Embrace Your Destiny: Just Let Go!

 

My Meditation Place

Ohmmmmm, ohmmmmmm, ohmmm. My singing bowl lulls me into a peaceful meditative state. It feels good to let go, really let go. This is a space where there’s no right or wrong, no judgement, no worries. It’s just an inward focused peace.

 

I started meditating as a mindful healing practice when we lived at North Topsail Beach. I had read about meditation as a good tool to manage symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. Needing some guidance, I started looking. I didn’t know what I was looking for but when I saw it, I knew. On Wall Street in Asheville, I saw a window display with Singing Bowls in a store with an India motif. I said to Donnie, “Let’s go in and learn about these bowls.”

 

Singing Bowl Meditation Leader

The attendant gave me a quick lesson. She said, “These Singing Bowls come from the Katmandu area of Tibet. They are reclaimed bronze bowls that are thousands of years old. This is how to make a beautiful, soothing sound.” She demonstrated how to hold the bowl and use the wands to make the bowl sing. In that moment, I captured an idea of using this as a tool to help me get started into Meditation. I liked the sound the bowl created and thought the discipline of using the Singing Bowl would be helpful.

Then I got serious researching both the practice of Meditation and Singing Bowls. It was fascinating. I bought a couple books to study. Then, I searched on-line to buy a Singing Bowl. I wanted a reclaimed antique bowl and set up like the one I saw. There are lots of interesting sites for Singing Bowls that both informed me and helped me make a purchase. The site I bought from played the singing bowl so I could hear how it sounded. Mine is the A note. That was twenty years ago at the beginning of my MS journey. What I noticed in my practice was a calm that lasted. I felt improved motor functioning, especially with walking. I also noticed improved energy.

Hot Yoga in my "at-home studio"

After starting Bikram Hot Yoga which is a moving, breathing meditation, I thought I would save time by just doing yoga. I enjoyed many of the same benefits like improved energy and movement. That’s when I stopped doing regular meditation.
 

As this new year rolled around, I thought, “Wonder if my singing bowl and meditation could improve my wellness even more. I don’t know where I will find another thirty minutes to plug it in. I have heard it can be effective in much less time. Maybe I’ll do it before going walking and see if I can feel a difference.”

I decided to incorporate it into my day and monitor changes. I told Donnie what I was planning so he could be an observer too. When I mentioned my plan to Liz, she said, “Mom, remember, you don’t have to do it for a long time period. If you only have fifteen minutes, that works too.” Both Liz and Donnie encouraged me to continue this practice. Makes me think they noticed improvements too. In addition to improved mood, I’m beginning to see clearer, quicker brain work in doing puzzles and completing my French lessons or practicing piano.

Singing Bowl Therapy

As this pandemic transitions and life starts moving back to “normal”, I think meditation will be a great tool to pull out of my toolbox. When I feel overwhelmed, scared, troubled in any way, I can use meditation for an instant calm and usually a solution to whatever is bothering me. I’ve learned that I don’t have to do everything everyday. I can pick the tools that I need for that day. My daily goal is to feel good, be stress free, and to move about freely and pain-free. So far, my experiment with meditation is contributing to my goal.