The Healing Power of Sound

“I had no idea what to expect. I leave feeling joyous.”
~Kathy Burpee, a participant

That was the general consensus after a daylong workshop January 23 that I taught with my good friend, Kathy Lowe. Called The Healing Power of Sound,

Healing Heads

we spent the day exploring the many ways sound can be used to pro-actively change energetic states. Sound is a carrier wave of intention. Resonant intention, channeled through sound, has the power to move energy and enhance peace within one’s life. As Kathy said, “Sound moves energy, energy moves emotion, sound grounds emotion into balance in life.”
Sound changes molecular structure. Where there is constriction, i.e.- pain, whether physical or emotional, sound creates space, making incoherence coherent. Since everything in our bodies is vibrating at a cellular level, introducing a consonant sound to the system will cause the breath, body and mind to harmonically align, becoming coherent and consonant. The effect is to feel centered, balanced and whole.
I arrived an hour early to set up in plenty of time before the participants would come. I had not planned on being unable to set up the sound system. I got all the wires plugged in, but could not get sound out of the microphone. People began arriving. I could feel my anxiety and adrenaline consuming my body and mind. I felt frantic. I called my husband, who knows how to hook up sound systems. He told me to breathe. My head wanted to explode. I breathed as he talked me through the connections. We found my mistake and the mic magically worked.
That frantic energy could have hung around for hours, affecting my ability to be present for the workshop. I kept breathing, knowing what our first exercise would be.
People arrived and sat in a circle. We asked them to close their eyes. Kathy and I then began to tone the group. Kathy played a rain stick- a light, tinkling sound that creates relaxation. I used two tuning forks around each person’s head to calm their nervous system and bring them into the present moment. I switched to playing a crystal bowl and Kathy and I added our voices to the mix – toning the energy of the room, of all of us present, of our breath and beating hearts.
Afterwards, we asked people how they felt compared to when they arrived. “Calm.” “Relaxed.” “Present.” “Open.” “Receptive.” In fifteen minutes, I had totally forgotten my earlier volcanic anxiety. It had flowed out of me during the sounding. We were ready to begin.
This workshop reminded me of the simple, immediate power of sound. Extensive research has shown that chanting and toning: oxygenate cells, lower blood pressure and heart rate, increase lymphatic circulation, increase levels of melatonin, reduce stress hormones and release endorphins – the body’s natural painkillers.
We can all access this powerful tool of sound.
Try this: While you are getting ready in the morning for your day, take 3-5 minutes to tone. Toning simply means to sound a note for the length of your breath, then breathe and repeat. Stand, sit or lay down. Open your mouth and let a note come out. That is your note for the day. Any vowel. Any note. Breathe and sound your note for 3-5 minutes or until you feel like stopping. After 3 minutes, your brain waves will change as the variable frequencies of your organs, muscles and bones align harmonically. All you have to do is breathe and tone. When you are done, sit in the silent afterglow of resonance. Take that peace with you throughout your day.
At the end of the workshop, 22 people left with joy in their steps, Kathy and I included. Pam Clark, a participant, summed up the experience this way, “The workshop created space within me and moved my energy from sleepy-tired to awake and peaceful. It inspired me to be more willing to use my voice as a channel for grace in the world.”
May we all be a channel for grace in the world.
If you would like to experience The Healing Power of Sound for yourself or host a workshop in your area, let me know.