Sound vibrations are on my mind this summer. The more I delve into my own yoga practice and spiritual studies, the more I understand myself as a vibrational being. I love yoga partly because of the physical expression of self it offers. I like to feel yoga expressed in my body, whether through a good stretch or a clean sweat. I also crave the deeper essence yoga offers, like that subtle but powerful pulsing heartbeat of life I feel within when the Qi, or Prana, the life-force energy of the Universe, is coursing through my veins.
Photography is not allowed inside Amma's event, so here is a picture of the program!
My regular good vibrations got a jolt of the divine recently when I traveled to see Amma for my annual hug. The day was filled with the healing energy of sound through live mantra meditation and chanting that went on for hours and hours - literally - during the event.
If you are unfamiliar with Amma, she is the “Hugging Saint” of India. In short, she preaches a religion of love and embraces individuals from all walks of life, all nationalities, and all religious backgrounds. No one is turned away from her unconditionally loving embrace and you need subscribe to no doctrine but love. I’ve been going annually for my hug about 5 years now and I look forward to it all year long!
The day begins with a guided meditation, followed by mantra meditation. Taoists teach that mantra - a word or phrase repeated over and over either out loud or internally- “protect your mind.” This positive repetition frees you from negative thoughts and useless clutter in your head. It breaks through your own story of problems, fears and worries, and allows a new story of openness and peace to move through you. Traditionally, mantras are in energetic languages where the very sound vibration is believed to be powerful enough to break down not only negative thoughts, but disease off all different types.
I’ve immersed myself in mantra and sound vibration to prepare to teach a workshop July 22 for the National Qigong Association’s Annual Conference. This year’s theme is Sound Vibrations and my worksop is entitled The Tao of Meditation with 5 Element Qigong Music. Using Taoist 5 Element Music, I’ll take workshop participants through a personal experience of the 5 Chinese Elements in sound and mantra. My goal is for every participant to literally feel their own experience as a vibrational being.
Learn more about the NQA Annual Conference and my workshop HERE.
Thanks always for reading and connecting!
Namaste,
Lara Alexiou