Hoboken:

And then I found this one of Hoboken. I love Mac the Knife. Shame about the guy's head at the end though...

My Home Town

I found this video of scenes from my home town of Newcastle in England on UTube. Pretty cool:

Sound Healing Meditation - Roger Ansanelli

I've been feeling VERY out of sorts recently. Too much change going on for my liking and well its sort of knocked me off balance. I was talking to my yoga teacher Laurie and she mentioned this guys meditation sessions in Hoboken. Roger plays Chrystal Singing bowls:

He uses them like chimes or runs a block around the top of the bowl - similarly to the way you run a finger round a crystal glass. The sound that the bowls make is booming and does vibrate through right through you. He also sings and Chants - somewhere between Chinese Opera and a tribal rain chant.

This is how he puts it:
"Sound Healing, is the use of sound to shift/change your vibrational frequency to a higher state of resonance, vibrational coherency. This is a conscious decision to actively change your vibration — what you are actually vibrating at this moment to another vibration of your choice. You might be vibrating sadness or frustration or just blah — apathy and decide to vibrate at a higher frequency which would be an emotional state of happiness, joy or you might be experiencing a feeling of disconnect or just plain off and desire to come in to a place of resonance that is more connected and whole.

We do this by first choosing to change and asking for assistance. Being supported by the higher realms is a natural occurrence and we feel their presence in our lives, and their presence through sound in this class. We are all divine, so divinity is all around us — not a mile up and you make a right, it is our constant. So, we use our brilliance, our hearts, to lead us.

The sound that comes out is love and it is beautiful. I invite you to come and experience it."

So did Roger's class have an effect on me? It is certain that I am not vibrating at a healthy level right now - according to R's theory. I will say I experienced bursts of energy during the class. He invited us all to sing - make noises at times (I contemplated humming dum, dee, dum, dee, dum, tee, tee, dum when it came to my turn) but made a kind of Om noise instead which was much more in keeping with the spirit of things. Kind of feels silly singing out loud in front of a group of strangers BUT also kind of invigorating. Bit like when Sinead and I used to scream bloodcurdling screams at the top of our lungs in University to relieve stress.

Today I do feel a little more centered. Who knows. I think I'll try it again though. Plus I have Laurie's 1/2 moon meditations to look forward to.

Weekend Teaching Scuba

This weekend I taught an executive scuba class. It has been a while since I've taught as the shop has been going through a bit of a dry spell. All night Friday in the classroom and then all day Sat and Sunday, split between class and pool. Was nice to be teaching again. Although I felt very sick all weekend. I'd been sick all week and being in the pool was not a help. Breathing dry compressed air and talking a lot has made me almost loose my voice. $600 in my pocket after this weekend is good. All going towards the Mexico fund - or to be more precise at the moment the credit card fund:)

Dali Lama thought for the year...

"According to Buddhist psychology, most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities"

I agree, as usual, with the Dali Lama, but in practice I find it hard not to get attached to things and people. Moving to Mexico will be one big detachment from everything here in New York. There was a time when I thought leaving my apartment would be difficult. I've always said home is where my 'stuff' is. BUT when I left Geoff and Newcastle all of those years ago, I suddenly realized how easy it is to leave all of the 'things' you think are important. As for people I've found it very freeing over the last few years to just let go and see who comes along and who needs to leave my life.

Peaceful though I try to be when things and people come and go in my life, I am sure that even the Dali Lama would agree that my car, books, ipod, mac and Big Ted are deserving of a limited amount of attachment:)

My Car is now even SEXIER

Well my car was making grinding noises so I took her into the dealership I go to in Manhattan to get her fixed. There was apparently some problem with the 4 wheel drive that they were able to fix and she is now purring like a wild cat. While she was in I decided to get her side and rear windows tinted - 'dark smoke'. Very Hot. Now I can leave all manner of stuff in the back of my car and no-one can see in.

My Car is now even SEXIER