By Carey Ann Hunt
Eyes were closed. Resting on a blue-gray plaid sleeping bag on a carpeted living room floor. The winter sun set hours before. People gathered, settled, warm and comfortable. Pillows all around and blankets, too. Light dimmed to near dark. A chilly night outside. Warm inside. My blanket pulled all the way up to my chin. Breathing slowed down. Silence marked by the roar of a plane in the distance.
As thunder builds in the distance so too did the sound in the room that night when the intensity and volume began to fill the room. Padded mallets striking condensed bronze, nickel and silver alloy. Pressure building as storms do, when thunder clouds roll and grow and rains come sometimes in torrents, washing sideways with force. Building layer upon layer of sound all around me, now filling the corners of the living room. Every space packed with booming resonance pulsing like windswept currents of air turbulence over an agitated body of water. Increasing and then deceasing in magnitude.
Sound hit every cell of my relaxed yet awake self. I lay there feeling, listening, and hearing. Tones, overtones and undertones navigating all around and through me. I imagined my body of water dancing the night away to the flow of the ancient tones, rhythms and beats, even though I was still. Breathing slowly and deeply with a foggy sense of passing time. Tonality penetrating the permeability of my being. New sounds from seemingly different locations arrived and then disappeared from my auditory field. Submerged in a world of sound the way I am when the ocean engulfs me with its waves. Swimming in the newness of the eclectic medley of resounding vibrations. Washed in multiple layers of audible echoing.
My attention was captured by what sounded and felt like a tunnel of wind. A flavor of sound for my mind to explore as it floated through curious new territory. Swaying my awareness and lulling me into a calm state of being, yet encouraging my mind to survey the tonal mountains and valleys of the landscape of each presenting sound. The tunnel of wind vanished into what sounded like the powerful flutter of the wings flapping in the air near me. Like birds flying, joyously travelling through space. Creating the most wonderful humming vibrations that delighted so many of my senses. Peeking my intrigue as the sound travelled around the room.
At moments the sound vibration would peak and grow to a volume and level the same way a storm builds and becomes something so intense and powerful. Building to such crescendo that branches break and lightning strikes the air and wind whips things around this way and then that. With such vibrato that I covered up my ears with my hood. Warm, settled and comfortable on plaid on the carpeted floor. It grew so loud that I’m certain it made the roots of the jasmine dance in the earth beyond the window in the garden.
From out of the storm of sound came a harmony of the gentlest of bells. Ringing sweetly and melodically. At first they were seemingly far away and then arriving closer and closer, the vibration could be felt on the surface of my skin. Shivers like a gentle breeze makes when it passes gently over my face. Their sound rang through the air as I imagine fairy bells would. Their tender sound lulled me into a yet deeper sense of peace.
More sounds so like mighty waves, stirring crystals of sand as each grain moved with each other in tune with the sea water, as it ebbs and flows on the beach. Murmurs of windswept currents of air meeting water, and then meeting earth. Sand packed elemental compression seasoned with time. Wind sound wafting into my ear, reminding me that spring time will come. So, too, will the jasmine flower, who, perhaps also wallowed that chilly night in murmurs of windswept seafoam in its mind as sound currents seeped through the walls of the house into the crisp night air. The garden was bathed in sound that night like I was on the plaid sleeping bag.
Each of these sounds were created from an instrument that produces sounds that invite an overall sense of wellbeing. Sound healing can improve multiple facets of life, including emotional, cognitive and motor functioning. The sounds created by these ancient instruments encourage the whole human system to relax. In that state of calm and peace breathing slows inviting the body and mind into a deep resting state. Within this state minds and bodies can move into increased calibration. Each instrument has its own unique offering.
The resonance and reverberation of the gong have been used since the bronze age circa 3500 BC. Since the time of the Buddha in the vicinity of 600 BC all sacred Chinese gongs had the characters with the meaning of “Happiness has arrived” written on them. Just imagine the image of those words with that meaning pulsing through space.
Gongs have been used since ancient times for their transformative power. The strength of their sound encourages us to go within. The force of their sound filling the surrounding space and simultaneously filling each one present. Imagine the water inside of us vibrating to the beat of thousands of years of transformative history. Imagine the tones transcending through our bodies. According to Yogi Bhajan, the man who introduced Kundalini Yoga (an ancient form of yoga) to the U.S. in the late 1960’s …” The mallet is the will of the infinite, the gong, the creation, and the sound is the spirit song, the heartbeat of the soul.”
Quartz crystal bowls are made in varying sizes that are tuned to different notes. Crystal singing bowls are tuned to 432 Hz, also known as Verdi’s A, rather than the more general tuning of 440 Hz, known as the Stuttgart pitch. Guiseppe Verdi and his advocates preferred it, indicating that is more in tune with the tones of the natural world. The resounding tones of the bowls are said to correspond with each of the seven chakras. As the mallet is skillfully maneuvered embracing the crystal circumference, an alarmingly enchanting sound begins to fill the surrounding space.
Tibetan metal singing bowls come from the Himalayan mountain range. The alluring overtones of these singing bowls have been used by generations for many centuries. The sound is highly effective in increasing relaxation and calming the nervous system, and in turn assisting the body in bringing about a natural homeostasis both physically and mentally. Metal singing bowls are also referred to as medicine bowls.
Ocean drum sounds are percussion instruments that recreate the sound of the ocean. The ocean drum is so like the waves crashing on the beach not only by the way it sounds, but also by the way that the sound makes you feel. The resonance of this powerful drum it created by numerous tiny metal beads rolling together over the surface of an enclosed drum.
Rain Sticks are also an ancient form of sound making. Some are made from dried cactus and some are made from bamboo. Beads are placed in the hollow interior and when the instrument is flipped the sound is very much like the sound of a refreshing shower of rain. Like rain the sound of the rain stick induces a sense of serenity and peace. Rain sticks are thought by some to encourage the rain to fall.
Koshi chimes are made in the Pyrenees Mountains. They are intricately constructed with metal interior within a wooden tube. The sound that is created from these chimes is ever so sweet with a gentle air of crystalline reverberation. The sound is so gentle and relaxing that it tends to bring about a tender and open overall feeling. A feeling that lingers much longer than the echoing sound of the chime.
The om wand is also known as a wind swinger. When this instrument is moved through the air vibrates and creates a fascinating sound current. The om wand is used for shifting and clearing space, as well as vibrational healing.
Audible sound is in general not consciously felt by the entire body. In a sound bath, however, it feels like other areas of the body hear and response to the waves, swaying to the pulsation of the sounds. I could even hear the music through my toes, adding to the full body experience. Surround sound. Additionally, it was so full of sound in the mid-section, heart, solar plexus and lungs it captivated my breath by the strength the waves, like rolling waters. Like a stormy sea in late autumn. Sound healing may stir up the emotional mud that is held in our systems. Any irritation that may occur during or after the event it is both a natural and beneficial side effect. Emotional release helps free our systems of stress, helping move toward both inner and outer transformation. Just breathe, in and out like the waves in our seas.
We in Davis and the surrounding areas are lucky enough to have Lois Pengilley with Lotus Sound Bath nearby to explore some of the abundant qualities of sound. So, gather cozy things and come join Lotus Sound Bath at one of its upcoming events.
Two sound bath events are scheduled at the Davis Art Center on July 8, from 2-4 and August 4, from 2-4. In the nearer future, Lotus Sound Bath will be collaborating with local yoga teacher Lori Shirren at Kaya Yoga on the 15th of April, where the first part of the workshop will begin with gentle yoga and the remaining time will be devoted to sound bath meditation, done lying down in the all popular yoga pose called shavasana. Lois will also will performing at the Whole Earth festival in mid-May, where the theme this year is “Bloom”, a perfect theme and opportunity for letting the ancient sounds wash over us and allow blossoming to occur. If you are on Facebook, give Lotus Sound Bath a like, for up and coming all around sound experiences.
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