Excerpt from a published article
Ah meditation…. A practice dedicated to releasing stress and opening our minds to the flow of life. Something we do to shore back up some of the energy we offer to others; to refill our emotional and energetic bank account… to recharge, rebalance and regroup.
A meditation practice can take many forms. It might involve a time of designed quiet where the outside world is excused and all anticipated distraction removed in order to restore one’s interior balance with the aid of silence. It might be sought via a time of physical movement in order to release excess energy and get into a simplistic mind state; so we might choose moving meditation such as hiking in the woods, bicycling, yoga or spontaneous movement as in fluid dance. Being out of doors and environmentally conscious and attuned to your surroundings can be a form of meditation. Mindfulness meditation, focusing on all of the details of objects and images that are in your presence has been proven to calm the central nervous system and can be practiced anywhere and at any time. I’ve meditated sitting behind a waterfall, leaning against a tree watching the light filter through the branches, observing clouds, and stargazing. The idea of meditation is be wholly present and mentally calm with all senses awakened. For me, the draw towards meditation is a desire to enter a state of consciousness that is more expanded than a fearful, self-involved or distracted one, which I otherwise might hold. It is a choice I make to be led by kindness and calmness rather than intrusive thoughts, overthinking or anxiety.
Authentic ancient Himalayan Singing Bowls are objects with a mysterious history sometimes found in the rivers of the Himalayas. They are believed to have been used in spiritual rituals by Tibetan Monks for centuries. Today they are used in contemporary settings to immediately occupy our primary sense of sound…. A universal calling card to become present. By their very nature, their sound and vibrations induce deep physical relaxation, the quieting of thinking mind, and alignment of the body/mind to the possibility of healing. Striking them with a mallet produces a ringing response with multiple overtones and moving around their rim with a padded stick creates a humming or singing response that grows in volume and intensity. The sound produced by striking or making the bowls sing is at once centering and calming. Because the sound and vibrations of the Himalayan Singing Bowls captivate the full attention of the listener, they are used as a vehicle to bring one into a profoundly present and open state of mind.
In my work of producing musical meditation experiences, I invite people to lie down on comfortable padding very near the bowls so that they feel the vibrations moving through their physical body as well as their hearing being captured by the multiplicity of sounds. I combine the playing of the bowls with other compatible instruments such as chimes, song, drums, rainstick, gong, and verbal guidance. Those who experience this form of meditation report moving into a deeply quieted, comforted, relaxed and embodied state of being.
Judy Rosen