Painting Sounds

I wanted to thank Grace for inviting me along to your office at Paris Smith in Southampton this week. We explored a detoxifying and balancing meditation followed by a soundbath that blew the sound of roadworks outside away. 🙏😀

It's such a great thing to see an employer looking out for their employees' mental health!

I can't say I ever thought I'd be playing a soundbath in a nightclub, but that's exactly what happened this afternoon as part of Wi******er University's Recharge Festival.
Thank you to those for dropping by. I hope you're all having a very chilled out evening. 🙏😊

Love how the instruments on the left look like a happy face! 🙂

Really enjoyed this Saturday's soundbath at the Botley Centre where I invited the participants, some regulars, some new, to delve inwards and discover what "blue" means to them.

It was the first outing for my crystal pyramid, which makes the most amazing sound. I'll share a little more about this magical instrument in another post soon.

Have a happy bank holiday folks!

Another local bluebell walk discovered yesterday, this time at Royal Victoria Country Park (another favourite is at River Hamble Country Park).

We love a jaunt through the woodland and bluebells where our dog can be off lead and roam freely around the paths with us.

Post your favourite bluebell locations below, bonus if you can add a photo too. 🙂

And now it feels like spring.......

The ocean drum made a rare appearance this evening at Botley. I forgot to mention at the time, but this evening's drum meditation is also on SoundCloud at the link below.

It was lovely seeing so many of you tonight!

I have a new instrument joining us next month.

Thanks again for supporting me and I hope you all have an amazing night's sleep. 🙏😊

https://on.soundcloud.com/RmyPW

Occasionally, I'll play something and post it on SoundCloud and as we explored the Japanese idiom, Oubaitori (trees blossom in their own time), it felt fitting to play "Photosynthesis" at the beginning.

Link below: Listen to Photosynthesis by PaintingSounds on
https://on.soundcloud.com/9fYs6

I'm a little behind, but ran for 30 minutes today for the first time. I don't think I was fast enough for 5k but I just wanted to get to the end. 2 more runs this week and CouchTo5k is done.

I never thought I'd get to the last week, especially after the realisation in the first 2 weeks how unfit I felt and having calf muscles that felt like they were going to explode every run at week 4. I didn't think I'd get the hang of the correct breathing while running. I didn't think I'd stick to the habit for 9 weeks, especially with changing jobs and finding the new one eat up the hours and my energy.

But it's ok. I don't hurt every time I run. I have remained injury free and even when work has knocked me off course, I've found the next run hasn't been as tough as I feared it would.

Never thought of myself as I runner and I still look like I'm running for my life, but that's ok. You don't have to be a lean, mean, competitive machine; it's just about having a healthy habit to live longer.

(Facebook face and actual face 😄)

Now to freshen up and finish preparing for tonight's soundbath. Still some spaces left if you fancy it, booking link in comments.

What a beautiful space at the treehouses in Beaulieu! I was invited to support Rob from Evergreen Yogi as part of his Wellness Experience Day; it's really something that I must attend at some point. He even had a mobile sauna which kind of looked how I felt after my run earlier today. 😄

I usually feel pretty chilled out myself after a soundbath, but it's been a few hours and I still feel like a space cadet.

Stacey and I at the Yoga Shed tomorrow for a workshop with a bit of a twist.

We explored the essential ingredient of sound therapy last night in Botley: Nada Yoga. No matter what I do, it's the unique connection of each person in the room with the sounds they're hearing that is the real magic, although it's always lovely to hear whether the experience resolves your headache too!

I talk more about Nada yoga on my blog this week too:
https://www.paintingsounds.com/post/what-is-nada-yoga

A different kind of Saturday afternoon, as I provided a private soundbath for a lovely group in Wi******er as they celebrated a baby shower. 🥳

3rd week of the Couch to 5k programme completed. Lost my running buddy again today, can't see a thing but at least the dog missed me I suppose.

If anyone is still sticking with their new year's resolutions come Saturday, then you're officially doing great, cos by the 19th January is when most people who make resolutions have had enough. This is why I don't usually make them! 😄

Last soundbath of the year at Botley last night and we explored Hygge through sound, making the trip out on a freezing December night warm, cosy and deeply restful. Hope you all had a wonderful night's sleep afterwards!

I have had a wonderful year of sharing soundbaths with you and can't wait to see you again on Saturday 6th January to kick of 2024, a year that will also see some special pop up sound events on the calendar too.

We had a surprisingly lovely wet walk today at the Forest of Bere. It started out pretty badly; heavens opened before we left the car park, the kids were fighting non-stop, our coats instantly let in nearly as much water as they kept out. It could've been miserable.

I thought I'd separate the kids squabbles by trying a few meditation ideas on my daughter; noticing individual raindrops on our hands, textures through our wellies, made up a story about a stone she found how it came to be, and it actually turned out alright.

No dog pics today though- sorry, she just wouldn't stop moving for long enough to take her picture! 😄

It was monthly Botley soundbath night last night. It was quite nice having the rain join in a couple of times; just glad it dried up for when we were reloading the car! ☔

I had a couple of nice comments afterwards about the heartspace meditation we practiced at the beginning and I hope that's something some of you can take away and use anytime you need to. 💚

Looking forward to the next one on 2nd December.

I wanted to share my latest blog post with you, focused on anxiety.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and also your tips on how you manage anxiety and worry in your life.

Anxiety is an absence of trust This is probably going to be one of the most personal articles I've written about for some time, but it's been bubbling up inside of me for months and I think I finally know how to articulate it in a way that others might understand and hopefully relate to. So here it goes. I often think of life bei...

Over 8 million people are affected by anxiety at any one time in the UK*. That's more 1 in 10 of us!

Anxiety is all about living in the future, rather than the present moment. One way to deal with this is to ground yourself by using your senses to refocus your attention to the present moment.

What can you see?
What can you hear, smell & touch?
Randomly tasting stuff you find in the woods might be a good way to ground but I can't guarantee how good it will be for your guts, so best to stick with the first 4!

If you haven't done this before; go outside, go for a walk, go somewhere different to where you are and take 10 minutes to really listen, smell, feel and hear your surroundings. How many different things do you notice?

I like to do this as a regular practice, because the more often you do it, the easier it is to turn to it or remember past practices when you're stuck somewhere where you can't get up and go for a walk.

Here are some pictures from a couple of mindful walks I took in Brittany. I love the lines of the trees, the rocks and the way that rock and tree seemed to merge into one.

*https://championhealth.co.uk/insights/anxiety-statistics/ #:~:text=In%20any%20given%20week%20in,access%20treatment%20(Mental%20Health%20Foundation)

🎶 Embracing Space 🎶

August's soundbath is all about making and enjoying space. Noticing pauses and allowing yourself to lean into them.

Can you allow yourself time to pause, to make space for yourself and join me for 75 minutes of rest?

This month's soundbath is taking place tomorrow (Saturday 5th August) at the Botley Centre, 7.45-9.00pm. I'd love to see you there.

This month the Himalayan bowls will be making their first appearance for some time, as well as gongs, crystal bowls, chimes and the pulsar drum.

Simply book yourself a spot, bring along a mat/blanket and a pillow and sit/lay back allowing the sounds and vibrations to work their magic.

www.bookwhen.com/staceysteeleyoga-events

This time next week we will be in the midst of the next sound bath at the Botley Centre. Will you be there?

As January draws to a close, it certainly seems that life is picking up pace and I have just the antidote.

Join me for a waterfall inspired practice, where we will use the journey through sound to find the pauses and stillness. To step out of the everyday madness and take time to sit back, relax and Reflect.

Saturday 4th Feb, 7.45pm

Thank you so much to all of you for being a part of my first year hosting sound baths. Whether you've made it to an event with me already, or not yet your support is so appreciated.

I hosted my final sound bath of 2022 at Wickham on Saturday, set up as a gong cave, followed by a festive feel good event in collaboration with Stacey Steele Yoga on Tuesday at the Botley Centre to close the year's sessions.

From January, the sound baths will be moving to the Botley Centre venue on the first Saturday of each month at 7.45pm.

As this is both a new venue and new time I am launching the first session of 2023 with a special discounted price of just £10 per ticket.

I do hope you can join me at Botley on 7th January to explore the wonders of sound and start the year with a good dose of nourishment and nurturing

In the meantime I wish you and your families a Christmas full of joy, peace and harmony.

See you in the new year! 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/272745193446174/posts/1098971427490209/

Waves 🌊 and Anchor Points ⚓

Tonight sees the final Gentle Yoga & Sound Bath event in Botley before our summer break and I'm super excited to share it!

It often feels like life is flowing like the waves. Constantly moving, sometimes faster and more wild, sometimes slower and calmer, but always moving and flowing.

However, between each of the waves is a pause. A momemt of stillness, of peace. What if we could linger a little longer in those pauses, create an anchor point to return to when the seas are rough.

That's exactly what we're looking to create tonight using mindful movement, breathwork and a soothing sound bath relaxation.

There's just a few spaces left, so why not grab one and come wash away the week ready to sail into your weekend?

When we visited Mottisfont with the children on Sunday, they had their summer trail on. This was related to the book series "Little People, Big Dreams".

They had lots of pictures, excepts from the books and activities about a number of the famous people written about in the series.

This one about Stevie Wonder caught my eye, as it demonstrates the power of sound in someone's healing journey:

"One day Stevie was badly hurt in a car accident. He fell asleep for four long days, and only woke up when his good friend Ira was visiting. When Ira started singing a gospel song, Stevie began to tap his fingers to the beat"

When I was having a PTSD related episode several years ago, my wife put on some calm music to try and soothe my mind (she was running out of ideas at this point so thought she'd try something different). And it was just magical. I felt a warm glow all over my body and began to feel safe.

I still listen to that particular piece of music on occasion if I start to feel a sense of panic or overwhelm, as it brings me back to the warm glow and feeling of safety.

I absolutely loved creating bespoke sound sessions for individuals during my case studies and can't wait to be able to offer one to one sound therapy sessions once my certificates come through.

Information gathered over the last 25 years in Sound Therapy has informed us that certain instruments seem to effect individuals in different ways. This is why it is important to have a trained sound therapist, as what works for one person, may not work for another.

Individualised feedback should be used to create treatments specific to a client’s symptomatic state and their intention for the treatment – a relaxing treatment would be very different from an energising treatment for example. If a client had muscle tension Himalayan bowls may be placed on the body and played in a specific way – whereas if a client was in chronic pain a gong or crystal bowl may be used.

At BAST we specialise in combining instruments in a specific way to influence brainwave frequencies, enabling a person to enter an altered state of consciousness (ASC) similar to very deep relaxation or meditation.

If at any time during a treatment you feel in any kind of discomfort, mentally or physically, you are best to pause and discuss it with your therapist rather than continuing.

I am excited to announce that my first ever newsletter was sent out to subscribers last night!

The intention is to send a monthly email so that I can start giving stuff back to you, regardless of whether you can make it to a soundbath event or not, for you to use as you wish.

This might be a breathing practice, a drum meditation, a post on the science of healing/sound/mindfulness etc. The aim is that every month you will learn something new that you can use to help you find a calm space of your own. And if life gets in the way this month; that’s fine; just keep it for when you next have time.

This content will be exclusivelly sent by email, so that it reaches the people that have chosen to receive it and they can click on it in their inbox when it suits them.

I don’t want to be aimlessly posting these resources on social media, creating noise for the sake of it every day just in the hope that you’ll see the one post I really want to write every month.

So if you are not yet on the list to receive my monthly email, but you would like access to my self care tips and resources then please go ahead and sign up here: http://eepurl.com/h58Tab

Painting Sounds is now on WhatsApp.

Thank you to those of you who joined us on Saturday for a summer solstice inspired Gong Bath at My Inner Space Yoga Studios

I had great fun sharing sounds from my seven gongs from inside my "gong nest" to celebrate the height of the solar year.

I know a number of you couldn't make it this month due to other commitments so I'm thinking of doing another gong bath next month on 23rd July if that's what you fancy?

Head to the comments and give me a

❤️ For a gong only bath, or a
👍 For a mixed sound bath

Either way, can't wait to head back to the yoga shed to share the magic of sound with you again in a few weeks.

It all comes down to this!

💫 2.5 years.
💫 15 wonderful volunteers.
💫 Over 60 1-2-1 sound therapy sessions.
💫 Over 200 hours of writeups and evaluations.
💫 1 theory exam (passed with distinction)
💫 3 instrument assessments (all passed with distinction)
💫 1 recorded practical evaluation.
💫 Two weeks of virtual training. Two loooong days of in-person training.
💫 Participation in a research project.
💫 Plus countless hours of research, reading, playing, self-practice
💫 and those 4 lockdowns.

It's challenged me in ways that I've never faced before and tested my mental and emotional stamina to its limits on occasions but it's also changed my life in so many ways. I just hope I pass now. Gonna be a long 8 weeks waiting...... 😄

A short summary of what I do, as described by the science led organisation I've trained with.

Next group relaxation session is this Saturday 18th June, 4.30pm at the yoga shed in Wickham. Here you will be treated to therapeutic sounds from all 7 of my gongs in a Gong Bath.

Sound therapy works in a targeted way, the therapist listens to the clients needs and creates a bespoke treatment to suit their needs (they can also work generally in a group for relaxation or energising for example). Following treatment the therapist will then give the client (or group) mindfulness exercises to help them to develop new and life affirming strategies to help improve their health and wellbeing.