My wonderful husband took a trip to Berkeley right before Christmas to be with his father, and together they found this beautiful Singing Bowl. It was the perfect gift and I am thrilled to own it! It takes a great deal of concentration and a steady hand to achieve a smooth, even ring without scraping. The bowl starts out with a lower frequency and overtones, and as the energy builds, the lower fundamentals drop out and the higher overtones really start to ring. I can feel the vibrations buzzing around my eyes and in my sinuses. I think it would be beneficial for a cold or congestion. It’s quite energizing. I am interested in learning more about these types of bowls, their use in meditation and their healing properties. They can be really expensive, particularly the antique ones, which apparently become richer in tone as they age. Last Christmas my mom bought me some gorgeous Tingsha bells, but I seem to have lost them! I could just cry. I’m sure they are buried away in my house somewhere, in the same black hole where all the socks seem to end up.
Being a singer, I am fascinated by the connection between yoga and music. The two disciplines truly complement each other. I haven’t been singing as much as I used to because I found that the competitive music world was making me unhappy. I used to beat myself up after every performance, focusing on all the things I could have done better. But singing doesn’t have to be an ego-driven pursuit. It can be done for the pure joy of creating something from your heart and soul. That is how I want to live my life. To do things because they bring joy to me and to the people around me. I believe my singing comes from a more authentic, less studied place now as I have discovered yoga. I feel a deep respect for my body and what it is capable of, finding beauty in its “flaws” and weaknesses. Like my bowl, whose little imperfections and subtle differences simply add to the unique character of it’s sound.
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You’re right, Laura. You should sing for the joy of singing. I sang a solo at a baptism the other night, and you know that I am no vocal soloist! I wanted to beat myself up afterward, because my voice quivered a bit, and I messed up a couple of the lyrics. But the lady who got baptized was so touched by the fact that I sang her favorite hymn for her, that nothing else mattered. It was the flaws and innocence of my voice that carried the message. So yes, we definitely have to find beauty in our weaknesses. Other people do, why can’t we?