Dear Friends, as the pandemic impacted tourism in Vietnam so heavily we have had to close Gratitude Vietnam. Gratitude Worldwide now exists as a company, and the hope is to open a retreat in Europe in the coming year or so. If you like what you see here, please join the mailing list for updates on progress towards the next chapter. Thank you for your love and support. With gratitude and love, Naomi and Hannah
Singing Bowls and Vibrational Healing
What is Sound Healing and how does it work?
Everything is energy, everything is vibration, and every living cell responds directly to vibration. We are constantly surrounded by sound and whilst some are soothing, balancing and healing, others have a detrimental effect on the body, emotions and cellular structure. Every very time we encounter a difficult event, shock, accident or other trauma, the body automatically reacts with chemical, hormonal, and muscular responses. Unless released through somatic healing, our cells hold the memory of these events and whether an emotional or physical trauma, these held responses to difficult situations compound over years. These blockages are stored in the body, and just as a glass shatters when exposed to a particular frequency, the resonance of singing bowls gently breaks down energetic and cellular 'holding' to allow release, deep healing and balance.
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Words and thoughts hold energy, emotions are energy in motion, our physiology is dependent on energetic movement of electrical impulses from the brain to drive a physiological response, the body detects movement of the world around and translates it into danger or safety and feeds this to the brain. Energetic healing techniques, sound healing and meditation all focus on our energetic being at the deepest level.
The history of the singing bowl is mysterious and largely undocumented. Thought to have originated in Tibet, some suggest these bowls were used by monks as alms bowls, but also for meditative and healing purposes, others that they were a means of consistently measuring grain! Essentially a singing bowl is an upside-down bell and scientific evidence now supports the efficacy of these as a "low technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well-being.' The seven bowl set at Gratitude Vietnam are 'A-grade' healing bowls in the Thadobati style, made from seven metals - gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin and lead - and specifically produced for their healing vibrational quality.
Our bodies respond powerfully to the energetic vibration of healing sound, and with healing bowls attuned to the subtle energies of the chakras, both individual and group sessions will take you on a multi-level healing journey to raise and balance the flow of energy, chakras and masculine and feminine.
Group Sound Bath Meditation
These are a favourite evening meditation for visiting guests and retreat leaders as an addition to their retreat programme, either as a standalone or combined with a guided meditation.
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Enjoy an hour of soothing, healing vibrations and layered sounds. Simply lie, breathe and relax as your mind journeys towards stillness, and your body accepts the sound waves, releases tension and enters a state of profound peace and comfort. A perfect way to end the day and induce a deep and rejuvinating night's sleep.
1:1 Singing Bowl Healing Sessions at Gratitude Vietnam
Sound Bowl Massage
This approach to sound bowl healing is unusual, deeply powerful, and works with a single bowl placed directly on the body. Developed by Acupressure and Massage Specialist, Reflexologist, practitioner of Emotional Cellular Release Body Work and Sound Bowl Master, RJ Noble over his career, I feel immensely privileged to have received his teachings and honoured to practice this wonderful combination of massage with sound bowl healing.
Similar to bats ability to navigate through echolocation, the bowl resonates in an audibly different way when played on areas of tension, blockage or damage. When completing a sound bowl massage I follow a similar process to a 'normal' body massage, but striking the bowl with shamanic repetition as I move it across the body to listen for these 'unhealthy' areas. Once located, I focus on these areas to provide healing on a cellular level, where possible, playing the bowl until it comes into resonance with itself again. Like Reiki, the experience of a singing bowl healing is difficult to describe and unique to every individual and has to be experienced to be truly believed!
Chakra Balancing
7 Bowl Healing
A chakra balancing sound bowl healing takes place on a yoga mat with the bowls placed around the body. This is a gentle and deeply relaxing session that produces a wonderful bubble of resonating sound. In modern healing, each chakra is associated with a specific pitch - in the Vedic tradition this follows the Western C major scale with C at the root chakra and B at the crown - I use the Tibetan pitch system, which can be seen in the image to the right.
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In a similar way to the bowl body massage, it is possible to hear which chakras hold a blockage through the resonance of the bowls. Once this becomes clear, I then work with the associated bowl on the body for a period of time before returning to the bowls on the floor.
4 Bowl Balancing
This four bowl sound bowl healing also takes place on a yoga mat with the bowls placed around the body. This is a gentle and deeply relaxing session with a focus on bringing masculine and feminine into balance. The repetitive pattern creates a trance-like state, and with striking of the bowls at varying strengths dependent on how the body is held and responds, can allow for natural alignment and softening to occur.
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All forms of sound bowl healing provide the opportunity to relax, let go and come into the place between awake and asleep.
