How to relax. It begins by stopping, and listening. It begins by being in the moment, not in the past, not in the future but in the current very present moment.
I bought a little book a few years ago, "How to Relax, " by Zen mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. I keep it by my bathtub, and I pick it up every time I lie down for a soak, choosing at random one of the short tips on relaxing. Today, I chose "Healing Energy," and this is what it says:
If you can sit in meditation on your own, quietly and peacefully, that is already relaxing and healing. Even if nobody else knows you are meditating, the energy you produce is very beneficial for you and for the world. But if you sit with others, if you walk and work
with others, the energy is amplified, and you will create a powerful collective energy
of mindfulness for your own healing and the healing of the world. It's something one
person cannot do alone. Don't deprive the world of this essential spiritual food.
The world needs healing, of that there is no doubt. And the idea that a collective gathering of souls sitting together to meditate on the idea of peace and community can create a healing energy is exactly why I believe in sound baths. Now is the time to gather to relax, meditate and share positive peaceful energy.
The most recent Sacred Bloom gathering at my home felt incredibly warm and cozy and relaxing. We sipped on our spritzers and noshed on some yummy snacks and got to know one another, then joined together in a joyful non-verbal drum circle to find harmony. We cleared the stress from our bodies--scanning from head to toe for where it might be hiding--then everyone got comfortable to sit or lie back, and just listen.
All you have to do is listen. I am fond of saying this just before we start. With eyes closed and masked, the mind is free to focus solely on the sounds I play. The varied tones of the bowls and bells play alongside the rolling waves of the ocean drum. The slit gong sounds out intermittently like a woodpecker high up in a tree in the forest.
I will gather folks for a Sacred Bloom sound bath meditation once again on Thursday, November 2nd. Once a month seems not nearly enough to put the kind of powerful healing energy out into the world that we need to make a difference in our own and others' lives.
Join me. RSVP via sacredbloomtribe.com/events. Look forward to seeing you, to relaxing and healing with you. Peace.
XX
Steph
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