A few days ago we had our first ever yoga event - a small group Yin Yoga class (1 hour) followed by 30 minutes of singing bowl meditation with the guidance of my fellow yoga teacher and friend Tracy - Peaceful Freediving + Yoga. It was a special event that I intend to repeat in the future as long as other yoga events in order to offer more flavors of yoga to yogis living or visiting Bohol.
Singing bowls or sound bath meditation is an ancient practice, about 5,000 years old. It is believed to have healing effects on the body and mind and is shown to reduce anxiety and assist meditation. I followed Tracy for a while and was very curious about this practice, as well as delighted to know that there's a teacher of this rare practice in Panglao - my base. She's the first one I reached out to after my Shala opening for us to collaborate. Luckily, she said yes.
When we planned the event we thought about how to offer something special, that combines both her and my yoga approaches. We concluded that the yoga practice will need to be relaxed and grounded. Therefore I chose to do Yin poses, which allow the facia to open and promote full relaxation, which will be enhanced when meditating to the sounds of Tracy's singing bowls.
Who can enjoy this practice?
Our practice started with sage and oil cleansing to set the right intentions for the practice, followed by long yin pose holding and then sound bath meditation. It was in the evening, and some of our participants did freediving and came back from tours, and some just finished their work. In short, most were a bit exhausted from the day.
The practice we did however was focused on recharging depleted energy in a restful and relaxed manner. This kind of practice is great to re-ground yourself when you feel off balance. For instance, I wouldn't recommend a rigorous ashtanga session after a day of being out & about as it might even push you more off-balance. But this session is just perfect at the end of a busy day, promoting recalibration of your body (with Yin) and mind (with sound bathing).
Should you join us next time?
Are you interested in the healing aspects of Yoga, energetic frequencies, and vibrations with spiritual charge? Then this is a practice you might connect to. It's hard to describe in words as it's not a verbal practice. It's meditative and energetic - the sound corresponds with the energetic frequencies of our bodies and promotes relaxation. However, we do encourage even beginners who never tried it before to try, as you might discover new things from the experience.
Here's a short video of the event - for you who weren't there to enjoy it. We'd love to see you next time. Stay tuned for the next Yin Yoga & Sound Healing meditation event.