Circular Energy with Daily Affirmations

     The whole essence of spirituality in a place like Kathmandu seems to be all about the flow of energy through some form of daily affirmation. I'd be lying if I said that everyone is practising Yoga and chanting mantras on every street corner. But you can't get away from the ancient monuments and shrines forever reminding the visitor of the grand spiritual roots of the city. Don't get me wrong - the shrines, although sometimes in a pitiful state of repair, are still very much a part of the everyday lives of the citizens. They'll wander up to Buddha and touch their forehead and heart. Many Hindu deities also stand proudly at junctions. The one that seemed to get the most attention was Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. And who could blame people for reaching out to her. Even the written language is made up of curves and beautiful script that effortlessly flows like an intricate decoration. 

     Just how important these daily reminders are is made very clear when you visit Boudanath and hear the rich sounds of affirmations as followers of Buddha walk around the Stupa clockwise, chanting their prayers. Within earshot you'll also often hear the monks in a temple playing drums, cymbals and horns loudly in celebration of their religion.

     In the same place there's a little shop called The Old Tibetan Singing Bowl Shop where you can try out an amazing array of bowls. This is where I learnt my first experience of the flow of energy when you use a bowl. There's a meditation you do which goes like this:

• hold the bowl in front of you and quite close to your mouth
• strike the bowl with a felt beater and listen to the (two) tones you can hear
• pick out the higher tone which is usually ringing over an octave above the lower tone
• sing to the bowl at the same pitch as the higher tone
• when your breath runs out listen to how the higher tone has increase in body and volume

     This is the beauty of circular energy when using the bowls. You may get a few odd looks from other tourists but the effect is beautiful and magical.

     The higher tone is called a harmonic and the result of singing the harmonic is similar to creating the interval of a fifth on any polyphonic instrument. The fifth is a magical interval in itself. There's current research underway to investigate its healing qualities and I intend to put some on my Mindzoom affirmation software.

 

     Mindzoom is a package I'm only just beginning to understand the true value of. I've experienced its pre-packed sounds and now I think I'm ready to start experimenting with creating my own mixes. So, if you haven't got a Tibetan singing bowl to practice this meditation then maybe you can experiment yourself. Otherwise you can get ideas on how to use Tibetan singing bowls at my site.

     So... Namaster, OM and good luck with your sounds and daily affirmations!