Featured Image by kalhh

I’m talking good vibrations, which will circle around the highs and lows of vibration, some strategies that may reduce stress, and increase energy through such practice as; sound therapy, positive thoughts, forest bathing, just to name a few.

In the last year or so I have begun to explore some of the in’s and out’s of musical singing bowls and had planned for a future episode on the topic but after my interview with Dennis Bullock, where he offered up a form of gratitude as a strategy to increase one’s energy, cause you know, gratitude effects attitude, which you can listen to in Episode 17/18. I then thought, why not first explore some vibration-raising strategies, and perhaps follow that up with an episode or two exploring some elements within some of the practices.

This episode provides some possible practices which may help raise vibration but is not meant as a replacement for medical intervention for serious mental or physical discomfort or conditions. As always, consult a medical practitioner before the practice of any of the following example.

W hen I was young my family use to go on camping trips, especially out to P.E.I. or go up north to a camp where I was taught to row a boat and fish, I’ve tried my hand at canoeing, lived amongst the Boreal forest, trail walker, practice with a small “p” meditation and obtained a 3 year college diploma in Therapeutic Recreation, after receiving my BA. Just to clear I do not consider myself an expert in any of the aforementioned practices.

This is a timely topic for me. The last few months have been a little stressful and during the month of May I will be moving, leaving my home of the last 15 years, there is a lot of baggage associated with that, literally and metaphorically speaking, at least for me- The beginning of May will also be lending itself to my daughter’s wedding and because one never knows what the weather will blow in, here in Canada, my daughter will be having her wedding at a Botanical Garden. Nice touch Chloe.

These are milestone events and I have had my share of anxiety at least in terms of the move. I have done my best to stay centered, if you will, not an easy task, especially when such events require planning ahead. So what to do…to maintain or better yet increase good vibrations?

I have heard it said that everything is energy and energy vibrates at different frequencies. When we feel calm, happy, positive we may then be in a high vibrational state however, when we are anxious, depressed or have a case of stink’n think’n – well such emotions may lower our vibration.

We have internal vibrations which effect us on a physiological level. Some examples are heart beat, breathing and circadian rhythms, which regulate the temperature of our body, hormone secretion digestion, blood pressure and more.

According to the website Balance, there are much smaller vibrations occurring inside each cell which can be detected using an atomic force microscopes to discover vibrations on a nano-scale level and “…vibration and the electromagnetic energy associated with them can cause changes in your cells, which can then affect how your body functions”

In order to raise our vibration we need to increase the frequency at which we vibrate. According to Balance there is something called incoherent signals that occur within our body and can be the cause of negative thought patterns and when exposed to these incoherent’ signals, we might then feel out of alignment owing to less communication between the cells, which apparently then “…causes a corresponding change in vibration and potentially less energy, which, in turn, affects our cells’ biological function and consequently our mind, body and soul” (Balance). Or if you prefer our emotional, physical and spiritual well being.

So then, raising one’s vibration might cause one to feel good or is it when one feels good, one’s vibration will rise, either way it sounds like a win-win.

I am going to explore some practices to maintain or increase energy levels which might help shift one’s energy into a higher vibration and contribute to one’s well-being and quality-of-life.

Something to Think about.

Thoughts can effect behaviours and in turn, our vibration. Anxious thoughts can cause stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline to be released. According to Health Match “…when you initially feel anxiety, hormones in your body respond to this feeling. But if your anxiety persists, these hormones can actually become part of the cause of that lingering anxiety”.

On the other hand when we feel happy our body produces Dopamine, sometimes referred to as the “happy-hormone” and according to the website Henry Ford Health, there is also the feel good hormone known as serotonin which is key in fighting off anxiety and depression. Additionally, Endorphins and Serotonin are also happy type hormones. If your interested in H.F.H’s activity pics to help produce/release those hormones, visit my website at www.orbicletimes.com for their link found in my post entitled Raising Vibration with Vibrations.

Almost everyone has internal dialogue or mental noise throughout the day. Psychologist and Researcher Dr. Jordan Poppenk and colleagues out of University of Queen’s in Canada found that we have approximately 60,000 thoughts a day, during waking hours. Data was gathered from 184 volunteers who underwent an fMRI brain scan.

The researchers devised a method to isolate when one thought leads to another described as a “thought worm”. I would have thought something more rapid moving as a descriptor might have been more appropriate. The study had subjects focus on a single thought or idea and then jump to a next thought and were able to isolate that process using the brain scan.

Dr. Poppenk believes that this type of research will help us understand practical questions such as “how (doing one activity) influences the nature of our thinking” The National Science Foundation states that 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95 percent of those are repetitive. Wow! that is something to think about.

Conclusion; Look for practices and strategies that might increase our happy hormones. If we switch the tone to positive-speak, perhaps that will influence the frequency at which we vibrate thus causing a positive vibration-raising shift. Speaking of tone, let’s talk Sound Therapy.

Sound Therapy – Raising Vibration with Vibrations

Sound Healing is the use of specific instruments which create music, tones, sonic vibrations, which according to Yoga Basics’s website, can contribute to healing the body, mind, and spirit.

There are different types of instruments that can be utilized for such practice such as Tibetian or cyrstal singing bowls, hand pans, gongs, bells, chimes, the tambura, even tuning forks. A sound therapy treatment allows for the frequencies of sound to go around and/or on specific body parts.

One does not have to play an instrument in order to derive the benefits of sound therapy, on the contrary, sessions usually involve laying or sitting in a comfortable position while immersing in a chosen sound and its’ frequency through sound recordings or can be performed by a sound practitioner.

The sound can help us to change our breathing, relax and assist in the release of stress and anxiety decreasing negative vibrations. Some different types of sound therapies according to Yoga Basics website include:

Guided Sound Meditations

Uses specific instruments and guides you through a visualization or meditation. The musician will play the same note over and over again, kinda like chanting. The performance may be live or recorded.

INTENDED OUTCOME: states of deep relaxation.

Chanting and Kirtan

A group led practice where people sing and chant. Instrument is voice.

INTENDED OUTCOME: cultivates mindfulness, concentration, and compassion.

Binaural Beats

Recorded music that spaces pure tones slightly apart from each other. The tones are designed to induce certain brainwaves by creating a frequency mismatch between them.

INTENDED OUTCOME: To reach a different brainwave states such as the alpha, theta, or deep delta.

Think of Monroes’ Hemi-Sync or hemisperical synchronization for promoting, according to Monroe, well being or altered states of consciousness.

Sound Bath

This is one of my favorite sound choices. This type of therapy uses idiophones,( id e a phones) is a class of musical instruments in which a resonant solid material like wood, metal or stone, vibrates, when struck to produce the initial sounds.

The sound of my choosing in regards to sound baths, resonates from the Tibetan singing bowls,which is an inverted bell of sorts, that can be lead by one or more musicians. Different sized bowls produce different tones and depending on how and what the bowl or bowls are struck with can produce different volumes, tones and rhythm.

A side note: Sound healing usually involves quieter tones however, if that is not your jam, and you don’t feel the need to heal then perhaps whatever tunes or tones speak to your soul and elevate your being should also be able to raise your vibration.

Now let’s walk to a different beat … by immersing ourselves in…Nature.

Image by Joe

The idea that humans have a biological need to connect with nature is called biophilia, from the Greek, meaning ‘love of life and the living world,’” Harvard Dr. Edward O. Wilson is said to have coined the phrase biophilia, the idea or theory that humans have a biological need to connect with nature.

Being out in nature can utilizes all our senses and that is the idea behind the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku or the art of forest bathing. Forest bathing or forest immersion is a sensory practice where you bathe all of your senses by surrounding them in a natural environment, preferably sitting still, well after you get where you are going. Some benefits include; lowering blood pressure, anxiety and stress hormones and oh ya, increasing your vibration.

This practice of forest bathing is a nice counterbalance to the Japanese suicide forest. A topic for perhaps a future episode. Perhaps if one prefers camping, canoeing or say cycling, they can still derive some of the same benefits of forest bathing as long as they stop and sense the roses.

You can also immerse yourself into the study of forest therapy and in the process obtain a certificate. Yup, it is a thing – a 6 month 500 dollar thing.

Can’t afford that? No worries, with so many benefits to be derived from spending just a few hours a week in nature, benefits such as increased energy, reduced stress, pain reduction and heart health one just need some green space or perhaps a walk on the wild side in Canada, where we now have a program that allows healthcare professionals to prescribe for their patients, passes to a Canadian National Park. Each script buys a free pass for a year. Canadian Doctors Are Now Prescribing Time in National Parks to Patients (travelandleisure.com)

Of course you don’t need to find a forest to derive the benefits of nature, if you are near to a garden, a green space or your backyard that can work too and while you are out and about you might want to try your hand or foot at something called Earthing.

Earthing also know as grounding equates to our body making contact with the earth, more specifically parts of our bare body which can allow for our electrical frequencies to connect with that of the earth’s.

Aging, unhealthy diet, drug abuse, alcohol, lack of exercise can allow for free radical damage to occur within our bodies, contributing to cell deterioration. According to the website Lifehack, the earth’s surface has a negative charge and is constantly generating electrons that could neutralize free radicals in our body because the electrons act as antioxidants. When you touch your body to the ground, it dissipates static electricity and additionally you receive a charge of energy in the form of free electrons so that your body synchronizes with the natural frequencies of our earth.

How to soak up those electrons…simple. Just be in contact with some soil, sand, grass, a mountain top or some water. You can use your bare feet, hands or other areas of the skin to be in contact with any natural conductors of the earth’s electricity. You can also use sheets, blankets or mats as long as they are made of natural fiber’s to put between you and the earth but when able best to stick with “oh natural” in both cases.

Bringing the Outdoors In.

Image by No-longer-here

Essential oils are an organic and natural way to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. Pine oil is often used as an aromatherapy agent to combat adrenal fatigue and mild depression and of course one can listen to a variety of recorded forest or ocean sound-scapes…

If you are unable to admire and derive benefits of soil, grass, rocks, pebbles, sand or crystals in their natural environment than perhaps bringing in items such as fragrant flowering plants, easy to grow renewable bamboo, herbs, indoor fairy gardens, Zen sandboxes or stones to balance for a meditation tower – might be an avenue for you. In terms crystals such as amethyst, quartz, jade, blue coral and many more, you may be aware of some of their said benefits but you may want to consider some of the practices involved with their extraction. Something to think about.

Fun fact: Ever notice how the light in the forest is deferent? “Forests exhibit much variation in light environments, and this can affect communication among animals, communication between animals and plants, photosynthesis, and plant morphogenesis“. The chemicals that make up a forest’s smell are volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Voc’s also scatter light, taking the sun’s beams and turning that into a soft forest glow.

Image by PublicDomainPictures

If you live in cooler climates or have mobility issues and bare foot walking is not an option, apparently there are grounding/earthing kits to be got. I have no personal experience with such kits but founder Clint Ober of Earth FX Inc., might. Clint is said to be somewhat of a pioneer in the grounding or earthing movement. His company, based out of California, conducts grounding research and development. Additionally, you can enjoy aspects of nature by having potted plants and herbs in your indoor environment. Spider plants clean the air, herbs enhance food and succulents seem to be a choice especially for smaller spaces and those that may not have a green thumb, however be mindful of the type you buy. As an example, many cacti’s are now near extinction because of their popularity and the poaching that is occurring surrounding that industry to meet demand and earn high amounts of money.

If you like to learn more about earthing or grounding, there is a YouTube documentary called The Earthing Movie. I have a link on my website orbicletimes.com

I hope some of this information has helped you feel more grounded and gives you pause to consider exploring some of the many practices that are available.

Remember it is called practice for a reason. Whether you dive into deep breathing, meditation, yoga, touch or sound therapy, dip your toe into outdoor immersion or perhaps decide to change your attitude through gratitude or any additional practices that are out there – remember they are just that – practices.

And practice is about repetition. Allow for time and show compassion to yourself while you decide if incorporating one, some or none of the many practices available into your routine – that is up to you. Whatever you decide, I wish you good vibrations.

Due to my upcoming move mid-May and Chloe’s May wedding I will be taking an interlude of sorts for at least the Month of May. Perhaps, come June, if I find I am still settling in to my new surroundings I may need to take a longer intermission or I may have to resort to providing you with a cheat-sheet blog/episode, along the lines of me reading something verbatim, other than my own writing 🙂 Hope not.