Adventures of a Dancing Bee

The holiday season is a stressful time for pretty much everyone.  This time of year, as a bodyworker, brings clients flocking to celebrate and to decompress, which is a wonderful thing, but also demands more self-care to keep up with the physical and emotional demands of the job.  I happened to be looking at yoga studios in the area, hoping to find gentle, mindful classes at times I have free, when I came across an event posting for singing meditation:

Singing Meditation is the practice of singing simple chants and rounds from different spiritual traditions and then dissolving into silent meditation between songs. As we let sound inhabit the body, it becomes the instrument, the mind is quiet, and the heart opens.

Words will be provided, songs will be taught and repeated many times. All are welcome (no prior singing experience necessary).

I decided that attending was going to be top priority, even skipping a holiday work party to attend.  I needed, more than anything, to empty out and to reconnect with the deeper layers of myself.  I walked over after work, arriving a bit early.  Anna Vazquez and Katy Taylor welcomed me in, despite being immersed in tuning instruments, and invited me to create a little nest for myself, to help myself to tea, and to light candles, if I’d like to.  I appreciated the invitation to participate in creating the atmosphere — I felt less out of my element, less of a stranger, having interacted with the environment around me.

Not long after, others began to arrive, some choosing bolsters on the floor, as I had, others opting to sit on chairs, arranged in concentric circles around a small altar made of gently flickering candles, beautiful scarves, bronze statues of a yogini and a cellist, and tiny photographs.  They exchanged warm smiles and hugs, arranged their bolsters and blankets, stretched, chatted, and sipped tea.  Katy and Anna interacted with all comers joyfully and casually, and I felt immensely grateful for the opportunity to just sit peacefully in a space with other people who were also sitting peacefully.  The woman to my right, an Episcopal priest, echoed my sentiments, and I felt an instant kinship with her.

Everyone settled in, we were guided into a walking meditation in circles counterclockwise around the floor, reminded to “kiss the earth with [our] feet” in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh .  Katy pumped her harmonium and sang in clear, high tones, while Anna played cello and sang lower and warmer.  Ever since, in moments of stress, the words “when I breathe in, I breathe in peace; when I breathe out, I breathe out love” have returned to mind.

Gradually returning to our little nests on the floor, we flowed into and out of song and silence, sound and void supporting each other.  We sang rounds in English, Hebrew, and Sanskrit, invited to follow the melody, to intone the vowels, to sing harmony, to drone, or to rest, always being present and sovereign within our own experience.  We were also invited to move to the edge of the room if we wanted to stretch, to do yoga poses, or to explore other forms of movement during the meditation.

I noticed that my inclination was typically to drop an octave below Katy’s voice, both being a stretch for my neglected range, but enjoying the reverberation of the lower notes in my abdomen and chest.  I felt mental and physical tension melt out of my body.  I felt my body chill slightly, and was grateful for the blanket that had been provided.  I gazed into the flames of the candles, feeling deep and still, simply watching them dance.  There were readings, as well, the ageless wisdom of Rumi weaving into the tapestry of the evening’s experience.  The words hovered around me as I sipped my tea, selected from the range of Stash’s Chanakara Teas, blended to support the seven chakras.  At the beginning of the evening, I chose Melon and Green Tea for Love, Harmony, and Balance, but noticing a bit of tension in my throat as we sang, I later opted for Blue Ginger for Communication, Expression, and Resonance.

Throughout the evening, I felt beautifully supported by my surroundings.  I was comfortable.  I knew no one, but I felt at home with everyone, and I felt at home within myself.  It’s a great gift to oneself, taking time for inhabiting one’s body fully and without judgment or strain, and it was one that was easy to accept and integrate within the context so lovingly created by Anna and Katy.

Thank you both, ladies, for providing such a wonderful space to be still and sovereign within community.