Sound meditation: Good for the body and soul, and you can do it right here in Croton.
About once each month, Master Sound Healer Michelle Clifton plays Tibetan Singing Bowls at the Organic Teaching Kitchen on Old Post Road South.
Earlier this month, the staff of The Croton Chronicle had the pleasure of participating in one of the most relaxing and therapeutic meditation sessions we have ever experienced. Fortunately, the staff of the Chronicle is quite small, so there was enough space in a large room at the Organic Teaching Kitchen in Croton for a number of other participants to also lay down on soft mats with pillows and blankets, and share 75 minutes of sound meditation.
Our teacher and spiritual guide was Master Sound Healer Michelle Clifton, who has been conducting sound meditation sessions for more than a decade. Clifton is also a sound recorder, producer, painter, printmaker, and sculptor. She did much of her sound meditation training in Mumbai, India, receiving a Tibetan Singing Bowl Sound Healing Certification.
A couple of weeks before we arrived for the session, Clifton sent us a sheet detailing the benefits of sound healing. The list is too long to reproduce here, but among them are relieving stress; reducing pain, anxiety, and depression; synchronizing the left and right brain; lowered blood pressure and heart rate; release of endorphins and oxytocin, the “trust” hormone; and relief of headache, fatigue, insomnia, digestive disorders, and so forth.
The basic principle, Clifton told us, is that the body is made up of 60% to 70% water. The vibrations created by the bronze bowls spreads throughout the body via our cells and organs. The sound also activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digestion) and transforms beta brain waves (alert and focused) into delta or theta waves (deep relaxation.)
We were not equipped to scientifically measure whether these things happened in our case. But some of the other benefits on the list most definitely did: A deep meditative and peaceful state; a deep sense of tranquility and peace; and rebalancing of our chakras.
Once we were all comfortable, Clifton took us through several spoken steps designed to get us into a relaxed state. Then, aided by an assistant, she began playing a large assortment of Tibetan Singing Bowls and other instruments. After about a half hour, Clifton and her helper began placing small bowls on our bodies, allowing the vibrations and sound to spread through our torsos and our limbs.
As indicated above, it was not possible for us to make a scientific evaluation of the beneficial effects. What we can say, however, is that we left the cooking school feeling very mellow indeed, and woke up feeling pretty much the same way.
The next Sound Meditation session in Croton is on Friday, December 13, 6 pm at the cooking school.
For more information you can contact Michelle by text or voice at 914-447-0822 or email her at clifton.michelle1@gmail.com
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This is very interesting. I really appreciate learning about this. Sometimes you just don’t know what’s offered or happening right in your own neighborhood. Thank you!