Published in Yoga Therapy Irelands Summer 2022 Issue

As I lay there, I could feel the sun on my skin and I could hear the gentle rhythmic roll of the waves. It was a Sunday afternoon in early April and I was lying on the floor of the school hall in Firhouse Educate Together National School, about 10km away from any sea. But in my mind, I was lying on the beach of some faraway place and it was blissful.

I had just finished teaching the Yoga practice for our Yoga and Sound Immersion and I had joined the rest of the group on the floor with eager anticipation for the sounds to come. The sounds that immersed us were beautiful and hypnotic and the vibrations were soothing and calming – transforming our surroundings of local school hall to some other magnificent place where all was glittering and glorious.

You lack a foot to travel?

Then journey into yourself

– that leads to transformation of dust into pure gold.

- Rumi

When Aoife, from Prajna Sound approached me with the idea to collaborate on a Yoga & Sound workshop I didn’t hesitate, I loved the idea.

It was a detour for sure, my path since starting to teach Yoga has converged with other movement modalities and my classes today have a strong emphasis on building strength and resilience in our bodies. I now also teach Pilates and my Yoga Classes have a strong Functional Movement Focus, a focus on preparing our bodies for life, on and off the mat. I’ve always used music in my classes and I have experimented with vibrations in the past through chanting, tapping and shaking so the concept of vibrations wasn’t a new one but it was a detour from my regular offerings nonetheless.

Aoife’s idea sung to me. After all, what’s not to love??! Being immersed in beautiful hypnotic sounds is incredibly relaxing not to mention the vibrations. We know when something resonates with us, right!

It seems the hippies had it right

- it’s all about the vibrations man…

We are all made of energy and the vibrations of our energy are in constant flux shifting from low frequency to high frequency and somewhere in between. It is thought that these shifts in energy vibrations are closely associated to our moods and our wellbeing. With low energy vibrations being associated with sadness and stress and high energy vibrations being associated with happiness, joy and love. Now we all know that stress is a component of many illnesses and diseases so shifting our energy to a higher frequency can not only make us feel better it may actually help to keep us healthy. And the good news is that there are many ways in which we can alter our energy vibrations…

In the case of Sound Immersion, there is a twofold benefit, the pleasant sounds that you hear, which of course bring you joy, and the vibrations of the instruments. It is thought that the vibrational frequency of things, beings in close proximity to one another being to sync, so we begin to attune to the frequency of the instruments.

And then there’s Yoga … If you are already a Yoga practitioner, you’ll know that Yoga makes you feel good. So many components of Yoga can alter the frequency of our vibrations. Movement, Breathwork, Mindfulness, the Cultivating of Positive Emotions, Mantras, Chanting, the list goes on…

Our Yoga practice during the Yoga & Sound Immersion was a blend of vibrational focused breath work with delicious slow, nurturing movements, preparing us for stillness, all woven with mantras of gratitude and love for our wonderful bodies and all that they can do for us.

It was a beautiful nurturing afternoon and I am so grateful to all who came along to the experience and for all their kind words after the event.

Here’s what Edel had to say…

“Every moment seemed to blend into the sunshine of the day and as I lay on the floor looking up through the skylight only to see the white clouds dancing along the skyline - they too became connected to the wonderful energy of the afternoon. I am so enriched to have been part of this immersion. And also thank you for your donation to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal, I do feel the beautiful sounding notes will have made their way to support their suffering. Again, thank you both for sharing your skill with softness in delicate harmony.” - Edel

Always live in the higher vibrational frequencies

of love, gratitude and possibilities.

All journeys start with an energy to realise a possibility. Be confident in the knowledge that all aspects of your Yoga practice will assist you to find energy for whatever path you take.