Continue reading »]]> Most women will have at least one loved one attend her labour whether in hospital or at home.  Usually the husband/partner will be there, mother, sister or best friend, and sometimes the siblings in a home-birth situation.  All of your loved ones LOVE you and no one enjoys seeing a loved one experiencing pain.  Also, none of them have probably every seen or heard you experience pain for what could be for several hours… Maybe they have seen / heard you swear your head off for a few minutes after you’ve stubbed your toe, or maybe you have groaned and moaned when sick with the flu, or maybe they have seen you scream and cry if you have ever broken a bone…BUT the sounds of labour are going to be very, very different and will most likely go on for a much longer period of time…becoming more and more intense as the labour progresses.

From the research I have done and from my own personal experience, making primal sounds during contractions whether that is moaning, groaning, toning or a combination of the lot, will assist with pain relief, relaxing and opening the cervix and keep the labouring woman in “the zone”…to name a few benefits.

So, first of all though, YOU need to give yourself permission and feel comfortable about making such sounds BEFORE the birth and so do the people who you have chosen to have support you (even some birth professionals need a reminder that vocalising is important).  If your loved ones aren’t  prepared it could bring up anxiety for them (especially if they are the type who want to ‘fix’ everything – most men are like this, and mothers tend to worry).  You don’t want an anxious person supporting you and you also don’t want to be suppressing your sounds just because you don’t want to freak out your loved ones!!!  Remember that you are using your voice as a pain relief and ‘opening up’ tool to help you birth your baby gently into the world!

You really can’t afford to abandon your voice but you CAN prepare your loved ones.

Here are some discussion points and exercises you can do with those loved ones who will most likely be present during your labour.  Adjust the language of course, according to whether you are talking to your hubby or children…

Points for discussion:

• “I will be making sounds during contractions which will be different to the sounds I normally make.  They are good, healthy sounds that are helping me cope with pain and to birth my baby.  When these sounds become more intense it means that the baby is VERY close to being born.”
• “It is important to me that you feel comfortable with these sounds so I can let go into the birthing zone using my voice.  I need to know that you won’t freak out when I make sounds because I need you to be present with me…NOT busy freaking out.  Here are some fun exercises we can do now to help us ALL become uninhibited with using our voice and hearing each other make different sounds.  Then when it comes to birth day making sound won’t be an issue.”

5 fun and simple exercises:

1. Stand up.  Open your mouth.  Stretch your arms…and YAWN.  Yawn as loudly as you can.  Let the sound out.   Yawning is usually contagious so relax (try not to laugh too much) and YAWN your head off!
2. LAUGH!  Do “Ha ha ha’s” and “Ho ho ho’s” and He he he’s” “Hu hu hu’s” and a combination of them all.  Make high and low, fast and slow sounds ie. Make your laughing interesting! Be creative!  And enjoy laughing at each other!  Laughing is also extremely contagious!
3. Take a deep breath, open your mouth wide and sigh “Ahhh” several times.  Allow yourself to relax as you do this.  Release any stress or tension that you may have held in your body through the day.  Let it all go!
4. Crawl around on your hands and knees and pretend you are a cow! Kids love this one of course!  Even if you are not a kid you will get a kick out of it!  Choose some other animal sounds to explore together – monkey, dog, lion, kookaburra, elephant, cat  
5. Everyone holds a piece of ice in their hand for 1 minute (the time of a good contraction) without making any sound.  Talk about how this felt.  Do it again this time making some long “Ahhh” and “Oooo” sounds or just moan and groan… allow whatever sound to be OK.  Notice and discuss the difference when it came to coping with the pain.

More to discuss:

“Here’s how you can support me to make more sound during labour:

• Remember that the sounds I make are not necessarily an indication on how much pain I’m experiencing…they are just me expressing myself which is helping me to stay strong and release tension in my body. “It’s better out than in” as they say!
• Staying calm will help me to stay calm
• If you notice my breathing is shallow, my face is all tense, I’m not making any sound or I’m making high pitched sounds remind me to make low, groaning moo cow like sounds.  Do this by making those sounds with me.
• Make sounds with me.  “Singing” in a group is much less scary than singing solo, right?? This will help me feel supported.  Just hearing that you are “with me” will help me to relax.”

So there you go!  Prepare yourself and your loved ones during pregnancy.  Learn to LOVE your voice (even just accepting it would be good enough!) and then make the choice to draw on it as an awesome coping tool during labour.

If you want to find out how to add the soothing sound of a crystal singing bowl to the Soundbirth equation contact me! nicole@soundbirth.com.au

Enjoy making sounds with your loved ones!  Let me know how you go!

Continue reading »]]>

I am now 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant.  I feel physically and emotionally ready now to give birth again for the fourth time!  I have set up my birthing space at home.  I have my crystal singing bowl in the corner of the room ready to be played by someone throughout every contraction…the sound that will be “holding my hand” and keeping me focused as I vocalise through my labour.  I have the birth pool blown up and ready to go.  I have the “Feng Shui for birth” kit set up to help with cleansing and bringing the right energy into the room.  I have chosen an awesome independent midwife who has made house visits from three months into my pregnancy who I have built a relationship with and who I trust completely if it comes to making any big decisions during the labour, birth and with baby in arms.  I have had a Blessingway ceremony, had a beautiful henna design drawn on my belly, had professional photos taken and have completely cleaned and sorted out my “nest”.

Yes I have made many conscious choices and some people may believe that because I have “done this” three times “successfully” already I wouldn’t have any fears and all will be well…

MY FEARS

 Well, they are wrong.  I’m only human after all!   During this pregnancy I have experienced more fear than any other.  Probably because I have read more about birth and heard many more horror birth stories since starting my birthy business, Soundbirth.  Because of this I have felt SO grateful and lucky really, to have had three beautiful homebirths in the past but I also feel that if awful things like this can happen to other women then who am I to think that it couldn’t happen to me too!

Here are just some of the fears that have sometimes consumed me during this pregnancy!

-fear that my baby will die

-fear of being transferred to hospital

-fear of having to have a c-section and feeling like I have “failed”.

-fear that baby will be posteria and the labour too painful and long for me to birth naturally

-fear of the pain – especially at the end when I usually feel like I’m going to die

-fear of feeling depressed afterwards and not being able to take care of my family because of it

-fear of having to deal with sore vagina, haemorrhoids, sore nipples…

-fear of being sleep deprived…again!

STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN!

What I have realised is that all of these fears come down to the FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN!  Because the truth is that all of these things COULD happen AND all of these things MIGHT NOT happen.  I don’t know…nobody knows… The reality is that the outcome is completely out of my control!!! And we, especially in our society, are not used to feeling out of control!  We want to know the outcome, we want to know how to do it, we want to know everything about everything inside and out before taking action…just in case we fail, feel pain, feel stupid and the list goes on.  Giving birth though is one of those peak life experiences (close to being faced with death) that can’t give us these answers which therefore forces us to face these fears and surrender to the moment.  Scary stuff for any “normal” human being…

EXPRESSING THE FEARS

What has helped me during this pregnancy was that I vocalised my fears in front of my midwife, my husband, my children, my Mum, my sister and the friends who came to my Blessingway.   Yes, I cried.   Yes, I felt vulnerable and shame even for feeling so fearful about things that I “should” feel confident about since a) I have done it three times before and b) I teach women how to cope with pain etc. using sound through my business!

What I realised though that after expressing and exploring the fears and tears I was able to release them…It was like the fearful thought needed to turn into a sound (spoken words) so that it became separate from my body and mind.  From here I was able to see the fear for what it was (a thought) and see clearly why that thought was scary (something to do with a past experience). Only then was I able to step into the spaciousness of the UNKNOWN…because that was all that was left… The “I don’t know” mind. Scary…but SO freeing!  In this space I could take a breath and be present in the moment knowing that all I actually can do is surrender and trust that the birth will unfold as it unfolds and that’s that.

If I had held in these fears because I was worried about what others would think of me or if I was afraid that if I voiced them they would come true…I would STILL be holding these fears in my body and mind.  I’m sure that like my first two births they would then arise again during labour and birth and afterwards which are really not ideal times to feel be feeling anxious.  I want to feel CLEAR before giving birth again.   To know that I have looked at all the  heavy, all-consuming thoughts and emotions so I can be fully present with my body making space for me to freely birth my baby into the world.

I feel I am ready now to face the unknown…  to surrender to the awesomeness of giving birth again.

Bring it on!

A few days after the birth of my third baby

Continue reading »]]> Recently I have been waking up when the birds start to sing very early in the morning.  They sing without fail every single day.  Very consistent those birds are!  The sun starts to bring light to our backyard and bang! Tweet tweet tweety tweet…they greet the day with their own unique morning song.   I listen to the beauty of their song for a while, then fall back to sleep for another few hours…( I am pregnant with 3 kids after all!)

When I do finally wake up in the morning, I sneak off into my room where I keep my crystal singing bowls, sit down next to my 14 inch bowl and gently start to play it.  I then start improvising a melody as I tone with the bowl making combinations of Ahh, Ee, Oh, Oo and Aye sounds.  It just flows out of me.

This morning when I was creating my morning song I felt like a bird greeting the new day.  I felt like I was saying “Thank you for the new day and for being alive”.  I thought about how I would like my day flow and how I want to feel.  I was communicating with the Universe, Great Spirit, God, whatever you want to call it…through sound…which is the invisible connection that we can ALL have with this Greater Source.  I realised that all we need to do is to make the conscious choice to plug into Source and that doing this through sound is a very simple, effective and very efficient way!

For those who already have a bowl I invite you to start greeting the day with sound. Watch how your day flows beautifully with no drama, no effort as your thoughts start to manifest into reality!

Enjoy creating! Coz that’s why you came here!

Continue reading »]]> For those of you who don’t know me I want you to know that even though I have a musical background… I am NOT an amazing singer. I have never been taught how to sing and I have never had to sing for an audience (thank goodness).  I put myself in the category of  ”normal person just wanting to sing”.

• I sing because I want to.
• I sing for my children.
• I sing because it makes me feel happy.
• I sing while I work.
• I sing in the car.
• I sing in the shower.
• I sing during labour (of course…)

Why do I want you to know this?

Soundbirth’s tagline is “Sing Your Baby To You”…which I have noticed freaks people right out!  They might think…”I can’t sing so there’s no point in me doing the Soundbirth thing”.  Or “It’s alright for those people who CAN sing”.  Or “There’s NO WAY I’m going to sing around my kids!  They’ll all runaway!”  I have heard these words come out of people’s mouths a number of times now…and I feel sad every time I hear it…

Most people these days think that to “be able to sing” means you have to be a singer on stage or on TV.  And if you’re not doing that, you are NOT a “singer”.

Well stuff that!  I believe you are ALL singers!  Even my first boyfriend who was “tone deaf” would enjoy singing along with his Metallica albums!  So he is also a “singer”!  If he can do it so can you!

Why?  Because:

• If you can talk you can sing.
• If you can cheer at a footy game, you can sing.
• If you can groan and moan and swear your head off when you kick your toe, you can sing.
• If you can laugh out loud, you can sing!

If you have kids or about to have a baby you really can’t afford to NOT sing.  There are SO many benefits that definitely outweigh the limiting beliefs you may have about your voice.

Singing:

• increases oxygen in the body
• lowers blood pressure
• increases oxytocin (the LOVE hormone)
• reduces adrenaline
• increases endorphins
• releases stress and tension  from the body
• releases negative emotion
• energises the body
• brings you into the present moment
• and more…

Try singing out for yourself!

Notice what a difference singing makes to your level of happiness, to your energy levels and to your connection with your children by making the choice to sing everyday!  Who cares what those around you think of your voice!  Their reaction is their problem… (you may even be surprised to find out that they ENJOY hearing you sing!)  This is about YOU!  It is a nurturing thing to do for yourself…and it’s FREE!!!  But you will only find this out if you DO IT.

Tips for those who think they can’t sing!

• Start by making louder sounds when you yawn, sneeze or laugh.
• Hum for a few days.
• Sing in the shower while no one is around.
• Sing along to your favourite music when no one is around.
• Then finally make the jump into singing whatever you feel like singing while your kids and husband are around!
• Pay attention to how YOU feel.  Challenge yourself to continue singing even if you start to feel uncomfortable…eventually you will sing without inhibitions and will be able to use your one and only voice as a tool to help you feel fully ALIVE!

Sing like a bird…and you’ll feel as free as a bird!

Continue reading »]]> I recently bought a new CD for my Birthday present to me…I listened to a few of the songs and wondered if it was worth spending that $32.  I didn’t FEEL anything.

I realised that this isn’t anything new.  It has always taken time for a new piece of music to “grow on me”. Why is this?

Well, I believe that we create a relationship with music just as we do with people.  When you meet someone for the very first time you look, listen, feel into them, work out whether or not you resonate with each other…then decided whether or not you want to pursue the relationship any further.  From here you may call the person again, see them again, talk, go out..basically get to know each other on a deeper level each time.

It is the same with hearing a piece of music for the first time.  You may listen to it in the car, as you go for a walk, you may dance to it with your lover, you may use it to soothe your baby to sleep and the list could go on and on.  In both situations you will be deepening the relationship and creating new memories connected to the music or person each time.

Then, in twenty years time when you bump into the person or now friend again, your whole being remembers what you had together as if it happened yesturday.  This is the same as if you hear that piece of music again…the memories you created together come flooding back and you experience the same feelings as what you did twenty years earlier.

For example, the other day I was showing my kids who Kylie Minogue is on utube and I heard “I Should Be So Lucky” for the first time in 20 + years!  In those days (I find it hard to admit) I went through a Kylie Minogue phase, so hearing this music again bought tears to my eyes… It bought me straight back into my family home with those young teenager feelings… No wonder elderly people light up when they hear songs they used to dance to with their friends and lovers in the “good old days”.  Music takes us straight back.

So remember this as you sing or listen to the same song over and over and over again as you put your baby to sleep or keep your toddler happy in the car… One day you will hear this music again and all the lovely memories and feelings will come flooding back…and you may also shed a few tears.

Continue reading »]]> The Crystal Singing Bowl is a sacred sound tool that comes from the ancient Tibetan singing bowls.  These bowls are usually used for meditation, bringing people into a relaxed state of mind.  They are now being used at home and hospital births by Soundbirth doulas and / or the birthing woman’s husband / partner.

Here are some of the benefits of choosing to use a crystal singing bowl at your birth.

1. The sound of the crystal singing bowl moves you into the alpha brain wave almost immediately – so you can achieve a relaxed and alert state (in fact faster than using hypnosis)
2. It gives you something to focus on during contractions.  You will actually be searching for the sound each time you start contracting so let your support person know they need to be watching and present with you or you may even get annoyed that the sound is not there or in time with you!
3. It is more effective than listening to background music as the sound is being played especially FOR you and in time with your body / contractions. Also, LIVE music is always better than recorded music….we’ve all experienced this!
4. It helps you feel less self-conscious about making “strange sounds” as the bowl seems to “sing” with you.  It’s like the difference between singing solo on stage or in a choir.  Which would you prefer?
5. There’s something satisfying about making music together – its ACTIVE rather than PASSIVE listening and gives you a ritual to focus on.
6. It gives your partner something to do while keeping them relaxed and present with what you are going through.
7. It drowns out any distracting hospital noises such as beeping, binging, chatting, doors opening and closing, women or babies screaming next door and so on.
8. It relaxes everyone else who enters the room.
9. It helps to create a feeling of being in a cave – giving you privacy.
10. It is symbolic of birth, the bowl = feminine; wand = masculine. When you connect the two together you create sound / “new life”.
11. It creates a sacred space just by it being IN the room even when it’s not being played!   This is especially important in a hospital setting.  Birth is meant to be sacred after all.
12. When you make focused sound through “toning” along with the sound of the bowl you relax your jaw which in turn relaxes your cervix. Open throat = open cervix.

If you would like to learn more about how YOU and your partner can experience a Soundbirth or how you can support women during labour using a sound and a crystal singing bowl please contact Nicole on 0419 285 500 or nicole@soundbirth.com.au.

Continue reading »]]> Types of Routines

I have always cringed when people used to ask me after I’d had a baby, “Have you found a routine yet?”  I used to wonder, “Are you talking about a routine that I have imposed on the baby or a natural routine where I am following the baby’s rhythm?”  Hmm… I was never one for rigid bedtime or feeding routines for a number of reasons but mainly because it just didn’t feel right.  I believe and I have experienced for myself three times that baby’s find their own natural rhythm just like any baby animal does.  I learnt to let go and trust that my babies would let me know when they were hungry or tired and as they let me know I learnt to meet their needs quickly and from a loving space.  Every family finds their own way through parenting and uses “routine” in different ways to different degrees.  Whatever works for both parents and baby is the best.  By the way, you know if it is best for baby  if the s/he is content, peaceful, happy most of the time.  If the baby is crying it is an indication that you, the parent needs to try something different or the baby is experiencing physical discomfort.

Musical Magic!

So how does music fit into all of this?  Like I said, I never forced my kids to go to sleep or feed at certain times or play happily on their tummies for 20 mins a day…but I did use music as a tool to help them move into sleep or stay playing for longer periods so I could make dinner or wash the dishes.  Every time they heard the “sleep” music they would associate this with mummy, boobies, warm, cozy, rocking, feeling relaxed…sleep!   Whenever we did a nappy change I sang “Der Glumph went the little green frog one day” and they would smile and most importantly let me change their nappy without screaming their head off!.  When they were playing on the mat I would put on “Mozart for Babies” by Don Campbell and they would play contently for a much longer period than if there was no music.  The best example was when my last daughter screamed in the car I would put on her “sleeping” music and she would stop crying immediately and sometimes fall asleep!  I wasn’t holding her and she couldn’t see me but the familiar music was enough to trigger those feelings of being safe and secure and sleepy…and she would settle down.

The “Music Method”

ANYONE can use music in this way as a tool to assist in finding that natural rhythm in your lives together.  This “method” doesn’t involve crying babies, feelings of guilt or stress when babies aren’t doing what you think they “should” be doing…all it involves is playing a piece of music or singing a song as you flow through your daily activities.  It’s free, it’s nurturing, it makes YOU feel good and is a way of building a connected loving relationship with your child.

However you choose to do the “routine” thing in your family, music will assist you and you baby to move through your daily lives with more grace and ease.

Types of Music

Here are some more ideas of when you can use music to assist with routines:

Bath music, go to sleep music, car music, nappy change music, playing music, cleaning-up music (older kids), feeding music.

I’d love to hear when you have used music in your families and how it has served you.

Continue reading »]]> How do you sneeze?

What sounds do you make when you sneeze, yawn, stub your toe, cry, laugh, scream with anger? Do you express these sounds differently depending on who is in your presence? For example your kids, your mother-in-law, your best friend, your co-workers, a group of strangers, your lover. How do you censor these sounds?   Why do you censor them?  What thoughts in your head are telling you to be quiet, to hide, to be small, to squash down your life-force energy, to basically lie!

Find Your Authentic Voice

The first time I deeply realised how much I had been squashing down my True Self for most of my life was at a life transforming workshop called Realtime Speaking with Robert Rabbin in 2007. (see  http://www.realtimespeaking.com/profiles/robert-rabbin/ for more information).  I cried and cried for the entire two days.  I couldn’t believe how afraid I was to say my truth, to speak up, to be authentic in front of the seven other participants.  I cried for all of the parts of myself I had disowned in fear that I would be rejected if I let others see them.  I cried for all the people who have also been squashing down their aliveness for so long just to fit in, be accepted, be “loved”.  I knew I had to let go and reveal myself to feel free yet I was afraid …and still am sometimes.   Why?  Because if I revealed my real voice, my actual thoughts and feelings, what if people stop liking me?  What if they don’t accept me?  What if I am laughed at?  Ridiculed?  I would be alone.  This was the fear.  But the other option of staying the same, of holding back my truth, of staying stuck was MORE painful and just not an option anymore.  It was time to change and I was ready to take the plunge.

“We all have a true voice within us, a fiery fearless voice that tells us how to live fully and authentically. Finding our true voice and choosing to speak with that voice brings us to a state of grace.” Robert Rabbin

Play with Life

Since then I have been seeing life more as a playground which has given me permission to not take life so seriously and definitely not to take anyone else’s opinions of me seriously.  What is more important now is how I move and express myself in each and every moment.  Is what I say and do in alignment with ME or is what I say and do in alignment with my kids, my friends, my husband, mother, society?  I have found that when I live from this authentic place life flows beautifully…without the dramas, the frustrations, resentments, the PAIN!

Powerful and Natural Pain Relief

How is this related to birth?  Well, if you are censoring your sound in any way for any reason during those contractions you are creating tension in your body somewhere.  Sound unexpressed is repression.   This holding back will cause more pain.

“Sound releases pain from the body. Silence locks energy into the body”  Wayne Perry

This is why toning is such a beneficial pain relief tool during labour.  It is a focused and gentle way of releasing sound and therefore pain.  It is also a powerful way to start expressing your true sound your true authentic Self. It is only when you are being authentic that you feel truly alive and free.  Giving birth is no time to hold back anything!  It is time to let go of any old beliefs that hold you back and enjoy the ride.   What an awesome opportunity to birth not only your baby but your Self!  Birth is a time for transformation on so many levels.  Enjoy!  Be Naked!   Be real!   Be fully alive!

Here are 3 tips to expressing your sounds FULLY during your labour:

1. Practice toning and feeling comfortable using your voice during pregnancy at least in your partner’s presence.
2. Use a crystal singing bowl to accompany you as you tone during each contraction – it’s the difference between singing solo and singing in a choir!  What would you feel more comfortable with?
3. Create privacy for yourself during labour, whether you are at home or in hospital, to reduce any anxiety about making “noise” in front of others…then you can just LET IT ALL OUT!!!

Continue reading »]]> My Dad’s Heart Songs

My Dad made up a song for me when I was three called “The Mushroom Song” after we went picking mushrooms in someone’s cow paddock in the country.  This song is so meaningful to me not because of the lyrics or the tune but because I know that my Dad chose to spend that moment in time thinking about me.  Because of this those moments have been captured in a song that speaks to my heart every time I have heard him sing it to me…  I know that even when I am 80 this song will bring tears to my eyes and remind me of the soft, caring, loving part of my Dad.

Me as a baby listening to my Daddy sing songs to me

My Heart Songs

I have made up several songs for my babies…some funny and some to soothe them to sleep… My two year old will demand that I sing her special song as I feed her to sleep every time.  When I sing the funny song called “Boobies are the best” I have to sing it several times of course.  I know that these songs are already meaningful to her and if I continue to sing them, they will stay in her heart forever.

Boobies are Definitely the Best in our house!

Heart Songs in Uganda

A similar story about how a song has the power to resonate feelings of love for a lifetime is from Don Campbell’s book Mozart Effect for Children.  He writes about a tribe in Uganda where a woman when first “conceives” of the idea of having a baby with a particular father in mind goes off by herself and listens for the song of the child.  Once she has heard the song she returns to the tribe and teaches the song to her lover so they can sing it together as they make love.  They invite the child to join them.  After the child is conceived, the mother sings it to the baby in her womb, then she teaches it to the old women and midwives of the village so that throughout the labour and at the miraculous moment of birth, the child is greeted with its song.  After the birth all the villagers learn the song of their new member and sing it to the child when it falls or hurts itself.  It is sung in times of triumph and in ritual and initiations.  The song can become part of the marriage ceremony when the child is grown, and at the end of life, his or her loved ones will gather around the deathbed and sing this song for the last time.

Create Your Own Heart Song

I LOVE this story and will definitely do this is I ever choose to bring another baby into the world (did I say that?). In the meantime I would love to support other women in creating their own heart songs or “Family Lullabies” or even songs about a moment in time they experienced together as in my “Mushroom Song”.   These songs are not only sacred but also an effective tool that can be used to soothe and reassure your child when they are tired, when they hurt themselves, when they feel insecure and when YOU feel you need to connect with them again. Singing a funny song you have made up is also a FUN thing to do to lighten up your family when things start to get stressful!  I have done this many times!

Anyone can do this by the way whether you believe you are musical or not!   If you feel drawn to creating a Family Lullaby before conception to bring your baby to you, during pregnancy or after your child has been born Soundbirth will assist you in this process.  Together we can create the song that will stay in your hearts forever!

I will leave you now with a few songs I made up recently.  You will just have to imagine the tune!

Boobies are the Best

Boobies, Boobies, Boobies are the Best

In the shops, in the park, in front of our guest

In the sling, in the chair, in the bed while we rest

It doesn’t really matter where coz

Boobies are the Best!!!

(Simple, but my kids LOVE it!)

Beautiful Babies

Beautiful Babies

Snuggled Together

In Mamma’s big belly

In an ocean of Love

You have chosen these parents

To love, hold and guide you

And gently you’ll enter

This wonderful life!

(In memory of Sam xxx)

Continue reading »]]> When you play your crystal singing bowl for whatever reason, you want it to be “crystal clear” to give you the “crystal clear” sound and results you are looking for.

How can a bit of dirt or dust effect the sound vibrations?

Everything in the universe is in a state of vibration.  Sound is the vibrations we can actually hear (between 20Hz – 20 000Hz).  Everything we can’t hear ( a stone, a flower or a speck of dust) is still vibrating but out of our hearing range.  Think about when you walk into an old, desserted house full of spider webs and dust…imagine the vibrations coming out of there…”bad vibes”…then compare this to a house full of things that a person cares for, has personally chosen with love, appreciates and is clean and light!  ”Good vibes”.  You can’t hear the difference yet you can definately percieve it with your whole being.  This isn’t rocket science, it’s about being human.  Everyone can tell the difference between good and bad vibes!

Back to the dirty crystal bowl.  So, do you want “dust vibes” emanating from your bowl to your body, your house, your family?  Remember that when you play the bowl you amplify those vibrations creating more “dusty vibes”.  NO THANKS!  When you receive your bowl it would have been handled by people (more vibrations) and packaging material, so it is a good idea to give it a good clean, cleanse and charge before using it for healing, manifesting and labouring!

CLEANING

Pour distilled water (or filtered) in a bowl with some biodegradable, mild dish washing liquid.  Use a soft toothbrush or soft brush and scrub the granular surface on the outside.  A soft cloth is fine for the smooth surface on the inside.

Rinse the bowl thoroughly and carefully with the water.

Dry with a hair dryer or gently place outside in the sun to dry.

CLEANSE

Any crystalline structures (including our bodies) can absorb and release energy.  It is important therefore to cleanse the bowl of any negative energy it may have absorbed along the way so that you don’t absorb it when it is played.  Ted Andrews writes about this in “Crystal Balls, Crystal Bowls”.

You can do this by placing it in a bath full of sea-salt which draws out any negative energy.  You could go in the bath with it if there is enough room!

Frankincense insense vibrates at a high frequency (remember…EVERYTHING VIBRATES – this is NOT a hippy thing…it is science!) so will clear any lower frequencies that are lurking!  Just burn it around the bowl for a while.

CHARGING

Place the bowl outside under a full moon – beautifull!  Or place it in the sun for a few days.  This will re-energise your bowl which in turn re-energises you when played!

I would recommend doing the cleaning, cleansing and charging when you first receive the bowl.  This will also help you to feel a connection with it.  Then do this  again before the birth.  After this once every few months would be sufficient!

ENJOY!