Tibetan Bowl School Advanced Class

The first Advanced 1 workshop of our Tibetan Bowl School took place in September. Students are serious about learning advanced skills that will make them not just adequate practitioners, but GREAT practitioners. You all know that my soap box is about the plethora of untrained sound healers who rely on intuition alone. No one would hire a massage therapist, a craniosacral therapist or a reflexologist who just relied on intuition. Intuition is great but it is not enough. Students that come out of this program will be well trained in the the Buddhist tradition that accompanies the instruments- so they use them correctly , understand elemental energy lines, how to co-create intensly effective visualizations for clients and how to work with the symbology of illness. They will have the highest quality hand hammered ancient instruments to work with as well. Want to get involved? Check us at at http://www.tibetanbowlschool.com

Re-Aligning with the Fundamental

Healing is simple, but not easy. Being in resonance with 'What Is' is being in harmony with nature. This includes being in resonance even with things we dislike. When resonance is established through intentionally opening to it, we may experience the Fundamental vibration of the Universe ( AUM- the vibration of Universal Perfection). We can neither chase nor force it; we can only receive it and in doing so, discover what it is.

Healing is not separating from a hindrance, it is opening fully to it, embracing, accepting and honoring it. Through the act of opening, the Fundamental is revealed. It is in the vibration of the Fundamental that the miracle of Spontaneous Healing can occur; when we awaken to how everything is interrelated; how even illness, car crashes and the worst news is an agent of healing. A challenge can illuminate our blind spots- our areas of vulnerability NOT to destroy us but to awaken us to those areas of ourselves so we may become whole. That we do by giving attention to and strengthening that part of ourselves. Healing is a spiritual awakening that impacts on our physical body and the whole of our lives. It is a transformation of consciousness.

For most of us there is so much resistance to opening to distress that we need tools, ambassadors to help us. Tibetan bowls, meditation, chanting and toning are just some of the wonderful tools available to help us cease interrupting the pattern of the Fundamental which exists in all things and reopen to the fullness that is our birthright.

Finding the Still Spot

I don't want to preach or whine, and hope my musing comes across as intended. Over many years of living in the United States, I have noticed that a modality, or a products makes itself known and shortly thereafter becomes a craze. Why not? If something is great we want to share it with as many people as possible. However, I am now seeing a development with the Tibetan sacred sound instruments that causes some concern. That is, the tendency for people to purchase them, take my course, ( or someone else's) ... and still miss the point. The point being, the instruments are about Self Transformation first and foremost- then about working with others. It seems that as soon as someone gets one of these fantastic instruments they want to show it, play it, and create a sound healing for others. Of course, it is natural to share the excitement of it all. From my perspective tho, it is a bit like showing others how to meditate or do yoga when one hasn't established a real practice or level of skill oneself. True, the bowls do lend themselves to sharing with others, but the journey with the 'self' is such a powerful gift it is a pity when it is overlooked.

Tibetan bowls are great instruments of healing and transformation in the Buddhist tradition. They gently guide us to our still spot, a place of great quiet where we can feel our interconnection to all things. They help us to experience the texture of 'allowing' vs 'doing' and to extend that texture into more and more areas of our every day lives. My hope is that all that come upon these instruments will take plenty of time to know them, before using them for the benefit of others. In this way they will have developed the skill and knowledge to be the best guide and witness for someone else's journey.

www.tibetanbowlschool.com

Feature Article: Diane Mandle and Tibetan Bowls

If you have a few minutes, a rather nice article just came out in the Encinitas Magazine that features some of my work with the Tibetan bowls. The article came out just before I opened the Tibetan Bowl School (tibetanbowlschool.com) which is offering its first Advanced Class in September. As this modality becomes more and more known and practiced in the USA, more education and skill is needed to ensure the client receives not just a passable, but an excellent sound healing session from a trained and knowledgeable practitioner. That is why the school offers a high standard of training and recommendations for all students that complete the program.
To read the article, follow the link and scroll down to 'Encinitas Magazine" Enjoy.
http://www.soundenergyhealing.com/DianeintheMedia.html

NEW-Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing School

We are open. TBSHS is the new Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing School, based in Encinitas, CA. Founded by Certified Tibetan Bowl Practitioner/ Instructor, Diane Mandle of Sound Energy Healing in association with sound pioneer,and Tibetan Buddhist Richard Rudis of Sacred Sound Workshops. Together their work in this modality spans well over 30 years. This school was formed to help present and maintain a high standard of skill in this modality. The Certification Program takes place over about 18 months and the school includes a referral program for its graduates. The school gives offers intensive weekend workshops, teleclasses, special programs, and high quality Tibetan bowls, tingshas, ganta/dorje sets, quartz crystal healing tools, books, cd's and more. Have a look at the new website: http://www.tibetanbowlschool.com. You can also visit my other website: http://www.soundenergyhealing.com

Sound Healing Practitoners or Technicians

Over the years I receive so many questions and comments about the Himalayan sacred sound instruments. Normally they are about how to play them for someone else's benefit. The questions themselves inform me about the owner and his/her degree of understanding regarding the instruments. Many questions have to do with technique, but having a technical understanding of patterns and layouts does not make a great practitioner. The instruments come from the Buddhist tradition which strongly emphasizes going inward. Spending tons of time discovering the different voices in the instrument for oneself and being able to call those voices forth is an essential part of the healing process.

One woman wrote telling me that if she rang the ganta it would break up energy in the entire house, and asked if she could just sing it instead. This let me know that the woman did not spend much time working with her instrument to discover it... but only to use it. All the instruments, tingsha's, ganta's and bowls have so many textures of sound to experience. In the case of the ganta- it can be rung so gently that it sounds like a drop of water- an ever so gentle tap, tap, tap of the clacker to break up stuck energy. Breaking up energy doesn't always require a bulldozer. But the ganta can be a bulldozer too! Each instrument can be played to offer a neutral, awakening, energizing or soothing sound. Each of these sound textures has a role in the healing process if the time to discover them for oneself is taken.

Words That Heal

The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;.
excerpt of Saint Francis and the Sow by Galway Kinnell

Silence in Sound Healing

Tibetan bowls have such beautiful overtones and beneficial vibrations it is tempting to strike them over and over again. But I consider Silence as a major player in sessions. In general people strike the bowls too loud, too fast and too often. Silence has texture, weight and purpose. In a sound healing session it is the place where consciousness extends into that delicious sense of expanding/dissolving into eternity. When a bowl is struck.. let the sound linger. In our society, we are uncomfortable with silence and so must train ourselves to relax into it a bit more. Remember that when a bowl is struck around the head, the receiver hears them longer and louder than you do. The bowls were created to expand and transform our consciousness... Silence is where that happens.

'Out of silence comes the sound
Awakening the fullness of my heart.
One still point- Then another
Mirroring the musings of love.
Sound, then Sound-less-ness
Carrying me further into a place
That has no name
But is known as 'OM'

( from my Return to OM CD)

Tibet: Responding to a Tragedy

His Holiness the Dalai Lama says" Adopting an attitude of universal responsibility is essentially a personal matter. The real test of compassion is not what we say in abstract discussions, but how we conduct ourselves in daily lives"

There is so much tragedy in the world today. We could get thoroughly depressed. Or we could acknowledge our feelings and take an action- holding fast to the belief that what we do, however small does have an impact. It may not be visible in our lifetimes, but that must not sabotage the knowledge that we are effecting change. In the case of Tibet, to speak out against the unthinkable wrongdoings that are going on is an act of compassion towards both ourselves and the people of Tibet. When we acknowledge our feelings and make a positive choice about how to respond to them, this is an action of self compassion- and when that choice also benefits others it is an act of universal compassion.

Sound your voices. Here are some places to go to do that: www.freetibet.org, www.savetibet.org

You can visit my website at http://www.soundenergyhealing.com

Sound Healing Ethics

Over the past couple of years so called sound healers have been popping up all over the world. Since there are no national standards for this modality yet, the range of practitioner skill goes from " I know how to hit the bowl" to "quite effective" and everywhere in between. In the realm of Tibetan bowls, Sound Energy Healing is opening a school in association with Sacred Sound Workshops to set a high standard of practice with certification for those who wish to use the sacred sound instruments in their healing practice. The course of study offers a home study course ( now available) , an intensive introductory hands on workshop and three advanced level workshops followed by an evaluation. The time frame for certification will be about 18 months-2 years and the location will be San Diego. The time in between workshops will ensure plenty of practice time for students. Our intention is to standardize a level of skill for anyone who uses these instruments outside of their own personal needs. Every other modality has a level of skill and hundreds of hours of practice required before receiving certification. We have observed a very low standard of practice among Tibetan bowl practitioners simply because most just make up what they do and how.. and that seems good enough for them. As I say, the website is under construction but anyone who wishes more detailed information can contact me at diane@soundenergyhealing.com http://soundenergyhealing.com

Sarasvati's Dream CD Recieves Great Review

The Feb 2008 San Diego Light Connection says of my Sarasvati's Dream CD
" ..The tempo starts out slow, with well-spaced tones of the Tibetan bowls, gradually incorporating gongs, didgeridoo, and other sacred instruments. It then builds to an energizing crescendo that gives way to gorgeous vocals, bring the listener to a deep level of inner peace and relaxation and soothing the soul all the way to the conclusion. Soaking up the restful energy induced by the tones, I wanted it to last longer than it did. No matter: I just lay there and enjoyed... ( reviewed by Chiwah)

You can hear a few tracks from this CD and even purchase it on line at www.soundenergyhealing.com

How to Choose a Tibetan Bowl

There are two questions I get all the time. One is 'How do I choose a good bowl" and the other is 'How do I know which bowl is good for a specific chakra' People also call to obtain a bowl with a certain musical note. The answers to these questions are founded in the Eastern philosophy rather than from a Western mindset, because this better reflects the nature of the instruments as they were intended:

Choosing a good bowl requires a few things. Quality: Either an eye and an ear for excellent quality- or knowing and trusting someone who knows the bowls and can help you. Many people sell bowls and most are new and machine made to look old. Many people who sell bowls in shops and on the internet are not very knowledgable.. so ask a lot of questions. When someone says a bowl is old.. in this country old can mean 50 years. That is new by my standards. A real old bowl it will be at least 100 years old and more often hundreds of years old. If the vendor doesn't know the region the bowls were made in, and how the markings help distinguish the type of bowl.. they probably don't know much..Bowls were made in a variety of regions of Tibet and their shape and markings are telling. Some of the bowls have consciousness transformation as their primary intention, and some have physical healing. This can be determined by their shape. There is more about this and photos in my home study course available on my website. A high quality, ancient bowl is an investment. If it is inexpensive and old,then it was probably obtained in a less than honorable manner...A good bowl is an investment and the price can range from $110 for a very small bowl to thousands of $$ for a huge bowl. Get educated on what you will use the bowl for( ie healing, meditations, yoga practice, creativity etc). That will inform what bowls and how many would be most effective. I can help you here.

Tone: The tone of the bowls should linger for quite some time when struck. There should be several layers of tones you can hear that produce overlaying harmonics. When you hear a bowl, listen to your body. If it opens your heart, or moves you deeply in some manner; if you feel tingling all over, or the tone directly impacts one area of your body.. these are all good signs. Bowls were created for consciousness transformation and healing. You should feel their effect on you.

Bowls and Chakras. In the west we work with seven chakras. The Tibetans work with five regions of the body. The bowls were created to bring us back to our experience of the interrelationship of all things.. thus they are not calibrated to work on just one chakra.. Their very nature encompasses our wholeness. In this way they are very different instruments then the western counterparts- tuning forks and crystal bowls. However there are some bowls whose tone and size lend themselves more naturally to certain areas of the body. Lower tones for grounding, largest bowls by the feet, etc. This is too complex to go into in a blog but there is more on this in my home study course. But you must understand that even if you have only ONE bowl, it will impact all of you, and not just one chakra.

Please post your comments or email me at diane110@cox.net. My home study course is available on my site as is a variety of instruments for purchase. I can help you select some by phone or skype. Website