Sacred Sound
Sacred Sound Healing & Meditation Classes
The practice of sacred sound stands behind many of our practices at Still & Moving Center. We begin every public event with a Hawaiian oli or an Indian mantra. Sacred sound directs us inward to our still place of peace, and it directs us upward toward light, insight, understanding and inspiration. It heals and blesses. Sacred sound creates community when shared. It can be meditative in nature. Sometimes when we hear an oli or a mantra chanted powerfully, with a full heart, we get “chicken-skin”, a buzz of feeling especially alive and grateful; then we know that we have been blessed by sacred sound.
Many of our Still & Moving teachers offer a prayer, an inspirational reading, poetry or live music before, during or after a class. Yoga teachers may give students the opportunity to chant the OM. Our meditation teachers intone sacred readings and guide meditators with a soothing, yet enlivening tone of voice. In all of these practices, our teachers are mindfully bringing people into the present moment, invoking the beneficial effects of sacred sound.
Our dance, hula and Nia teachers all choose their music carefully for its uplifting effects. Even our enlightening conversations can constitute sacred sound, such as “Gems from the Wisdom Traditions” on Saturdays, or “Satsang” on Sundays, where we read and converse upon inspirational quotes from the Still & Moving Center Almanac.
Sound healing, such as a sound bath or gong shower, uses music and toning to raise our personal and collective resonance, promote well-being, and develop harmony, both within and amongst ourselves. Human beings have traditionally used music and sound as a path to connect with the divine and develop a sense of wholeness. Crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, gong showers, wooden flute, didgeridoo – all of these instruments and many more can be played with the intention to heal and soothe us: body, mind and soul. Sacred sound can elicit a sense of calm and balance. It can also energize, awaken, those who practice it or experience it.
Sacred sound frequently derives from a specific cultural tradition. From the Hawaiian tradition, oli or chanting, invokes ancestral knowledge. Mantra, sacred syllables or entire chants in the language of Sanskrit, derives from Ancient India. Kirtan consists of singing uplifting, usually devotional songs, often in one of the languages of India. When we use language for honoring and uplifting, for reminding ourselves of what we cherish, of Nature’s ineffable beauty, of the divine, we are engaged in sacred sound.
If you are seeking a way to calm your mind, settle your frazzled nerves, decrease emotional suffering, or lift yourself above the challenges of everyday life, look for sacred sound at Still & Moving Center.
To learn more about sacred sound, sound healing and meditation, please read our class descriptions, go to our events page. Please contact us at Still & Moving Center today to learn our current sacred sound options.
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