Doing What I Love, Loving What I Do


Ceramic Vase by Rosie Warburton- 2011

The other day someone posted a blog on Your Turn Challenge Facebook page that was about working from the heart. Of course I totally resonated with it because this is what I have almost always done. It never made sense to me to be doing something I didn't love although I did try a few times.
 
My two main passions have always been art and music. My love of art eventually manifested as pottery and in my early 20's I apprenticed with a potter in Foster, Rhode Island. Then I took a break and had 4 boys pretty much one after the other. In my late 20's I bought a wheel and an electric kiln and set up a pottery studio in my basement. For the next 12 years my kids and my pottery were my life.

I also loved music and listened to it practically nonstop and played guitar and flute. I would never claim to be a musician- just someone who loved music and played it for my own enjoyment.

Over the course of time I got into a habit when I unloaded the kiln that seemed perfectly natural at the time but also might have foreshadowed a change in direction. When my pots came out of the kiln I would occasionally tap on a larger pot if I were suspicious that it might have a crack. If there was even the slightest crack, it would have a very dull sound but if there were none then the pot would have a clear ringing tone. I soon fell in love with the sound of the pots as much as their aesthetics and so I began setting up a little orchestra whenever I unloaded the kiln! Before they went to whomever they were going to I would set up all the larger pots on shelves- bowls, utility jars, and vases- according to their tones, then I would get two wooden spoons and I would play the pots. I could do this for long periods of time- I would usually have to force myself to stop eventually so I could go on to the next thing.

These days I won't buy wine glasses unless they have a nice ring to them. People probably think I'm crazy when they see me playing them in the store! Sometimes I tap them and they go right back on the shelf- other times I listen to them over and over. This morning I got up and set four crystal wine glasses on the kitchen table and proceeded to "play them" with chopsticks. That was my moring meditation- and in fact my evening meditation too!


Listening to the Body

I had a beautiful experience with an herbalist today. I have known her for many years but always in passing, through other people. We had been trying to get together for a couple of years since I moved back up to Rhode Island but apparently it wasn't time yet. I ended up going to see her today due to some physical issues I have been having- a problem clearing my lungs ever since an respiratory infection I had over 5 years ago.

When I arrived she invited me to stand with her while she did a sort of opening prayer/invocation. It was not memorized but clearly spoken in the moment as she was guided- asking for guidance, clarity, for the ability to get out of the way and be fully present to whatever wanted to be revealed, released or cleared. It was incredibly powerful to be given both an invitation and permission to simply be for that period of time- rather than being asked questions, to take the time to tune in and let go of everything else that had come before or that was to come. I closed my eyes and soon a huge smile came across my face. Tears of joy and deep relief began streaming down my face. It was the sense of being given permission that was so profound- to be present to myself, to my physical body and to my emotional body.

The other thing that blew me away was her ability to listen so deeply and so intently (that thing I talk so much about!) to the body and all of the different ways it expresses itself- through words, movement, illness, behaviors, energy patterns, cravings, habits, etc. We had tea and talked for quite a while in the beginning and she was extremely attentive and observant- that was clearly part of the process. Once we actually began the session she also used basic diagnostic tools- observing skin tone and texture, listening to the pulses, checking the tongue and fingernails. It was extraordinary to be with somebody who works on every level- physical, emotional and energetic- and pays equal amounts of attention to each one with no sense of hurry or concern for moving on til whatever we were attending to was complete.

She was equally as attentive to her herbs as s he was to me when she began creating a formula. She listened to my body and she listened to the herbs and thanked them. It felt deeply respectful. Everything was honored.

I talk a lot about listening but I am not sure that I have ever been around anyone who practices it to the level that I witnessed to day. As a sound therapist, massage therapist and energy healing practitioner I felt like I learned a lot about what I am teaching!







Listening to the Here and Now

I listened to the Julian Treasure video that I posted yesterday twice in two days. It had quite an impact on me, reinforcing some concepts around sound that I am very familiar with as well as presenting some new ideas. The one that I am pretty stuck on right now is "schizophonia"- the dislocation between what you see and what you hear caused by listening to sounds which are split off from their original source (i.e. you are in your living room in Florida talking on the phone with your sister who is in London).

Because of that, today was different for me. Each time I went to pick up my phone I thought it through and nine times out of ten I felt that I didn't really need to use it- so I didn't. Instead I used that time to be present to my surroundings, consciously listening and looking.

That used to be natural for me; however in the last two years however I find that I am quicker and quicker to pick up the phone to make a call or write a quick post on Facebook. Sharing ideas and having meaningful communication is a wonderful thing. It's much of what makes life worth living. Instant gratification can be addictive though. I find myself having to check in and make sure that what I am sharing is really worth the time and distraction from other things I could be accomplishing, or of simply being aware of the present moment and what is happening in the here and now. That's kind of a big deal since in truth this moment is all we have.

What I noticed today, by constantly pulling my awareness back to the present, listening to the sounds around me, noticing the external features of my surroundings- in my car, in my kitchen, wherever- was that I was quieter inside.

Social media brings forth another whole practice in mindfulness and self-awareness. It can be a meaningless exercise in self-absorption and self-importance or we can use it to put forth the very best of who we are and what we have to offer- ideas, inspiration, experience and knowledge. It calls for us to be attentive and to listen deeply if we want to have an impact or a truly meaningful connection with others.


Creating a Sound Environment



This is an excellent video by Julian Treasure, an expert on sound and the ways in which sound affects us, both negatively and positively, and how we can improve our health by being more conscious of what we listen to and how we listen to it.

As he says, "Ears are made not for hearing, but for listening." This is the basic premise for sound healing. Sound healing is not so much about specific sounds or frequencies being introduced from the outside to promote healing, but about learning to listen deeply, to open to sound and to become more and more aware of what sounds feed and nurture us and what sounds have a negative effect on us. Even deeper than that, if there is a positive effect, what is it specifically? Where do we feel it in our body? What is our response to it? Is it physical? Emotional?

Last week I was out driving and I put on a radio station that was playing 80's music which I still often enjoy. On this occasion though, I don't remember specifically what it was but I found myself becoming agitated. I thought I liked the music- I was singing along with it and knew it all by heart, obviously something I had listened to a lot at one time. But as I began paying attention to my body I realized that it really wasn't making me feel very good! I allowed myself to really tune into the experience and realized that it was music that I listened to when my life was not actually very joyful or fulfilling. I was doing a lot of drugs (cocaine, the drug of the 80's) at the time and, even though when it was happening I thought I was having "a good time" my body memory was telling me something very different- that this music was triggering feelings from a time in my life when on a deeper level I was very unhappy and really didn't like myself at all.  It was interesting because it didn't connect with one particular "bad experience". It was an overall pervasive feeling of discomfort. At that point I changed the station realizing that I wasn't actually having a positive experience from it at all.

Another concept he introduces that I love is "schizophonia"- a dislocation between what you see and what you hear. Much of the time we are introducing sound that is coming from somewhere else and unrelated to what is actually going on around us. I think this is something that may very well have a huge relationship to attention deficit "disorders". So much of the time we are trying to focus on phone conversations, videos, social networking, things that are not "current" so to speak. We actually make an effort to tune out our immediate environment so that we can have a conversation with someone who is not in our immediate vicinity. In some ways the ability to do this is most definitely a gift but I also agree with Julian Treasure that it can be at the expense of our sound health.

A few years ago I received a demo CD from White Swan Music- "Vibrational Healing" by Majorie de Muynck. The foundation is a layer of insect sounds with very meditative ambient music played over it. It was recommended by one of the sales people and I was actually very skeptical- I didn't really want to hear a Cd with a bunch of bugs on it! We weren't talking crickets- we were talking bees and they mentioned bats and frogs on the back of the CD as well; however the woman at White Swan was sure that I would love it once I heard it. I knew I would be using it for the sound table so I decided to check it out. I put the music on and lay down on the sound table. Within 30 seconds it was clear to me how important these sounds are! I realized almost immediately that they soothe and nourish the nervous system. They feed the brain. Now it is one of my most frequently played CDs for sound healing sessions!

Those sounds go along with what Julian Treasure says are 3 important sounds for our whole being- water, wind and birds... sounds that are integral to our environment and to our well-being. If you are not already doing it, start being mindful to ways in which you can create a sound environment. Take time out to listen deeply, listen to your breath, listen to the sounds in your inner being and your outer environment.  This is one simple and important way that we can balance the bombardment of mental stimuli from our advanced technology. Take time out!

Across the Radar

It has taken me all day to get to this as I had another writing project (unfortunately personal, not work related) that I had to complete on. I feel so grateful to work in a field that I love, that of healing and in particular healing with sound. I could pretty much write about that all day.

From the moment I woke up today I was thinking about sound and blogging and what I wanted to write about it. Here are just a few of the things that crossed my radar.

The sound of silence... What is that like for you? Have you ever in fact experienced total silence? When it gets very quiet I hear a very faint (and sometimes not so faint) internal sort of "white noise" that has a crystalline kind of a quality to it. There are variations in frequency- sometimes more like whooshing, sometimes higher frequencies like insects, sometimes lower humming tones. Good fuel for meditation, listening deeply and allowing your being to sink into the sound.

Bjork and the extraordinary things she can do with her voice... There was an article about her in the Sunday New York Times which reminded me that I need to revisit her work again. This is a very cool track from her most recent album.
 
Dame Evelyn Glennie... deaf percussionist with an extraordinarily fine-tuned sense of hearing- she has lost her auditory faculty so she hears with the rest of her body.

Wholistic Sound healing retreats... individualized sound healing retreats that I am offering at my new location in Tiverton, Rhode Island. One person or one couple at a time.

Vibroacoustic sound therapy... experiencing music with your whole body- a cellular musical massage either in a Somatron recliner, the Athena sound table, or the Soundweaver- a Somatron vibroacoustic mat on a massage table surrounded by a large copper dodecahedron. There are many other vibroacoustic sound environments as well, such as the Genesis, the Betar and the Innerdimensional Sound Chamber, all based on the same premise. The music is not only heard, it is felt throughout the entire body. One of my primary forms of therapy. Lots to say about that!

Chanting... for improved respiratory function and general well-being for depression. Chant and be happy!

And my book! Sound Possibilities: Restoring Balance and Harmony Through Sound and Music. I actually have been so busy with my recent move followed right up by the holidays, my 60th birthday, snowstorms and chest cold that I had actually forgotten about it until today. I have not worked on it since I have been in this house- time to dive back in!

I am feeling inspired and excited.

I am so grateful to Seth Godin, Winnie Kao and the tribe of bloggers I have connected with through #YourTurnChallenge for inspiring me to keep blogging every day and for being such an awesome support team. Thank you! 




Quiet Mind

Still feeling dragged out by the emotions that came up on Saturday so I gave my self a short sound therapy treatment in the Somatron recliner.
CD Shaman's Eye by Liquid Bloom... 15 minutes was all it took.
Now I feel calm- a quieter mind is mine.
Slightly less tender more wholesome emotional body...

     Cooking curry in a crockpot...

           Hmmm... I think there's a song in there!