Banjo Kirtan

Woke up singing. Had a song in my head I wanted to learn- a kirtan actually- so as soon as I got up I went downstairs and listened to a recording I had of it from one of my friends at kirtan camp last summer. She had also recently sent me the chords so I sat down at the harmonium and began learning it. I played straight through until 9:30 a.m. when a friend stopped by to look at some singing bowls. We did the bowl thing, then sat on the porch together and had coffee and a beautiful conversation and connection. When she left I went back to singing until my son Nic and my grandson arrived a little after 11. I learned it on the harmonium, the guitar and the banjo! My first kirtan on the banjo- very exciting!

I had a really nice visit with Nic and Jonah- delicious lunch and badminton and then after they left I went back to playing it for the rest of the afternoon. Eventually I fell asleep on the chaise longue, then got up and went in to Newport to see the new movie "Love and Mercy" about Brian Wilson and was immersed in Beach Boys music for a couple of hours. It is really a pretty incredible movie, very well done, and quite difficult to watch at times, but it is as brilliant as he is and is a really beautiful and powerful tribute to his sensitivity and genius.

And guess what I did when I got back. Yes, I sat right back down with the guitar and started practicing the kirtan again!

Today's Inspirational Music Video: I will survive breast cancer!!!

This is absolutely the best! To see the guts, strength, and joy of this woman made me cry. Here is the accompanying article...

Sound Spiral

Very excited that I was able to easily upload videos from my iPhone to YouTube. Why can't I do that with my MacBookPro? Whatever...

I got some new Himalayan singing bowls yesterday and spent hours this afternoon and evening setting them up to create a visual and auditory spiral of sound.

In the second video I refined it a bit more by eliminating a couple of bowls.

Sound Around

Very busy last few days. After doing sound journey for a group of bankers the day before yesterday I had someone call and ask if I could give her son a treatment who has been going through a personal crisis. The session went so well and I hope he will continue for a while. The beauty of sound is that it can cut through the story...

Next Wednesday I am going to be offering demo sessions for the Rhode Island Cancer Summit in Warwick. I will be using tuning forks and singing bowls. The opportunity came through the Integrative Care Program at Women & Infants Hospital where I give treatments to oncology patients 1-2 days a week. The money is not great but the blessings are many and the fact that a hospital is paying anything for alternative treatments is pretty remarkable. I absolutely love the work and the amazing people I get to meet through the program- women who are grateful to be alive and
so proactive about their health, caregivers who need some nurturing for themselves- people who are empowered because they have made the choice to care for themselves in a challenging situation. It is pretty phenomenal.

Today I got a beautiful shipment of Himalayan singing bowls in and I know I will be getting more in about 3 weeks. I am very excited about that!

Wholistic Sound on Airbnb!

Just spent an hour updating my Airbnb site!

Sounds Affects

We are sound and we are profoundly affected by sound. Why? Because sound is energy and sound has the power to transform energy. (Think homeopathy- "Like cures like.") It works on all levels- physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. If you look a little more deeply into this video beyond the very cool effects, it actually demonstrates how and why sound can be such a powerful healing tool. We are composed mostly of water and free space, thus our bodies are excellent conductors of sound. Sound waves can penetrate all matter, but it flows easily through our bodies. Find the right frequencies and you can re-harmonize the body, the mind, the emotions- no different than tuning a musical instrument and in fact sometimes more quickly and easily than tuning a temperamental instrument! It's not complicated.

Beyond Relaxation... (Would That Be Dead?)

I missed a day. I was falling asleep at the computer last night!

Great turnout and a very warm and positive response for the Sound Journey at the Yoga Center of Newburyport on Saturday night. No one signed up for Sunday's workshop so I had a day off and a chance to visit with a dear family friend who was also very close with my mother and that was lovely.

Sunday afternoon, because I was free, I was able to go to Newport and hear my brother play for a while at the Wharf Deli and then have dinner with him and his girlfriend at the Black Pearl. So everything worked out beautifully.

When I finally got home yesterday I was so beat that I didn't even unload my car. I was going to do it today but was procrastinating- all for the good as it turned out! This evening I received a call asking if I would be available tomorrow morning to do an hour long sound meditation for a group of businessmen who are in Newport for a yoga retreat. Actually they are combining work and retreat- apparently meditation and sailing in the morning followed by an afternoon of business meetings! So... the morning sound meditation will serve them very well- and I am so happy that I hadn't already unloaded the car only to have to pack it back up again!

Yesterday morning I woke up around 6 a.m. at Marnie's house in Ipswich and decided to listen to the Sound Journey that I had recorded from the night before. I have recorded many sound journeys on my iPhone and am always astounded at the quality of the sound- yesterday was no different. I turned on the recording and lay in bed and went into a deeply relaxed meditative state and eventually into dreaming. I only remember the last part of the dream- I was with another person and suddenly realized that I could not breathe. I was struggling to get a breath or to let the other person know that I couldn't breathe but I couldn't make a sound. In my mind I said, "Shit. Shit. Oh shit," and then woke myself up with a startling snoring gasp for air! I had gotten so relaxed from the sound journey that I had actually stopped breathing! I'm not sure if that goes beyond therapeutic relaxation but when I did wake up I felt fantastic. Fortunately when I do Sound Journeys for others they have me to guide them back into their bodies!