Singing Bowl Therapy for Stressed Elephants

I love animals, and I am passionate about helping people live an inspired and resilient life.  When my friend Sharon Carne shared this blog with me, I knew I needed to post it here for you to see.  What a great perspective on managing stress.

A good friend of mine found a video called “Bowls for Elephants” and shared it with me a few days ago. It touched my heart so deeply I felt you would love to see this.

The video, Bowls for Elephants, is about the Patara Elephant Farm in Thailand. This farm specializes in rescuing domestic elephants from difficult circumstances and bringing them to health.

Many of these elephants have been mistreated, traumatized and deeply stressed.

In this film they are documenting the response of several of their most stressed elephants to the sound of singing Tibetan and Crystal bowls.

How incredible to watch one nervous and frightened elephant physically relax and bond with the player of the bowls.

And all of this happened in only a couple of minutes! Wow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlGQwb54tNQ

What I also find so fascinating is that the response of the elephant is the same response I see in humans who experience the sound of the singing Tibetan and Crystal bowls.

What does this look like?

Tight muscles relax.

Breathing slows down.

The mind quiets.

Circulation improves.

Hormones are released that triggers the body’s natural healing response.

The body instinctively returns to its healthy natural patterns.

Symptoms of stress dissolve.

We create deeper bonds with others.

We feel more connected with the natural world.

I could go on and on with this list.

Singing Tibetan bowls have been around for thousands of years. There is good reason for this.

A carved singing crystal bowl has been found in Egypt dating back to 1700 BCE. The ancient Egyptians used sound as one of their main healing modalities.

This is not new.

Throughout our history on this planet, our ancestors (all over the planet) KNEW that the human body is a resonator for sound. It responds to certain sounds with a natural healing response, bringing the body, mind, emotions and spirit back into harmony.

I encourage you to search out a bowl or other sound healing tool. Hold it in your hand and make a sound with it.

MOST IMPORTANTLY – FEEL the vibrations of this sound travel through your body.

For travel through your body it does. ALL sound travels through your body.

The right sound feels EXQUISITE traveling through your body. And your body responds with a natural healing response.

Sharon Carne, BMus, M.F.A. is an author, speaker, musician, recording artist, sound healer, Reiki master and consultant. Sharon is the founder of Sound Wellness, whose programs are at the forefront of education in how sound and music can be easily applied to your everyday life - to reduce stress, help you concentrate, energize you, inspire you, support your health and so much more. www.soundwellness.com

Wired for Sound

 Big appreciation to my guest blogger today, Sharon Carne!  Enjoy

There are so many common sense ways to use music and sound to reduce stress, create more focus, enhance creativity and make your days easier.

The human body is a natural resonator for sound. We are deeply and intimately wired for sound – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Let’s take a closer look at a few examples of our wiring for sound:

1. Sound moves through the more fluid parts of your body four and a half times faster than it moves through the air. And twelve times faster through your bones.

2. Rhythm changes your heartbeat, breathing and brainwaves. This is called entrainment. The music playing in the grocery store changes your heartbeat. And you can’t turn off this response.

3. Hearing is the first sense that develops in the fetus. Sound stimulates the growth of the nervous system.

4. Hormones are released whenever we play music or sing together – feel good hormones, hormones that bond us together into communities and hormones that help keep us healthy.

Let’s take a closer look at stress and what it is.

The quote below is from an article called “Stress Symptoms, Signs and Causes.” If you want to learn more about the symptoms of stress, I recommend you check out the whole article: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

“When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.  Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.”

Now, this physical response can be handy in the short term if you are giving a presentation at work, need to focus when you are driving, in a sports competition, etc.

The key here is short term. In the long term, a constant stream of stress hormones in your body is extremely damaging, not only to your health, but to every part of your life.

To put this in perspective – up to 90% of visits to the doctor in Canada are because of stress related conditions. That’s a big number.

There are many ways to reduce stress.

Because of our intimate wiring for sound – at all levels – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – most of us intuitively reach for sound or music to reduce stress. 

It’s our common sense response – because it works.

Have you ever put on your favorite piece of music after a tough day?

Do you listen to music while driving to or from work?

A good friend of my husband’s listens to hard rock on the way home from work. He intuitively found that the low bass and heavy beat helped him discharge after work.

But it really bugged him when he started his car in the morning and this hard rock blasted from the radio. He really likes light classical music in the morning to help him focus for the day.

Check out #2 above. Music changes your heartbeat. Stress causes an elevated heartbeat – and blood pressure.

Music with low sounds and slow rhythms creates relaxation. Because it slows down your heartbeat, brain and breathing.

We all know that. And we all use it. It’s common sense and intuitive.

However - KNOWING exactly what music to choose - that works for you (we are all different in our response to music) - takes common sense and intuition to a whole new level of EFFECTIVENESS in managing stress.

Here’s another example.

We all sigh when we are upset. It’s an automatic response every one of us has.

What a really good sigh ACTUALLY does is stimulate the brain to release endorphins that help your body reduce stress, heal or manage pain.

You can MAXIMIZE the EFFECTIVENESS of a sigh by using your voice consciously.

Your own voice is the most powerful healing tool you have. Your voice carries every frequency of your body. Your voice resonates every cell of your body with every sound that you make.You have it with you all the time and it costs you nothing to use.And the best part - it creates an instant response in the body, mind and emotions and spiritual connection.

Try this.....

Put your hands on your upper chest. Feel the bones of your sternum and ribs under your palms. Take a deep breath. Feel the air in the bottom of your lungs. Now release the air with a long ahhhh. Like a waterfall. The way you would say ahhhh when you say, “Ahhhh, what a cute puppy!” 

When you add a SINGING tone to the ahhhh, the sound vibrations in your body and the resulting health benefits are focused and amplified.
Common sense stress reduction.
And it only takes a few seconds.

Sharon Carne, BMus, M.F.A. is an author, speaker, musician, recording artist, sound healer, Reiki master and consultant. Sharon is the founder of Sound Wellness, whose programs are at the forefront of education in how sound and music can be easily applied to your everyday life - to reduce stress, help you concentrate, energize you, inspire you, support your health and so much more. www.soundwellness.com

Gratitude is the Loudest Frequency

Today's guest post is by my friend Sharon Carne, enjoy!

Photo Credit Charmaine Hammond www.charmainehammond.com

Being in a gorgeous winter mountain landscape is like being inside silence itself.

The birds are quiet, the mountains are sleeping and the tress stand as sentinels of silence.

And the silence, for me, leads to contemplation.

Have you ever noticed that when nature gives you a gift of silence, your mind always has a hidden agenda?

The busy mind just can’t handle silence!

So I gave my mind a couple of questions to ponder – a quest, you might say -  “What is under the silence?” and “What is waiting to be heard?”

What my mind delivered to me were two categories of experience.

One was a deep appreciation and gratitude for the outstanding natural beauty that surrounded us on a recent journey through Roger’s Pass in the Canadian Rockies. And the quiet, contemplative space this created in me.

The other category consisted of all kinds of emotional ‘stuff’ that came to my awareness.

Emotions have frequencies. Every emotion has a SOUND!

This have been researched and documented by Manfred Clynes. He calls these sounds of emotions, Sentic Forms.

Most of have a SYMPHONY of emotions BLARING at us constantly! This symphony is RARELY harmonious!

It’s called BEING HUMAN!

I also noticed that as I continued to admire the incredible landscape around me, that my feelings of awe and appreciation were DROWNING OUT the frequencies of the noisy symphony!

And I was left in a calm, harmonious state.

Here’s some really good news!

You don’t have to drive through a snowy Roger’s Pass to create a harmonious state.

Gratitude is the LOUDEST emotional frequency!

It DROWNS OUT the ongoing noisy symphony!

Every time!

You can shift your state to harmony in seconds!!

Just think of something you are grateful for – a loved one – a flower – a Christmas cookie – a beautiful sunset – a tree... The list is endless!

Then focus on your heart and really FEEL that gratitude.

And the cool thing?

You can create harmony - any time – anywhere.

Sharon Carne, BMus, M.F.A. is an author, speaker, musician, recording artist, sound healer, Reiki master and consultant. Sharon is the founder of Sound Wellness, whose programs are at the forefront of education in how sound and music can be easily applied to your everyday life - to reduce stress, help you concentrate, energize you, inspire you, support your health and so much more.  www.soundwellness.com

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Finding your voice

I am delighted to have my friend Joel provide a guest blog post today.... enjoy!

 

Finding Your Voice: Guest blog by Joel Boggess

 During the past seven years, some people come to me because they are in a life transition: a child leaving the nest, a layoff, a divorce, a marriage. Some are dissatisfied in their work. Others know they want something different for their lives but are unclear on what that means or how to go about discovering what that “something” is. Whatever their initial reason for seeking out a coach, I’ve learned that most people’s needs run deeper than simply navigating the life changes they’re facing. What most people really want is clarity about their purpose. They want hope that “this” isn’t all there is to life. And they want the confidence to be the most authentic version of themselves.

In every case, finding their true voice empowers them to take their life in the direction that best suits them and their personality.

What does it mean to “find your voice”?

Voice comes from the Latin root vo, which is also the root word for vocation. One of the many ways you can express your voice is through your work. But Finding Your Voice is about so much more than a career choice. It’s about having clarity of life direction. It’s about giving full expression to your true self - holding nothing back.

It seems impossible that we could ever lose touch with our soul’s voice. I mean, it’s part of who we are, right? Well, if you followed the traditional track - elementary school, high school, college, day job -you’ve spent the majority of your life working to please others. Think about how many times an authority figure in your life - a boss, a teacher or professor, a minister, a parent, or someone else you looked to for guidance - has pointed out areas of weakness (or difference) rather than celebrating your strengths. The overriding message is that in order to be successful you need to be well-rounded. The problem is, well-rounded is synonymous with average. When you spend all your time trying to fit in, you forget who you really are - or, worse, you feel wrong for being yourself.

How do you find your voice?

1. Valuing your enduring qualities and unique traits - your gifts, experiences, knowledge, compassion, and skills. When you see your innate value - and yes, you are valuable - a light begins to shine within you.
2. Owning who you are and understanding what is important to you - your values and passions.
3. Living intentionally and authentically - it allows you to filter out others’ messages, rules, and beliefs when they don’t apply to you. It also frees you to focus your time, resources, and talent on the people and projects you care about the most.
4. Creating a life plan by visualizing your best life. Those who make time to create a vision and plan for their lives often receive more wealth, greater pleasure, and better relationships than they have ever imagined.
5. Embracing and harnessing your emotions. Consider how you would feel if you did more of what brings you joy. You would feel more joyful!

Intimately knowing your voice allows you to stand your ground. This strength of character enhances every area of your life - from your relationships, to your career choices, to the way you choose to enjoy your free time. It allows you to recover the energy, excitement, and mojo you lost somewhere in the hustle and bustle and ups and downs of your occasionally (or perpetually) chaotic life.

You may feel as if you’ve lost your voice - that you are not the person you used to be, or the person you want to be. Find Your Voice, find your way back.

Joel Boggess is a personal friend, life coach, and a syndicated radio host. He is also the author of “Finding Your Voice (http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Your-Voice-Confidence-Direction/dp/1937879305) – sort through the clutter and discover clarity, confidence and direction”. The eBook edition is available for only $1.99 from Feb 5 – Feb 9.

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Joel Boggess. He is a life coach and the author of “Finding Your Voice (http://www.fyvbook.com)”. You can follow his shows and updates on Facebook. www.fyvradio.com/facebookfanpage

End of post: Did this post resonate with you? Check out Joel’s new book, Finding your Voice (http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Your-Voice-Confidence-Direction/dp/1937879305) – sort through the clutter and discover clarity, confidence and direction. The eBook is on sale for only $1.99 through Feb 9.

Author bio: Joel Boggess and his wife Pei live in DFW area in Texas. With Master’s degrees in counseling and business, plus seven years of experience as a life and career coach, Boggess has the education, life experience and wisdom to help you tune into and fully express your unique voice.

Links

Amazon book page:

http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Your-Voice-Confidence-Direction/dp/1937879305

Amazon Kindle page: http://amzn.com/B00HP5D6PO

Webpage: http://www.fyvbook.com

Facebook: www.fyvradio.com/facebookfanpage