Also known as “Himalayan singing bowls” or “healing bowls”, Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy is a non-invasive, painless and profoundly calming experience. Tibetans have been using sound therapy (with “singing bowls”) for thousands of years to bring the body to a natural state of ease and relaxation far and above anything you have ever experienced.
    There are many “grades” of bowls that go under the label of “Tibetan”. At Awakening Wellness, they use only the highest “healing” grade bowls. These bowls differ from those found in most shops in that they are hand hammered by groups of up to four craftsmen using ancient techniques that have been handed down for centuries. When the bowl is completed, its resonance is checked for clarity and consistence and only then is it labeled as a “healing grade” bowl. They can usually be identified by their somewhat rough hammered finish, although some of the highest quality bowls are also polished and hand engraved with ancient symbols.
    Many people ask, what do I have to do? Nothing. Similar to the way a song makes you happy or a baby is lulled to sleep by singing, Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy eases your mind and body.
    Knowing that all matter is vibration, if you change the rate of vibration (frequency), the structure of that matter can be changed. The singing bowls are crafted and tuned to a perfect frequency. This perfect frequency trains our brainwaves to create sympathetic resonance, to bring the mind to an absolute harmony. Naturally, we thrive in a state of mind-body harmony; the singing bowls restore us back to wellness via this harmonizing approach.
    Dr. Mitchell Gaynor has used sound therapies with cancer patients. In an article in the August 2003 issue of Spirituality and Health magazine, Dr. Gaynor is quoted as saying, “If we accept that sound is vibration and we know that vibration touches every part of our physical being, then we understand that sound is heard not only through our ears but through every cell in our bodies… deeply touches and transforms us on the emotional and spiritual planes. Sound can redress imbalances… and can play a positive role in the treatment of virtually any medical disorder.” From his website he states, “There is a tendency toward harmony in nature. Consider two metronomes in the same room beating at different rhythms. Eventually, of their own accord, they will begin to beat in synchrony with each other.” 
    During a Tibetan Bowl Sound session, client will lay, fully clothed, on a massage table. They may be asked to wear headphones. The certified practitioner in this healing art will artfully play the singing bowls near the client’s body to gently fill the room with sound, allowing the cells of the body to feel the sound vibrations. These will be soothing tones. During this restorative process, the body relaxes into wellness, rebuilding tissue and regulating main body systems.    
    Sound therapy research on Duke University’s website titled, “The Effectiveness of Vibroacoustic Sound Therapy in Medicine”, offers a look at the science behind such therapy as it states, “Vibroacoustic sound therapy has proven to have significant results benefitting human health both physiologically and mentally. The low vibrations increase cellular movement, thus increasing energy and cellular regeneration in the body. Consequently, inflammation and pain are reduced because of this treatment. With the addition of music, patients are prone to have an increase in relaxation and decrease in psychological disturbances such as addiction, depression, anxiety and nausea. Furthermore, individuals with behavioral impulses and autism are found to have a decrease in aggressive outburst and actions.” Author’s note: Vibroacoustic is a modern computer-generated sound technology. The Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy is an ancient practice.
    Some reasons why people love Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy include:

Easing of stress and anxiety. When the body has been stressed for considerable periods of time, anxiety can set in and reduce the body’s immune function significantly. The tones of the singing bowls are tuned to the frequencies of the human body, sending out resonant waves which are felt directly by the body’s cells, and in doing so bring about profound relaxation. In this deeply relaxed state, the body and mind become calm and begin restoring the feelings of wholeness while easing away the thoughts and feelings that cause stress.
    
Lifting depression and easing pain. When a person is caught up in helplessness and hopelessness, with the mind seemingly spiraling downward, Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy offers balance and harmony to the mind, lessening bodily pain and suffering that sometimes accompanies depression.
    Providing pain relief associated with stress-related diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, neuropathy or fibromyalgia.
    
Improving cognitive ability. For younger people this might mean learning ability and attention can be improved; for others, it can mean a restoration of memory or the ability to make other positive changes in oneself. 
    
    Several of the country’s most prestigious health resorts charge hundreds of dollars for such a treatment. Awakening Wellness Center has combined the best of the world’s oldest known Eastern healing arts, practiced by more people than any other on Earth, offering the local St. Pete / Clearwater / Tampa community a way to experience the benefits of stress reduction and ease, and to increase one’s vitality, for a fraction of what traveling to other destinations would cost.
    Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy is offered by two of their certified practitioners, trained to the advanced level, directly under a Tibetan Bowl Master Teacher: John A. DeRugeris - Doctor Medical Qigong (DMQ), Certified Yoga, Meditation & Qigong Instructor, Reiki Master, and Maria T. Carranza - Master Medical Qigong (MMQ), Qigong Instructor, Reiki Practitioner, Certified Laboratory Supervisor Hematology, Clinical Chemistry, Immunohematology, Serology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology.
    An affordable wellness clinic is available every Saturday. 

Awakening Wellness is located at 6161 Martin Luther King Dr. (9th St.), Ste. 102, St. Petersburg. For more information and appointment, call 727-289-4747. See ad page 41.