We are now learning that sounds -- which are really vibrations that go deep to our core -- can heal or disrupt.
Sound healing is among the newest forms of energy healings, with practitioners creating sounds with Tibetan singing bowls, tuning forks, the voice and and other means. Hope V. Horton and Gabrielle Laden, whose business Sound Accords focuses on the quieting qualities of sound (what may seem like an oxymoron at first read), will teach a workshop, titled Singing Metals, March 19-21 in Madison, Wis.
Here are 10 simple ways to change your energy with sound, excerpted from their larger article on Turning Into the Big Picture with Sound, Vibration and Music.
1. Make spontaneous sounds throughout the day. If something hurts, say "ouch." If something pleases you, laugh out loud. If you have to sneeze, do it as loudly as you can. These kinds of sounds help our bodies to release and re-balance. Stifling them adds to the build-up.
2. Notice the sounds in your environment. What effect do they have on you? What can you do to minimize sounds that make you feel on edge and maximize sounds that nourish you?
3. Use music with more awareness. Notice how you are feeling. Are you stressed? Tired? Irritated? How would you like to be feeling? Choose music that will help promote the desired state.
4. Sing in the shower. Making sounds first thing in the morning can help us to clear out old energy and make space for something new and fresh to enter. Besides, it’s fun!
5. Play an instrument, any instrument. Have you been told that you have no musical talent? Get a drum and play along with your favorite CD. Strike a singing bowl, or a pair of tuning forks. Start to experiment. See what happens to your joy and creativity in life.
6. Be quiet. Spend some time in silence, just listening to yourself. Do you hear your heart beating, your nervous system singing, your stomach gurgling, your breathing moving in and out? How does it feel to just listen to your own sounds?
7. Choose your words carefully. Words are sound, too. Are you creating harmony or discord by what you say and how you say it? Really listen to yourself. Is that what you want to put out? If not, stop and change it.
8. Listen to others. Are there people that you just can’t hear? Relax and experiment with finding the places in you that resonate with them. Be gentle and compassionate with yourself, and them.
9. Get moving to music. Feeling stuck? Then MOVE. Put on some fine, time-tested music. Really listen and start to let the music move you. Notice your own resistance and start to play with it. After a few minutes, you won’t be the same.
10. Hum where it hurts. If you have a pain in your body or are experiencing an uncomfortable emotion, hum into it softly and very gently, with lots of love. Feel the vibrations caused by your own voice. Allow the pain to relax and start flowing again.
