The healing power of sound
Photo by Conscious Design on Unsplash
We all know how uplifting it is to turn on music we like and feel it vibrate through us. We feel it shaking loose the tension and the worries of the day. We each have our own set of preferences that we may or may not share with friends and family. Music that I find fun and exhilarating may grate on your nerves. Your music choices may send me running from the room! Some people find silence — the absence of background sounds — to be beneficial; others find the silence to be painful and distressing.
Drumming can be felt deeply by the body, mind, and spirit. Different rhythms awaken us in different ways. The rhythm of the horse brings a feeling of running free and the power of the horse courses through our veins. The rhythm of the bear strengthens us to stand our ground and know that we are protected. The heartbeat rhythm reminds us that we are all one.
A gong or a tuning fork sends vibrations through the body. Those tones can relax or rejuvenate all aspects of one’s being.
So, too with a singing bowl — the tone vibrates through us completely. Experiencing a succession of different singing bowls with different tones really moves energy throughout the body. Listening to a group of singing bowls offers us sound bath therapy, bringing a variety of sounds into the whole being. You may feel like resting or sleeping or you may feel rejuvenated and awakened after a sound bath with singing bowls.
Pay attention to the words you hear. Are others speaking with soothing voices or abrupt and disruptive communication? Are the words kind or are they harsh and critical? Some people’s voices can be grating on the nerves while other voices bring us calming energy and peacefulness. A soothing tone of voice or kind words that are spoken have a positive effect upon us. The Good Book says, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
What words do you say to yourself? Are they kind or critical? What tone of voice do you use when you speak to yourself? Is it gentle or degrading?
At The Divine Fellowship, we offer Drumming Sunday about once a quarter. On Monday evenings, you’ll find a group Sound Bath Therapy session. Want to know more about these events? Want to walk the church labyrinth with healing drums? Go to www.thedvinefellowship.com for more information.
Vibrations and stillness truly shift the energy within each of us. Sounds and silence — vibrant rhythms and sweet melodies, kind words and gentle voices — can heal the body, mind, and spirit if we allow them to do so. May you allow life to sing to you and bless you on your sacred journey of life.
Janice Lynch is the Minister at The Divine Fellowship in Richland.