set up a pattern in the water which would become more complex the longer the bowl was resonated as the waves would begin to cross over each other. The volume also seemed to make a difference. And as I acquired more bowls I also noticed that the pattern was different depending on the size and frequency of the bowl.
But what I noticed beyond that was even more interesting to me. The water would bead up on the surface and would stay on the surface as long as the bowl was resonating- and the beads of water seemed to skitter across the surface! It was bizarre and fascinating to me. It seemed to me that the water was not acting like water- it reminded me of when (we were bad kids) and would break a thermometer and mess with the mercury (quicksilver) which would break up into beads and whiz across the floor.
Then one day about a year and a half ago I got an email with a link to this video. Mind you, by this time I had been observing this phenomena with the water in the bowls for over two years wondering what the heck was going on- seriously thinking things like "Could the sound be changing the molecular structure of the water?"
Stay tuned for Installment Two of this very exciting story!
Here's how the whole thing happened. Once upon a time there was girl named Rosie who was very captivated by a video called "Cymatics" which shows the work of Hans Jenny and how sound affects matter through various medium, including liquids of varying viscosity and certain non-liquid substances such as lycopodium and iron filings. The different materials respond to sound in their own unique ways according to their physical properties- but ALL of them respond. According to the different frequencies they organize themselves in different (and typically orderly) fashion. As the frequencies change the patterns and structures change.
If you are not familiar with the concept of cymatics take a look at this short video.
Okay, you may have figured out by now that Rosie is me, so I'll continue in the first person just to move things along.
As I was teaching my own sound healing workshops I thought it would be fun to do some of our own simple cymatic experiments so I took a frame drum and put sand on the head of a drum and then toned into the edge of the drum. As soon as I hit the primary tone of the drum the head of it would begin to vibrate through sympathetic resonance and the sand would organize into a pattern. This was cool, fun and interesting but it took a lot of breath!
Eventually I got a Tibetan singing bowl and decided to see what would happen with water in the bowl. What I discovered was that when the bowl was struck with the water in it, it would immediately set up a pattern in the water which would become more complex the longer the bowl was resonated as the waves would begin to cross over each other. The volume also seemed to make a difference. And as I acquired more bowls I also noticed that the pattern was different depending on the size and frequency of the bowl.
But what I noticed beyond that was even more interesting to me. The water would bead up on the surface and would stay on the surface as long as the bowl was resonating- and the beads of water seemed to skitter across the surface! It was bizarre and fascinating to me. It seemed to me that the water was not acting like water- it reminded me of when (we were bad kids) and would break a thermometer and mess with the mercury (quicksilver) which would break up into beads and whiz across the floor.
Then one day about a year and a half ago I got an email with a link to this video. Mind you, by this time I had been observing this phenomena with the water in the bowls for over two years wondering what the heck was going on- seriously thinking things like "Could the sound be changing the molecular structure of the water?"
Stay tuned for Installment Two of this very exciting story!
Kirtan Camp, Here I Come! 6.21.11
It has been my heart's desire to go to Jai Uttal's Summer Kirtan Camp in San Rafael,CA for the last however many years- ever since I first heard about it, whenever that was. I keep in touch with him and Nubia and every year threaten that I am coming but have never been able to get the dough together. This year is the last year he is offering it for a while and when I heard that my mind was made up. There was no way i could afford not to go. Bought my plane ticket to California today! Don't have the money yet for the camp but I am committed and it will come. Living life out on a limb! What else is new?
This is one of my very most favorite Jai Uttal videos, hanging out singing to Ganga Ma in Rishikesh. So beautiful, simple, heartfelt... I posted it on my blog a while back but I didn't write so I guess nobody really saw it. It should not be missed- such a sweet 48 seconds of bhakti bliss. Oooh! That sounds like a poem...
48 seconds of bhakti bliss
Something my heart wants not to miss
A song of love, the soul's sweet kiss
48 seconds of bhakti bliss...
This is one of my very most favorite Jai Uttal videos, hanging out singing to Ganga Ma in Rishikesh. So beautiful, simple, heartfelt... I posted it on my blog a while back but I didn't write so I guess nobody really saw it. It should not be missed- such a sweet 48 seconds of bhakti bliss. Oooh! That sounds like a poem...
48 seconds of bhakti bliss
Something my heart wants not to miss
A song of love, the soul's sweet kiss
48 seconds of bhakti bliss...
Wholistic Healing with Tibetan Singing Bowls
Lately I have been giving a lot of sound healing sessions with Tibetan (or Himalayan) singing bowls. They are called singing bowls because of their harmonic resonances and also because when you strike them the tone continues to ring long after they are struck. I have discovered through giving individuals sessions that the bowls seem to have an intelligence of their own and they actually seem to communicate how they should be arranged and played, as well as what bowls to pick for a given session. I am finding that there are different layouts or "spreads" that direct the sound energy in different patterns and directions. So far no two have been the same.
A couple of weeks ago I gave a friend a session with the bowls. Before she came I had already picked out a chakra set because I knew she was going to have a session with the bowls- she didn't know until she got there, but I had already been guided as to the beginning of the session. Once she lay down on the mat other bowls began calling to me and I put them around her as I was directed. I was astounded that each bowl I picked was in perfect harmony with the others even though I didn't try them or play any of them in advance.
After I felt that the layout was complete I began playing the bowls. What I began to sense as I played was that the layout was a Sun/Moon Spread, that it was assisting in balancing her male and female energies. In the beginning the layout looked like this.
Toward the end of the session, maybe after 20-25 minutes I was guided to begin changing the layout of the bowls. I began moving them and was directed very specifically where to place each bowl and soon discovered that the energy of the bowls was being directed very strongly to the heart, and clearly going in toward the heart. The sound was traveling up from the bottoms of her feet, through her legs and into the heart. And from the fingertips up through the arms and into the heart... in through the should
ers and into the heart, and also straight up from the root and straight down from the top of the head meeting in the heart as well. I
t looked like this.
It was incredibly beautiful and powerful and the sound of the bowls was extraordinary. I felt like the sound energy wanted to go to her heart. When the session was over I did not move the bowls away from her as I usually do because I wanted to share with her what I had witnessed and I felt she would better understand if she saw the layout of the bowls and the shift from the first part of the session to the second.
But before I shared with her I asked her about her experience. The only thing I said was "The sound all wanted to go to your heart." When I said that she began weeping. And then she told me that what she experienced was all these orbs surrounding her, these little spheres that were totally full of love and they all began moving into her. She said they were all her "buds", her friends and they were all part of her and then they all went into her heart and they were just hanging out there, in her heart. And she just wept. And so did I.
This is the last few minutes of the session, when I began changing the layout of the bowls. This is what it sounded like.
A couple of weeks ago I gave a friend a session with the bowls. Before she came I had already picked out a chakra set because I knew she was going to have a session with the bowls- she didn't know until she got there, but I had already been guided as to the beginning of the session. Once she lay down on the mat other bowls began calling to me and I put them around her as I was directed. I was astounded that each bowl I picked was in perfect harmony with the others even though I didn't try them or play any of them in advance.
After I felt that the layout was complete I began playing the bowls. What I began to sense as I played was that the layout was a Sun/Moon Spread, that it was assisting in balancing her male and female energies. In the beginning the layout looked like this.
Toward the end of the session, maybe after 20-25 minutes I was guided to begin changing the layout of the bowls. I began moving them and was directed very specifically where to place each bowl and soon discovered that the energy of the bowls was being directed very strongly to the heart, and clearly going in toward the heart. The sound was traveling up from the bottoms of her feet, through her legs and into the heart. And from the fingertips up through the arms and into the heart... in through the should
ers and into the heart, and also straight up from the root and straight down from the top of the head meeting in the heart as well. It looked like this.It was incredibly beautiful and powerful and the sound of the bowls was extraordinary. I felt like the sound energy wanted to go to her heart. When the session was over I did not move the bowls away from her as I usually do because I wanted to share with her what I had witnessed and I felt she would better understand if she saw the layout of the bowls and the shift from the first part of the session to the second.
But before I shared with her I asked her about her experience. The only thing I said was "The sound all wanted to go to your heart." When I said that she began weeping. And then she told me that what she experienced was all these orbs surrounding her, these little spheres that were totally full of love and they all began moving into her. She said they were all her "buds", her friends and they were all part of her and then they all went into her heart and they were just hanging out there, in her heart. And she just wept. And so did I.
This is the last few minutes of the session, when I began changing the layout of the bowls. This is what it sounded like.
Blogging in my Mind 6.10.11
Forgive me bloggers for I have sinned. It has been two weeks since my last entry. I have been blogging in my mind practically nonstop, but as J says in A Course in Miracles "Your good intentions are not enough." Okay, that being said, I have been writing- just not in here, so I am going to paste some of the stuff I have been working on. I have been teaching workshops galore- almost every weekend. Last weekend was one on Healing With Tibetan Singing Bowls. I put together some information on the bowls, compiled from a variety of sources, mainly Eva Rudy Jansen and Rain Gray who has a wonderful interview with a Tibetan lama on his website, sprinkled with some insights and wisdom of my own! ;-)
I have been working like crazy on these workshops and then in the middle of last week I was suddenly asked to be in a play- a musical play- this Saturday. I said yes and ended up with two parts- one of which is a singing part and I have to do a couple of songs. Sound healing I know and I am comfortable talking about it and facilitating very large groups- but performing, playiing my guitar and singing to an audience really throws me out of my comfort zone- which I kind of love in a way, too! Because I know how empowering and healing it really is to be out of one's comfort zone and move forward regardless. I do really enjoy theater and haven't been in a play for SO many years (never mind how many!) and I love the parts I am playing- an archetype from Hildegard's visions- Ecclesia- and Hildegard's protege, Richardis. They are both wonderful parts and the music is great. The challenge has really just been that I had put aside this time to prepare for my workshops and that got totally cut into so I got really stressed- not a good body/mindset for a healer! so tonight I get my comic relief from "Romance & Cigarettes", one of the funniest musicals I have ever seen.
Okay a little bit about sacred sound here... after all that is what we are doing here!
Shamanism and the Esoteric Teachings of Tibetan Singing Bowls
I have been working like crazy on these workshops and then in the middle of last week I was suddenly asked to be in a play- a musical play- this Saturday. I said yes and ended up with two parts- one of which is a singing part and I have to do a couple of songs. Sound healing I know and I am comfortable talking about it and facilitating very large groups- but performing, playiing my guitar and singing to an audience really throws me out of my comfort zone- which I kind of love in a way, too! Because I know how empowering and healing it really is to be out of one's comfort zone and move forward regardless. I do really enjoy theater and haven't been in a play for SO many years (never mind how many!) and I love the parts I am playing- an archetype from Hildegard's visions- Ecclesia- and Hildegard's protege, Richardis. They are both wonderful parts and the music is great. The challenge has really just been that I had put aside this time to prepare for my workshops and that got totally cut into so I got really stressed- not a good body/mindset for a healer! so tonight I get my comic relief from "Romance & Cigarettes", one of the funniest musicals I have ever seen.
Okay a little bit about sacred sound here... after all that is what we are doing here!
Shamanism and the Esoteric Teachings of Tibetan Singing Bowls
“Every atom constantly sings a song, and it is this tone which creates finer or denser forms of greater or smaller density.” Lama Govinda
The bowls are shrouded in secrecy.The Tibetan, or more accurately Himalayan singing bowls originated in the Bon culture of the Himalayas- the original religion of Tibet, a shamanic animistic tradition which predated Buddhism. Buddhism was introduced in the 7th c. AD and split off into two branches. The Bon religion is a more shamanic branch of Buddhism, and Lamaism is essentially Buddhism with strong Bon influences. Although both used sound extensively in ritual and meditations there is no written account whatsoever of the use of the bowls in their practice although they have been found in both monasteries and private homes.
That being said, according to Richard Rudis, "In the words of the great Tibetan master/Bodhisattva Gwalwa Karmapa, the Singing Bowls of Tibet emit the ‘Sound of the Void', the sound of the universe manifesting. They are a symbol of the 'unknowable' and as an alloy, date back to the Buddha, Shakyamuni (560-480 B.C.). Their origins and detailed histories are shrouded in the distant past and are surely a gift from the shamanistic 'Bon' religion which precedes Buddhism in Tibet by centuries. For centuries they have been utilized for healing and consciousness transformation."
Over 20 years ago Rain Gray, seeking answers to the mystery of these singing bowls, went to Nepal and found a very old Lama who talked to him at some length. Lama Lobsang Leshe told him that the bowls give a very high teaching, the pure teaching, the essence of Buddhism. He said that all sounds give different teachings and the singing bowls give Voidness teaching. The Voidness or emptiness teaching is the highest of all teachings. Without emptiness teaching there is no enlightenment. “This sound wang, wang, wang, wang, wang, means emptiness, empty, empty, empty, empty.” “Buddha is not here but singing bowl is.” (From interview with Rain Gray and Lama Lobsang Leshe, 1989)
“It is said that in the beginning the wind created the gyatams [matter/substance], the basis of our world, by a spinning movement. This movement of the wind was melodious and it was this kind of sound that combined the form and the matter of the gyatam to form a whole. The gyatams sang and from them emerged shapes that, in turn, produced others through the power of the sound that they had made. This applies not only to the past but is still true today. Every atom ceaselessly sings its song, constantly creating coarse and fine substances.” Lama from the Bon monastery of Tesmon, Tibet. Tibet: Bandits, Priests and Demons by Alexandra David-Neel, 1988
The Role of the Shaman... In the past shamans have acted as “mediators” between man and the spirit worlds. Part of their ability is to restore communciation when it has been temporarily disturbed. Their primary tool is sound- first the voice, chanting and singing, and then other instruments- drums, rattles, wind instruments and presumably the bell, bowl or gong. Through the use of sound shamans are able to reconnect us with parts of ourselves that we have lost the ability or forgotten how to access- sometimes indeed our right mind.
Paradigm Shift... We are in a transitory phase moving into a new paradigm, a consciousness in which we no longer need the doctor, the priest or the shaman... the mediator. Tools are becoming available to the masses so that we can learn to heal ourselves. We are learning to “tune in”- to fine tune our frequency. The Himalayan singing bowls with their resonant tones and powerful frequencies are wonderful tools that have really only begun to become somewhat more available to the Western world in the last 20 years. It may seem that Tibet is losing its rich culture at times- and on some levels that's probably true- but this is also part of the process of opening up to a greater global and universal consciousness. These bowls are a gift from their culture to us to allow us to begin to expand our consciousness, fine tune our frequencies and begin to absorb some of these age old teachings. Just as the vibratory essence of Sanskrit mantras is inherent in the seed sounds and can reveal itself to us with the proper practice and pronunciation, these bowls have ancient voices and teachings to reveal to us.
Seven Metals (more or less)... Singing bowls are made of various metal alloys depending on where they were made and what ores were available to the traveling metalsmiths. A metallurgical investigation, conducted by the British Museum in London, discovered the fact that the oldest tools usually are crafted of a 12-metal alloy composed of silver, nickel, copper, zinc, antimony, tin, lead, cobalt, bismuth, arsenic, cadmium and also iron. The ancient Himalayan bowls were composed of seven holy metals located in Tibetan plateau. The metals corresponded to seven celestial bodies:
1. Gold – Sun – Leo
2. Mercury- Mercury – Virgo/Gemini
3. Silver – Moon – Cancer
4. Iron – Mars – Scorpio/Aries
5. Lead – Saturn – Capricorn/ Aquarius
6. Tin – Jupiter – Sagittarius/ Pieces
7. Copper- Venus- Taurus / Libra
Each metal has its own sound and the combination produces the unique singing and harmonics of the bowl. The proportions of metals are different in each bowl. It is said that the bowls from Nepal have more of a golden glow whereas the bowls of Tibet had a higher concentration of silver and tin giving them a dull anthracite luster.
A Lost Art... Today's bowls are cast. They have not been made in “the old way” for at least 60 years and it seems to be a lost art. No one really knows how they have such a multiplicity of tones, and such a precise balance of overtones and frequencies that has so powerful an effect on consciousness, but the older bowls create measurable beat frequencies which entrain the brainwaves into alpha and theta states. These are the states which are most conducive to an “open” mind, the states that support deep relaxation, meditation, peace and an inner stillness. These are also the conditions that can lead to profound changes and healing on a physical plane.
Thoughts on "Thoughts from Within" by Woody Harrelson 5.25.11
This is amazing. This is wholistic poetry! This is a request and an expression of healing for the whole planet, the whole earth and all of the beings who populate it. I knew nothing about Woody Harrelson beyond his ability and brilliance as an actor... but of course you always have to wonder about those people who can step into someone else's shoes and make you believe they are that someone. There has to be (I think) an extreme level of compassion to get inside another person and express their feelings as if they were your own.
Even actors who we judge to have a less than appealing personality in the world- they have something- maybe they can't tap into their own feelings, or maybe their own feelings are so strong that they feel endangered if they were to let them out. So they go undercover as it were, and allow themselves the freedom to immerse themselves in another, maybe an historical person or maybe the extreme figment of someone else's "imagination". And there, that may really be where they can connect with their own essence, in safety. No one gets hurt, and no one sees the vulnerability that lies beneath the surface.
But here, I feel like I have a sense of Woody Harrelson, a strong sense of him, in an unabashed expression of honesty- contempt for all that is wrong with the world and compassion, love and hope for the possibility of who we can be, as individuals and as a collective whole.
This is also a great example of the power of the Internet, to connect us as a whole, in the most meaningful sense of the word- that I can randomly click on someone else's YouTube channel and stumble across this bit of brilliance. And it lit up a place in my mind and in my heart. That is astounding to me. I know I can just as easily get tripped up by triviality and inconsequential bullshit as I muddle through Facebook, my emails, YouTube, you name it... but on the flip side of that there is what I believe to be the Higher Purpose of the Internet and I am so grateful for all the people I have connected with, the ones whom I have re-connected with, and these brilliant bits of illumination that light up my world.
"When a mind has only light, it knows only light. Its own radiance shines all around it, and extends out into the darkness of other minds, transforming them into majesty. The Majesty of God is there, for you to recognize and appreciate and know. Recognizing the Majesty of God as your brother is to accept your own inheritance. God gives only equally. If you recognize His gift in anyone, you have acknowledged what He has given you. Nothing is so easy to recognize as the truth. This is the recognition that is immediate, clear and natural."
~A Course in Miracles~ Text p. 127
It Acts Like Love 5.23.11
I found this poem on Geoffrey Gordon's website. It reminds us of why we love music.
~RABIA~
IT ACTS LIKE LOVE
It acts like love-music-
it reaches toward the face, touches it, and tries to let you know
God's promise: that all will be okay.
It acts like love-music and,
tells the feet, "You don't have to be so burdened."
My body is covered with wounds
this world made,
but I longed to kiss God, even when He said,
"Could you also kiss the hand that caused
each scar,
for you will not find me until
you do."
It does that-music-helps us
to forgive.
And then if you are still not sure, listen to this chant, watch the video and notice... every little thing... your body, your mind, your emotions, your breath, your heart... there is so much sweetness in this incredible gift of life.
~RABIA~
IT ACTS LIKE LOVE
It acts like love-music-
it reaches toward the face, touches it, and tries to let you know
God's promise: that all will be okay.
It acts like love-music and,
tells the feet, "You don't have to be so burdened."
My body is covered with wounds
this world made,
but I longed to kiss God, even when He said,
"Could you also kiss the hand that caused
each scar,
for you will not find me until
you do."
It does that-music-helps us
to forgive.
And then if you are still not sure, listen to this chant, watch the video and notice... every little thing... your body, your mind, your emotions, your breath, your heart... there is so much sweetness in this incredible gift of life.
Wholistic Composition 5.21.11
Arrived in Minneapolis last Wednesday, ostensibly to visit my eldest son Namdev, his wife Kim and my granddaughter Patience who live here. My second to oldest son and his wife, Moose and Addie, who had never been out here were meeting us here as well. To my great and happy surprise though I had also found out that Zoe Keating was performing the first night I was arriving. So Kim and I went to see her while Namdev and Pay met Moose and Addie at the airport and had dinner with them.
The first time I saw Zoe Keating on YouTube less than a year ago, performing "Escape Artist" I was totally mesmerized, hooked and had tears in my eyes by the end of it. I have no idea how many times I have watched it since. Some days the melody line is continually floating through my consciousness. We saw her in a small venue, the Cedar Cultural Center, and were in the second row. I have been to more concerts than I can remember where I have had a lousy vantage point and been so frustrated by someone's big head right in my way, twisting this way and that, craning and straining my neck to see, and was so delighted to have such a great close up vantage point! She started off with "Tetrishead". This video is not great resolution but it is a beautiful rendition.
Not much can be said after that. Just so astounding, her brilliance as a composer combined with her sense of rhythm and mastery of technology that in the end sounds like an orchestra of cellos. It was absolutely wonderful.
So in my mind this was a very auspicious arrival. The rest is yet to come- later the sounds from the Quaking Bog where we went walking yesterday!
The first time I saw Zoe Keating on YouTube less than a year ago, performing "Escape Artist" I was totally mesmerized, hooked and had tears in my eyes by the end of it. I have no idea how many times I have watched it since. Some days the melody line is continually floating through my consciousness. We saw her in a small venue, the Cedar Cultural Center, and were in the second row. I have been to more concerts than I can remember where I have had a lousy vantage point and been so frustrated by someone's big head right in my way, twisting this way and that, craning and straining my neck to see, and was so delighted to have such a great close up vantage point! She started off with "Tetrishead". This video is not great resolution but it is a beautiful rendition.
Not much can be said after that. Just so astounding, her brilliance as a composer combined with her sense of rhythm and mastery of technology that in the end sounds like an orchestra of cellos. It was absolutely wonderful.
So in my mind this was a very auspicious arrival. The rest is yet to come- later the sounds from the Quaking Bog where we went walking yesterday!
Sanskrit mantra for abundance 5.15.11
Several days ago I was looking up a Sanskrit mantra for abundance. I ran across this and it is short and simple .I love this woman's voice and her pronunciation is wonderful so I am going to work with it for a while. My intention is to do at least one mala a day- 108 repetitions- for 40 days. Will keep you posted!
(One hour later) Just finished my morning mantra meditation practice. Chanted the mantra 108 times aloud, then silently (in a whisper), then totally silently/mentally as I had been instructed by one of my teachers, Shyamji (Sri Shyamji Bhatnagar), several years ago (not specifically for this mantra but another one that he gave me.)
It was very interesting as subtle awarenesses began to slowly surface in my consciousness- which I didn't really notice unitl I began the third mala and was just chanting mentally. In the beginning I was just in the experience of chanting aloud and it seems that during this process the actual vibratory sound of the mantra began to seep into my physical body and entrain the nervous system. As the chant became quiet, just a whisper, my whole being became very quiet and with the third time through on the mala just chanting mentally I could feel subtle energy running throughout my body but the greatest awareness in my middle, ring finger and baby fingers. Throughout my body a very quiet vibration moving through... my cells? my nadis? Don't know but it felt good. Also light began to come forward on the last series of repetitions. When I finished the third series of repetitions on the mala I sat quietly and began to experience waves of blue and golden green light. Then it shifted into a beautiful deep rose color that I really had never experienced before.
As I write this it is also coming back to me that as I chanted I became aware that the sound seems to pierce blockages in the physical body allowing it to up and become more and more receptive to the frequency. It clears and balances the energy channels then begins to work more deeply as the sound gets quieter- much the same idea as homeopathy. The quieter the sound the deeper and more powerful the effect. It clears the channels within the body and then begins working on the subtle bodies. As the system aligns with the frequency of the mantra it then expands out into the auric field filling the aura also with the vibration of the mantra so that one's whole being becomes receptive to the frequencies of the vibratory essence of the mantra, thus attracting the specific energy of the seed sounds of the mantra.
And as a side note, this also makes clear the need for proper pronunciation of the individual phonemes of the mantra- because they each carry and convey a very specific vibrational quality that is necessary to achieve the desired results of the mantra.
When I got up a felt very enlivened and happy. I noticed that I liked myself when I looked in the mirror- rather than having the usual critical thoughts about myself- and then thought "Ah, that must be from doing the mantra. " And of course just taking the time to sit for a bit as well, which is always good for the soul.
Toning, Self- Generated Sound 5.6.11
Just wrote this article for a workshop I am teaching (actually a rewrite of an old one). Seems like good blog material. After all, toning is self-generated wholistic sound. Sound for the WHOLE BEING- sound to RESTORE US TO WHOLENESS- Original Perfection (as opposed to the paradigm of Original S-word!)
What Is Toning?
Uhhhhh... Good question- what is “toning”? Toning is the simple practice of holding a single sustained vowel sound in order to experience the effects of the sound vibration on various parts of the body. It can also have a powerful effect on the mental and emotional bodies. With consistent practice toning can be developed into a highly effective procedure for aligning and balancing one's own energy field. It may also be used by body/energy workers as a diagnostic and therapeutic healing tool as well as being a very effective tool for meditation.
Toning the Chakras
Uuuuu (pronounce like “oo” in “moon”)... There is a vowel sound and corresponding frequency for each of the 7 primary subtle energy centers in the body (known as “chakras” in Indian philosophy). There are a number of different systems by which one can determine the appropriate pitch. By doing toning as a meditative practice you will be able to quickly and effectively clear, align and balance your chakras. A one, two or three octave system may be used depending on one's vocal range and personal preference. One or two octave systems are more commonly used as many people do not have a range of three octaves or more. You will find, however, that with a little practice your range will noticeably expand- even toning as little as 10-20 minutes a day over a period of 2-3 weeks.
Benefits of Toning
Ooooh (Pronounce like “o” in “so” or “OM”)... There are many benefits to toning. Intuitively we sing or hum to an infant to calm them down when they are upset. The sound of our voice is as powerful a healer as touch. In our culture we have gotten so far removed from it though, that we are unaware often even when we are naturally using it as a healing tool. By humming a single tone, a feeling of warmth and well-being spreads quickly throughout our body. Deep emotional release can also occur simply by allowing ourselves to “sound”, letting go of any judgment- or even experiencing the judgment and sounding right through it as we observe our emotional reaction to it from that place of witness consciousness. As it has been said, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” As we tone through our most uncomfortable feelings, those feelings often will begin to transform and sometimes far more quickly than we might think possible!
Trusting Your Voice
Aaaaah! One of the great joys of toning is that there is no wrong way to do it! And for many of us who have been told we “couldn't sing” or we had a “bad voice”, or felt in any other way oppressed in our vocal expression, there is an incredible freedom in allowing pure sound to pour out of our body. Your voice is your gift- no one else has one just like it- it is the perfect expression and blueprint of the uniqueness of you. Let it out. The world is waiting!
How It Works
Aaaay (like “may”)... Hans Jenny, the father of cymatics, the study of wave phenomena, showed us that sound creates, changes and rearranges matter. Physiologically when we tone into a specific area of the body we are literally realigning the molecules of the body. We know that a sustained high-pitched frequency has the power to shatter a wine glass, just as a sustained low frequency can conceivably cause windows to break or walls to crumble. This idea can be applied to help us understand how toning works on the physical and subtle bodies to actually break up physical, mental and emotional blockages.
The Healing Practice
Aiiiii (like “eye”)... When working with another person, the practitioner scans the client's body using modulating vocal tones and sometimes his or her hands (usually off the body) listening for “feedback”. This may come as a change in tone, an overtone or harmonic bouncing back, or a feeling of warmth, coolness, tingling, or lack of vitality. The practitioner then tones directly into the area calling for attention breaking up the energy blockages or crystallized patterns with sound waves directed into that area. One may tone very close to the body or into the energy field around the body, depending on the level of healing that seems to be needed. The goal is to bring coherence back to a chaotic energy field, essentially retuning the system and restoring the natural state of harmony and homeostasis.
The Gift
Eeeeee... Toning literally vibrates our being on every level and thus can be used as a tool for physical healing, emotional well-being and spiritual transformation. Physically it can loosen trauma in the body, relieving physical pain and accelerating the healing process. Mentally it can help us within a few short moments to become clearer, more alert and more focused. Emotionally it can be calming, cathartic, empowering or joyful; it can assist us in releasing anger, fear or grief. And all of this supports our spiritual evolution. Toning is a simple tool. It is safe and it is built-in! No one knows what your body needs better than you. Trust your body- your instincts, your intuition and your inner wisdom- to tell you what sound it needs and then allow yourself to open up and LET IT OUT. Explore. Be creative, be unafraid and enjoy!
And then stop, breathe, feel and listen to what your body is saying now. It's probably saying “Thank you!”
Note- This article has been broken down into seven sections. The tone at the beginning of each paragraph corresponds to the tones for the chakra system, in order, from the root to the crown.
TONING
Self-Generated Sound for Self Healing
~Rosie Warburton, Sound Therapist~
Self-Generated Sound for Self Healing
~Rosie Warburton, Sound Therapist~
What Is Toning?
Uhhhhh... Good question- what is “toning”? Toning is the simple practice of holding a single sustained vowel sound in order to experience the effects of the sound vibration on various parts of the body. It can also have a powerful effect on the mental and emotional bodies. With consistent practice toning can be developed into a highly effective procedure for aligning and balancing one's own energy field. It may also be used by body/energy workers as a diagnostic and therapeutic healing tool as well as being a very effective tool for meditation.
Toning the Chakras
Uuuuu (pronounce like “oo” in “moon”)... There is a vowel sound and corresponding frequency for each of the 7 primary subtle energy centers in the body (known as “chakras” in Indian philosophy). There are a number of different systems by which one can determine the appropriate pitch. By doing toning as a meditative practice you will be able to quickly and effectively clear, align and balance your chakras. A one, two or three octave system may be used depending on one's vocal range and personal preference. One or two octave systems are more commonly used as many people do not have a range of three octaves or more. You will find, however, that with a little practice your range will noticeably expand- even toning as little as 10-20 minutes a day over a period of 2-3 weeks.
Benefits of Toning
Ooooh (Pronounce like “o” in “so” or “OM”)... There are many benefits to toning. Intuitively we sing or hum to an infant to calm them down when they are upset. The sound of our voice is as powerful a healer as touch. In our culture we have gotten so far removed from it though, that we are unaware often even when we are naturally using it as a healing tool. By humming a single tone, a feeling of warmth and well-being spreads quickly throughout our body. Deep emotional release can also occur simply by allowing ourselves to “sound”, letting go of any judgment- or even experiencing the judgment and sounding right through it as we observe our emotional reaction to it from that place of witness consciousness. As it has been said, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” As we tone through our most uncomfortable feelings, those feelings often will begin to transform and sometimes far more quickly than we might think possible!
Trusting Your Voice
Aaaaah! One of the great joys of toning is that there is no wrong way to do it! And for many of us who have been told we “couldn't sing” or we had a “bad voice”, or felt in any other way oppressed in our vocal expression, there is an incredible freedom in allowing pure sound to pour out of our body. Your voice is your gift- no one else has one just like it- it is the perfect expression and blueprint of the uniqueness of you. Let it out. The world is waiting!
How It Works
Aaaay (like “may”)... Hans Jenny, the father of cymatics, the study of wave phenomena, showed us that sound creates, changes and rearranges matter. Physiologically when we tone into a specific area of the body we are literally realigning the molecules of the body. We know that a sustained high-pitched frequency has the power to shatter a wine glass, just as a sustained low frequency can conceivably cause windows to break or walls to crumble. This idea can be applied to help us understand how toning works on the physical and subtle bodies to actually break up physical, mental and emotional blockages.
The Healing Practice
Aiiiii (like “eye”)... When working with another person, the practitioner scans the client's body using modulating vocal tones and sometimes his or her hands (usually off the body) listening for “feedback”. This may come as a change in tone, an overtone or harmonic bouncing back, or a feeling of warmth, coolness, tingling, or lack of vitality. The practitioner then tones directly into the area calling for attention breaking up the energy blockages or crystallized patterns with sound waves directed into that area. One may tone very close to the body or into the energy field around the body, depending on the level of healing that seems to be needed. The goal is to bring coherence back to a chaotic energy field, essentially retuning the system and restoring the natural state of harmony and homeostasis.
The Gift
Eeeeee... Toning literally vibrates our being on every level and thus can be used as a tool for physical healing, emotional well-being and spiritual transformation. Physically it can loosen trauma in the body, relieving physical pain and accelerating the healing process. Mentally it can help us within a few short moments to become clearer, more alert and more focused. Emotionally it can be calming, cathartic, empowering or joyful; it can assist us in releasing anger, fear or grief. And all of this supports our spiritual evolution. Toning is a simple tool. It is safe and it is built-in! No one knows what your body needs better than you. Trust your body- your instincts, your intuition and your inner wisdom- to tell you what sound it needs and then allow yourself to open up and LET IT OUT. Explore. Be creative, be unafraid and enjoy!
And then stop, breathe, feel and listen to what your body is saying now. It's probably saying “Thank you!”
Note- This article has been broken down into seven sections. The tone at the beginning of each paragraph corresponds to the tones for the chakra system, in order, from the root to the crown.
- Root Chakra – Survival, connection to tribe- Sound: Uhhhh (like “rug”)
- Naval Chakra- Emotions, creativity, sexuality- Sound: Uuuuu (like “moon”)
- Solar Plexus Chakra- Power center Sound: Ooooh (like “so”)
- Heart Chakra- Unconditional love Sound: Aaaaah (like “father)
- Throat Chakra- Speaking one's truth, creative expression Sound: Aaaay (like “may”)
- Third Eye (Brow point)- Inner Wisdom, psychic abilities Sound: Aiiiii (like “eye”)
- Crown (top of head)- Connection to Source Sound: Eeeee (like “thee”)
The Fibonnacci Suite
Wonderful! More later...
The Fragrance of Bhakti 4.30.11
In Miami right now at the Airport Marriott. Wide awake after an amazing kirtan by Jai Uttal in this incredibly beautiful Episcopal cathedral in Miami. At one point I was very consciously breathing in the sound, the beautiful chanting- poignant, wistful and deeply hearfelt and I thought "Ah... this is what is meant by the fragrance of bhakti." I really felt like I was inhaling the fragrance of love and devotion.
Tomorrow is a six-hour workshop on Awakening Bhakti through the practice of chanting kirtan. There is a beautiful description of Bhakti on the web page for the event. It reads thusly..."Bhakti Yoga is the path of personal relationship with Spirit, with God, with Goddess; a relationship that includes all the flavors and moods of the human heart. In the journey of Bhakti our emotions become the fuel to reconnect us with the Divine and to find healing and wholeness within us. Through singing Kirtan we explore, express and share the deepest caverns of our souls and ultimately find the eternal spring of love." It works for me.
Music and the Emotions 4.20.11
I have a particular fascination with the fact that certain music can evoke such a powerful emotional response- part of what makes it such a powerful healing modality... that it can assist us in accessing deep places within ourselves of joy, angst or ecstasy- sometimes taking us on a white water raft trip and sometimes a gentle sail on a balmy sea and ultimately deposit us back on the shore feeling soothed, peaceful and whole once again.
Daniel Levitin, author of Your Brain on Music, psychologist and researcher has been exploring this curious power that music has over us for many years. As more and more study is being done in the field of psychoacoustics- the effect of music on the mind- scientists are beginning to get clues about this phenomenon. Yesterday there was a fascinating article in the New York Times Science Section which actually followed up one written several years ago specifically about Mr. Levitin's works and his book. This latest article has some very interesting input from a number of musicians as well, including Paul Simon and Bobby McFerrin.
Enjoy the read. This may actually open up to an interactive page where you can listen to different pieces of music and then enter your response. If the link doesn't work (I couldn't find hte "embed" code) then just cut and paste the url. It's worth it if this topic is even mildy interesting to you.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/04/18/science/20110419-music-expression.html?src=me&ref=science
Daniel Levitin, author of Your Brain on Music, psychologist and researcher has been exploring this curious power that music has over us for many years. As more and more study is being done in the field of psychoacoustics- the effect of music on the mind- scientists are beginning to get clues about this phenomenon. Yesterday there was a fascinating article in the New York Times Science Section which actually followed up one written several years ago specifically about Mr. Levitin's works and his book. This latest article has some very interesting input from a number of musicians as well, including Paul Simon and Bobby McFerrin.
Enjoy the read. This may actually open up to an interactive page where you can listen to different pieces of music and then enter your response. If the link doesn't work (I couldn't find hte "embed" code) then just cut and paste the url. It's worth it if this topic is even mildy interesting to you.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/04/18/science/20110419-music-expression.html?src=me&ref=science
Walking Meditation 4.12.11
This morning I took a walk in the park near our house.
My mind was yak yak yakking...
so finally I decided to stop and listen...
to all the sounds around me as I walked.
I was walking on the grass next to a cement path by the bay
but the water was so still that I never I heard it.
I first notice the sound of my footsteps on the grass.
And all the different sounds my footsteps make
as the greenery changes under foot...
St. Augustine grass- slightly dry and crunchy,
areas of dried oak leaves- crunchier still,
wide patches of clover with white blossoms- a soft brushing sound,
short delicate ground covers with tiny yellow blossoms- near silence.
The wind blowing gently past my ears...
a soothing sound
very different
than the sound of the wind blowing through palm fronds-
or through the oak trees.
The fisherman scraping the
metal handle
of his net on the seawall as he adjusts it.
A steady multitude of birdsongs,
none of which I could name
other than the seagulls.
A lawn mower in the distance,
gradually louder as I come closer...
slowly fading to a quiet hum as I pass by.
The curiosity of how many sounds I would actually remember.
The sense of the air...
nearer the water,
in the sun,
under the trees...
and wondering
if the different qualities of air
are different frequencies.
A young man jogs passed me on the walking path,
his sneakers padding rhythmically on the cement.
A woman jogs past.
Her step is light...
and quiet.
A steady stream of cars
far enough away to simply create a gentle whooshing sound as they pass.
The awareness at a certain point that I have fallen into my thinking again and am no longer listening- and then... the most beautiful voice of a young woman greeting me as she and her husband and child pass by me on their walk.
That's all I remember...
My mind was yak yak yakking...
so finally I decided to stop and listen...
to all the sounds around me as I walked.
I was walking on the grass next to a cement path by the bay
but the water was so still that I never I heard it.
I first notice the sound of my footsteps on the grass.
And all the different sounds my footsteps make
as the greenery changes under foot...
St. Augustine grass- slightly dry and crunchy,
areas of dried oak leaves- crunchier still,
wide patches of clover with white blossoms- a soft brushing sound,
short delicate ground covers with tiny yellow blossoms- near silence.
The wind blowing gently past my ears...
a soothing sound
very different
than the sound of the wind blowing through palm fronds-
or through the oak trees.
The fisherman scraping the
metal handle
of his net on the seawall as he adjusts it.
A steady multitude of birdsongs,
none of which I could name
other than the seagulls.
A lawn mower in the distance,
gradually louder as I come closer...
slowly fading to a quiet hum as I pass by.
The curiosity of how many sounds I would actually remember.
The sense of the air...
nearer the water,
in the sun,
under the trees...
and wondering
if the different qualities of air
are different frequencies.
A young man jogs passed me on the walking path,
his sneakers padding rhythmically on the cement.
A woman jogs past.
Her step is light...
and quiet.
A steady stream of cars
far enough away to simply create a gentle whooshing sound as they pass.
The awareness at a certain point that I have fallen into my thinking again and am no longer listening- and then... the most beautiful voice of a young woman greeting me as she and her husband and child pass by me on their walk.
That's all I remember...
Playing for Change 4.7.11
You all know about it, right? The foundation that brought you "Stand By Me" played by musicians all around the world- and much more. But do you know who they really are,how they got started and how they are affecting positive change and connecting hearts? This is a wonderful video that exemplifies music and musicians in action inspiring and changing the world- one note, one song, one person, one village at a time.
A Virtual Joyful Noise! 4.6.11
Every day I am writing, thinking, listening and exploring sound and music. I get many emails with great links to all kinds of wonderful things. I have brilliant musical vibratory friends and connections. Today I received a beautiful inspiring email from one those beings who resonates on a frequency that is very harmonious with my own and she sent me this fantastic video. To see people joined globally via the Internet but connected through music and sound brings such joy to my heart. This project is thrilling to me. Enjoy another piece of wholistic sound...