Music For Meditation

Last week I received a flyer about a Sound Healing session that was going to be offered in the community club house. I read that:

"This sound healing journey will last 45 minutes. Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, chimes and drums will be used to facilitate energy clearing and to promote a meditative state of consciousness for relaxation. You may come with your own intention or you may simply join us to experience healing vibrations in a safe space."

The event sounded intriguing, and I decided to sign up.

When I walked over to the club house it was still bright outside. The door was open, the inside lights were dimmed, and there were candles burning on the fireplace hearth and in the far corner of the room, where the collection of instruments the practitioner would be using was set up. The atmosphere was serene but also a little mysterious.

I arranged my yoga mat at the end of the row of other mats, then took off my shoes and sat down.

The practitioner briefly explained the flow of the session, then invited us to lay down and get comfortable. I took off my glasses and put them inside my shoe so they wouldn't get stepped on. As soon as I stretched out I realized my sinuses were clogged up and I should have taken some allergy medicine. The headache meant that I had trouble getting comfortable, but I did my best.

For the next 45 minutes the practitioner played a sequence of instruments-gongs, chimes, rainsticks, and bowls. The sounds went from soft, to loud, back to soft again. Sometimes the sound was a vibration, and sometimes it sounded like there were multiple instruments going at once. It took me a while to stop thinking about my sinus issues, but eventually I entered into the wall of sound. 

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 I am the world's worst meditator; I can't clear my mind for more than a couple of minutes, but concentrating on the music kept my mind from wandering. I lost track of time, and although I didn't fall asleep I entered into a dream-like state.

At the end of the session, the music faded and the practitioner let us know it was time to slowly return to the real world. When everyone had sat up there was a short decompression discussion, then everyone gathered their things and left. 

It was dark and peaceful on the way home, and the peace lasted all the way until bedtime.

Five years ago today: What Do You Do?