i appreciate all the thoughtful responses on what to do while i recover from
having my tonsils out. most of the responses pointed to meditation.
i haven't made it very far into my exploration of meditation. i've really
only tried it once and didn't like it, but i resolved to try again. while
i'm on these painkillers i tend to drift off if i close my eyes and relax,
so i needed to try something a bit more active, but not physically
stressful.
i've been very interested in singing bowls that i saw this summer at a local
shop. i liked the sound and how long it reverberated. i thought that it
might be mesmerizing enough for me and required my eyes to be open and hands
moving so i don't fall asleep. so i went and bought one today. it was
interesting how different the sounds were from the various bowls and the
process of choosing the one that suited me.  the man in the store showed me
how to "make it sing". strike it, then move the striker around the lip of
the bowl. it makes a sound similar to running a wet finger around the top of
a stemmed wine glass. the bowl has a much richer sound, with enough various
tones to hold my mind, but steady enough to be relaxing and it goes on
forever. the man in the store was a big help. he talked about a meditation
class (free) this week in the store. i said i wasn't really sure it would be
right for me. he said "i trust you. you're on your path. you'll find  your
own way." a very intense man.
i've used the bowl a bit this afternoon and i think this will do it for me
for now.
there's one weird thing. it really confuses my dog. she comes close and
stares at the bowl with her head cocked to one side.
nancy - toronto

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My yoga teacher uses singing bowls regularly when we are in sivasana at
the end of class.  Some of her bowls are quite big at maybe 20" in
diameter.  According to her the bowls are tuned to different chakras.
The lower chakras require lower tones.  I'm a skeptic, but I am not
going to complain.

I would take the guy up on his offer to go to a meditation class.  The
worst case scenerio would be that you were bored or got a headache.  On
the other hand the more we expose ourselve to alternate ways of
percieving conscioiusness the more we learn about our most profound
Self.

Meditation under the influence of pain killers would not be an optimal
experience.  I have found that some people in my yoga class that have
difficulty with traditional meditation techniques enjoy listening to
discs or tapes available from http://www.centerpointe.com

These were developed by a TM teacher named Bill Harris using
entrainment technology.  They will send you the first one for free.  I
found the experience very nice, but I prefer my traditional meditation.
I could listen to the sounds while taking restoritive poses.  Two
women in my yoga class have gone on to subscribe to the CD's and have
been getting much benefit from it.

~Stu

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> i haven't made it very far into my exploration of meditation. i've really
> only tried it once and didn't like it, but i resolved to try again. while
> i'm on these painkillers i tend to drift off if i close my eyes and relax,
> so i needed to try something a bit more active, but not physically
> stressful.

I still don't apreciate doing meditation all alone (I've found it a bit
monotonuos). I prefer guided meditation (in class or with the help of a
CD).

> i've been very interested in singing bowls that i saw this summer at a loc
al
> shop. i liked the sound and how long it reverberated. i thought that it
> might be mesmerizing enough for me and required my eyes to be open and han
ds
> moving so i don't fall asleep. so i went and bought one today. it was
> interesting how different the sounds were from the various bowls and the
> process of choosing the one that suited me.

I've bought one in a tibetan shop (and was expensive). Like Stu said,
we should have one to each chakra. And sincerily I don't know which
bowl belongs to which chakra. I presume that should be done with the
help of a master.
As you have the oportunity to go to a course, perhaps you could learn
and teach the rest of us.. hummm?

But I've found that using a CD is much more comfortable (and less
expensive). But in fact we could sleep more easily..

Moon

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moon wrote:

> I've bought one in a tibetan shop (and was expensive). Like Stu said,
> we should have one to each chakra. And sincerily I don't know which
> bowl belongs to which chakra. I presume that should be done with the
> help of a master.>
Moon

I have tried to listen to the tone of the bowl and see if I could tell
which chakra was being activated.  I am batting zero with this
exercise.  After a few years of this, I am pretty much convinced that
it is superstition.  I feel about the same when it comes to crystals,
though I do like holding crystals when meditation.  There is something
grounding about it.  My yoga teacher uses crystals as well to "tune" to
certain chakras.

On the other hand there is something to this chakra stuff.  These
centers are close to very real anatomical organs.  With careful
attention and focus it is possible to sense and direct the energy
movement in, around and through these hubs.  For the most part my
experience is reinforced when I read about what others say about the
attributes of certain chakras.  Though there is also a lot of
superstition mixed with this dogma as well.

Stu

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S2 wrote:
> I have tried to listen to the tone of the bowl and see if I could tell
> which chakra was being activated.  I am batting zero with this
> exercise.  After a few years of this, I am pretty much convinced that
> it is superstition.

I presume it depends on the awareness of each of us. I feel sound
vibration. I had already been to a class where I learned how to
intonate and feel the sounds of the chakras.
Something similar to what H. Johari teaches in this CD:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15..=books&v=glance

Accordingly to Satyananda, the vibrations that activates each chakra
are like the music scale: Mooladara is Do, etc.

Like I said I am aware of sound vibration, but I am not able to
distiguish wich bowl belongs to each chakra.


> On the other hand there is something to this chakra stuff.  These
> centers are close to very real anatomical organs.

The only chakra that has a physical location is mooladhara. All the
others are centers of energy: we can't locate them physically. We just
can say which physical organs are near them.


>  For the most part my
> experience is reinforced when I read about what others say about the
> attributes of certain chakras.  Though there is also a lot of
> superstition mixed with this dogma as well.

Yes, there is, but not in this case.

For instance, I would say that the deyties are symbolism we should
decodify.
But of course there are people that venerate them... And it is with
this that superstition happens.

Moon

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