From elephant rumbles to singing bowls – my journey with sound.

I was always drawn to sound as a child and met my first singing bowl at a young age, but I had no idea where sound would fit into my adult life until much later. 

When I was 30 I started volunteering at elephant projects across South East Asia, and this was a huge part of my life for over 10 years.  I was fortunate enough to be around elephants on a regular basis and discover the multitude of sounds that they produce in order to communicate with each other. 

From trumpets to squeaks and so many other sounds in between, the sound that always made the hairs stick up on the back of my neck was the rumble they use to communicate across long distances.  Did you know that elephants can communicate with each other across distances of up to 10km???  They make an incredibly low vibration by pushing air through their vocal chords (which they are clever enough to be able to stretch and contract to control the vast frequencies of sound they produce).  This vibration is picked up by elephants far away because the base of their feet are mostly soft, cartilaginous fatty pads (hence why they are almost silent when they move – trust me, I’ve had them sneak up on me several times!) and these soft pads sense the vibrations travelling through the ground. 

I was always in awe of this intense vibration.  Whether I experienced it through the ground as I walked beside them, or if I heard it before I could even see the elephant standing in the nearby trees, or if I felt it as I was sitting on one of their legs as I filed down their toe nails (that’s a story for another day or this post will get seriously off-topic, sorry!) it always commanded my full attention. 

Vibration is so powerful, and the fact that elephants have mastered its’ use for communication across vast distances impresses me to no end. 

So when I was volunteering with elephants in Nepal and came across singing bowls in the streets of Kathmandu, it was no great stretch for me to pick one up and try to create some vibrations of my own.  And, as many of you may have already experienced for yourselves, there’s not a lot that is more satisfying than the first time you successfully rim a bowl and make it ‘sing’.  The look of pure joy on people’s faces after the vibration has built up to an audible level is magical.  I became obsessed with stopping at every market stall and playing the bowls, because I was craving that feeling over and over again. 

I learnt that there was a big difference between tourist keepsake bowls and the real deal.  I learnt that there are several different ways to play the bowls, and create various frequencies with each.  I found a beautiful little antique shop owned by the knowledgeable Deepak, and he shared his wisdom of the bowls with me each time I was in Nepal.  He told me all about the elderly man from Mustang who hand-made most of the bowls in his shop using techniques passed down for generations.  He also steered me away from the bowls that were best for “holding your popcorn” which were usually placed in the front of the shop to lure tourists in with their pretty paintings or carvings around the centre of the bowl.  He began to hold specific bowls for me to peruse on my next trip, and we would drink tea whilst talking about the power of sound and vibration. 

I have been very fortunate to have spent so much time with elephants and also people who have so much knowledge and respect for the true power of vibration.  My gratitude for having had these experiences is flowing freely every time I use my bowls for treatments with clients, and when I facilitate sound baths for groups. 

I like to think of my sound offerings as using vibrations with the intention of sharing peace and calm that can then strengthen connections between the earth, mind and body.  Just like the elephants do.

If you would like to experience the vibrations at next week’s sound bath, click here to secure your ticket.