Singing bowls meditation workshop offered
John Constantino will present an introductory workshop in singing bowls meditation in Wooster on June 23.
Turns out there’s more than one way to relax in a bath. Community members are invited to try out a sound bath on Saturday, June 23 when John Constantino presents an introductory workshop in singing bowls meditation.
“There’s nothing to bring or learn ahead of time,” Constantino said. “It’s an effortless way to meditate. All you have to do is listen.”
The 45-minute workshop will consist primarily of an opportunity to listen to the bowls and experience the sound-focused style of meditation. “It’s going to be an introduction to Tibetan singing bowls and how they relate to meditation,” Constantino said.
Constantino has been working with this form of meditation since the late 1990s when he happened upon a book about singing bowls written by a physician and decided to try to find a bowl.
“I’d always been into music and health and wellness,” Constantino said. “I went online and found a bowl I could order from Nepal, but you didn’t really shop on the internet back then, and I decided I wasn’t going to send my credit card info off to Nepal.”
That was the end of his search for the bowls until several months later when a friend told him about a new bookshop in Millersburg. “Out of curiosity I entered the shop, and to my amazement there sat a couple of small Tibetan singing bowls just waiting for my arrival,” he said.
The self-taught facilitator now has a collection that includes seven master-healing Tibetan singing bowls. These bowls are tuned specifically to create sound that resonates in the body in alignment with the seven major energy centers or chakras.
He also has an additional 15 metal bowls and three crystal bowls. “The metal bowls are hand hammered and made of seven layers of metal. They all come from Tibet or the surrounding area,” Constantino said.
The smallest is about 5 inches in diameter, and the largest is 19 inches in diameter. “Each bowl is many tones in one,” he said. “They create a vibration that allows the body to let go of stress and relax. When you strike a metal Tibetan bowl, the vibrations can last up to two or three minutes, depending on the size of the bowl. Your body tends to mirror the vibration of the sound, affecting your heartbeat, breathing and brainwave frequency.”
The tones of the crystal bowls produce a different, purer sort of sound. Constantino will bring several metal and one crystal bowl to the upcoming workshop.
“I think everything is about letting go,” Constantino said. “We carry everything in our bodies. When you have physical problems or emotional things, we carry it in our bodies.”
He described an example common to most of how the mind affects the body. “Say you lose your cell phone. First you assume it’s in the car. You look. It’s not there. Then you figure it’s on your desk. You look. It’s not there. All of a sudden you’re getting more anxious, and the more you look, the more anxious you get. Then somebody says, ‘Here it is,’ and almost immediately the stress is gone.”
Meditation can help with this mind/body stress connection. “Meditation helps us to live in the moment,” Constantino said. “It doesn’t matter what form of meditation. If you’re not letting your thoughts wander to things in the past or future that worry you or make you anxious, you’re more likely to feel gratitude and joy and to let things simply go.”
The relaxation that occurs through meditation is measurable, according to Constantino. “When you are stressed, you know your breathing and heartbeat is faster,” he said. “When you listen to calm music, it tends to relax you.”
Constantino explained that while there are many forms of meditation and all are valuable and unique, one of the advantages to the healing bowls for some individuals is the simplicity. “I think it’s difficult for some people to focus, like on their breathing. This is just another way to meditate that can be done without spending a lot of time learning a technique,” he said.
Constantino explained that while people may have a wide variety of experiences during meditation, “there is no way you’re going to have an experience you’re not ready for.”
The workshop is from 2-2:45 p.m. at Local Roots Market and Cafe, 140 S. Walnut St., Wooster. The cost is $5 with all proceeds being donated to Local Roots.
“Letting go allows you to resonate at a more perfectly tuned you,” Constantino said. “It’s really that simple.”
Preregister at Local Roots or call the store at 330-263-5336.