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