Thursday's chanting at The Studio was a beautiful night of community and synchronization. Gatherings like this are what I live for. We parted sharing song suggestions and fueled for our weekend. We sang the following East and West chants:
Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung
Metta Suttra Gate, Gate....
Cherokee Morning Song
Merits of our Practice:
"By the merits of our practice, may all being be happy, healthy and free
from inner and outer harm.
May they live in their world with ease and grace." *
Each song was punctuated by the sound of the bell before and after with a few minutes of stillness following. To close, I pulled out my native hand drum and we sang a Lakota Thank you song as an introduction to next week's focus on Native songs.
I got to thinking about a Time Magazine article I read about how heart beats sync up when we sing together. It also includes a youtube video on studies and findings. In ceremony I've experienced this often. It confirms what I know about the heart and breath--that when we breathe evenly and purposely, our heart beats regulate and reset our nervous systems. How beautiful to do this together. As I pointed out on Thursday night, it's impossible to produce sound when we inhale--singing naturally allows us to balance our breathing, inhale and exhale in sync and sing as one. Nervous systems align, hearts align and bodies relax into the beauty of sound--no where to go, nothing to do, but sing. Look forward to next week at The Studio.
* phrases from the Metta Suttra that I adapted and put to chant
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