Sounding out our pursuit of happiness
WITH THE NEW YEAR UPON US, IT MAY BE THE IDEAL TIME TO TRY ANCIENT FORMS OF HEALING
PRACTISING meditation is a phenomenon which has been proven to have long-term advantages such as stress reduction, improved sleep patterns and mental clarity. These are only a few of the many advantages and incorporating meditation into your life can really help focus your attention and improve visualisation. However, some people find it difficult to quieten their thoughts so it’s good to know there are alternatives to the usual meditation classes.
For anyone seeking to branch out or simply try something different, I would highly suggest giving the Tibetan Bowls Sound Healing class a try. Before the most recent lockdown was introduced, I had the chance to attend a Tibetan Bowls Sound Healing class in the Creacon Wellness Retreat. It was an hour long session where participants simply lay down on yoga mats while the facilitator made healing sounds with the Tibetan bowls and chimes.
In the pursuit of happiness many of us look towards different things for fulfilment. Whatever we are working towards in life it is important, at times, to find your own peace of mind. Many of us struggle to leave our past where it belongs and we can carry around feelings and regrets that don’t serve us anymore. Learning to let go can be the first step in removing a heavy burden from our shoulders and I wanted to discuss this with one of the class facilitators from the Creacon Wellness Retreat, Elizabeth Dooley.
Liz explained to me her background and how she got into this line of work.
‘I do energy work so I am an acupuncturist and I do energy healing, so I feel that the whole thing around sound healing is all about the energy, moving energy because we’re all at a resonance in our body. As an example, if I’m speaking to you and I speak to you gently and lovingly; that sound soothes. I personally started listening to Tom Kenyon who is a sound healer and he does it through different instruments and the songs he sings.’
On researching Tom Kenyon, I discovered that his ambitions shifted from being an aspiring country musician in Nashville to dedicating his life giving lectures on his own innovative research that proved how sound shifts brain states and promotes dramatic healing. Using his nearly four-octave range voice, in tandem with other acoustic instruments, he creates deeply altered states of consciousness that access the brain’s unused potentials for heightened creativity and spiritual insight. There are many examples you can access on Youtube.
Liz was delighted when she got the opportunity to do the Tibetan sound Healing training with a facilitator in the Creacon Wellness Retreat. The sound connects to the seven chakras in our bodies to create alignment.
Liz has seven bowls to correspond with each chakra and also uses chimes. For instance, the heart bowl corresponds specifically to the heart to restore it to a peaceful state. Liz explains that no two classes will ever be the same and sometimes she may do a specific meditation to meet the needs of the room. One week, might concentrate on different sounds, each tone resonating a different chakra. Usually people attending class will experience the energy moving through them.
Liz explains how different emotions can be weighing us down. It could be from any different emotion. Using Chinese medicine as a reference, Liz explains how under the veil of anger could be sadness or grief. We can layer over these emotions until all the feelings are so stagnated that they get stuck in our body and actually weigh us down.
Liz believes what’s happening at the moment with the constant threat of Covid-19 is we are all being bombarded with fear and restrictions.
Liz facilitates other classes in the Creacon Wellness Retreat and people usually refer to ‘ letting go’ and feeling lighter. They also feel a real sense of calm. With these testimonials you can visualise people leaving the class feeling like a burden has been taken from their shoulders.
‘The more baggage you let go of, the more you allow yourself to expand. This expansion can help release the limitations imposed on a person, meaning they may feel more in charge of their own destiny,’ explains Liz.
Apart from being a facilitator in the Tibetan Bowls Sound Healing class at Creacon, Liz is also a Reiki Master, and has previously worked as an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner.
Liz advises people to look after themselves, explaining that she herself is a mother and grandmother but it’s highly important that she looks after herself first to be able to look after others. She advises people to learn to let go, especially during Covid-19, when we feel we have no control over our circumstances.
She believes that a very positive thing to do is to create a gratitude list and remember daily what you are truly grateful for. The theory behind most spiritual teachings is that being grateful actually attracts more into your life.
The Tibetan sound healing can also be provided one on one. Alternatively, the Creacon Wellness Retreat provide weekends where people can experience all the different sounds, meditations and healthy food options available. Liz states that the sound healing can trigger something in clients that needs to come out or be released. This can, at first feel uncomfortable but it can also be the catalyst for change.
For more information on Liz and her treatments please visit her website. https://acuangels. com.
Tibetan Healing sounds classes are available through zoom during lockdown. Please refer to website for more details. https://www.creaconwellnessretreat.com.