A Lasting Ripple by Yining Lu

The moment I stepped into Edwards Hall, I was grasped by the ambience. The colorful crystal bowls were lined up in a perfect semi-circle, shimmering under the soft glow of the candles. Yet, the one thing that truly captured my attention was that people were bringing in their yoga mats, blankets, and pillows, and were carefully setting up their spots—making themselves as comfortable as possible to lie down. Everyone seemed so ready for a restorative and deep sleep.                   

Not long after the first strike of the crystal bowl, as if I was struck by some powerful force, I fell into the unfathomable realm of deep sleep. The next moment I became consciously aware was when I heard Caroline saying: “Now, please bring back your attention to your body.” Lying on my yoga mat and waiting for the neurons in my brain to finish reconnecting and reconfigurating, I bathed myself in a sense of wonder and amazement: “I just lay here and did nothing, but I felt so recharged and comfortable. There’s no need for me to contribute anything, but I could still receive. How is this possible? Am I deserving of this experience?”                   

This strange feeling and amazement brought me back again the following week. Undoubtedly, the first half of the session again drew me into a restorative sleep. However, probably prompted by my inner quest to get a more conscious experience of sound healing, I woke up earlier this time.                   

Lying down and without being able to see what Caroline was doing, I surrendered myself completely to the steady incoming flow of sound waves. I felt that the nerves in my ears were expanding and contracting alongside the crests and troughs of the energy waves. There did not seem to be a physical boundary between molecules in my body and the molecules which constructed the sound waves. The immense energy passed through me, summoning every molecule in my body to join that transcendental journey. For the first time, I felt such a tangent and close contact with something profound, vast, abundant, and powerful. It covered me, grounding yet uplifting me at the same time. The word “grace” jumped into my mind. 

Such profound energy is simply here, embracing everyone who has made the effort to come—setting aside one hour from our busy schedules to allow the healing energy to flow through the open space and nourish us. It is also incredibly accessible. We don’t need to prove ourselves worthy of receiving such a gift. By simply being, it flows through us indiscriminately. Deep within, we all inherently know how to respond, as we are all part of that energy. I felt deeply touched and grateful, knowing that the treasure has already been bestowed upon us graciously. What we need to do is listen—in the quietude and openness in our spirits.

At the same time, I was prompted to question—what prevents us from getting in touch with that deep and universal healing energy in our daily lives? During the sound healing session, while I was consciously observing the coming and going of thoughts in my “Monkey Mind”, I sensed that every thought is like a little flake tossed at the inner river, which was flowing alongside the waves of sound. These thoughts were constantly sending ripples towards the river of energy within us. While no single thought could completely alter the pathway of the river, the ripples could create moments of turbulence and cloud certain sections, blocking us from fully responding to the incoming waves of healing energy. 

This experience sent a lasting ripple in my life for a while after the session, prompting me to reflect: what kind of vibrations are our bodies generating, under the influence of our thoughts, desires, and motivations? What kind of energy are we receiving, filtering, and radiating out from our bodies?  

Note: Caroline Goldman is offering Sound Healing every Monday at 7 pm.