Posted on

Two New Online Introduction to Sound Healing Workshops

Life is Vibration & The Healing Voice
Introductory Workshops to Sound Healing

at a special introductory rate!

Are you relatively new to the world of sound as healer? I’m now offering two of my in-person introductory workshops online! Each is chock full of everything you need to know and get started in understanding and applying sound as healer in your own life.

Life is Vibration is delivered in three 1/2 hr sessions (that may run up to 40 minutes).

May 27, June 3 & 10 11AM EST

Part I: What is Sound Healing?

The Healing Equation
Effects of Sound
The Nature of Sound

Part II: How/Why does Sound Healing Work?

Resonance & Entrainment
Cymatics
What Happens Along the Vagus…

Part III: How to Use Sound for Healing

5+ Ways to Use Sound
Voice as Healer
Application for Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health

 

The Healing Voice is delivered in three 1/2 hr sessions (that may run up to 40 minutes).

May 27, June 3 & 10 at 1PM EST

Part I: The Throat Center

Throat-related Health Issues
The Purification Chakra
The Natural Voice

Part II: How Energy Moves

The Vocal Channel
The “Pressions”
Benefits of Voicework

Part III: Activation & Practices

Breathwork
Voiceplay
Vocal Toning…and more!

Register for one course for 25 euros via Paypal. Or register for both and save 5 euros.


Choose Your Course



Classes are delivered via Zoom and class size is limited. You will need to download the Zoom app to whatever device you plan to use and familiarize yourself with it beforehand. Those who register must supply an active email (Paypal will ask you for it) and allow email from bureau@dielleciesco.com as call details will be delivered via that email.

The best effort will be made to record classes and provide them to participants afterwards,  but due to the unpredictability of technical quality, there is no guaranteed opportunity to make up a class nor are there any refunds for missed classes, so please make sure you will be available for each session before registering.

In case of technical difficulties and acts of the techno gods, classes will be rescheduled. If the rescheduled dates do not suit you, you may request a refund.

Posted on

Vak Shuddhi: Cultivating Sound That Heals

Teacher Sadhguru shares the importance of sound, language, and speaking with intent:

“Whatever sound you need to utter, utter it in such a way that it is beneficial for you. And whatever is beneficial for you will naturally be beneficial for everyone around you. If a sound is doing wonderful things to you, it will definitely do the same things to everyone around you.”

What is Vak Shuddhi? – Part 1

What is Vak Shuddhi? – Part 2

“The Sanskrit language was consciously created so that just uttering the language will purify the system. But now, most of the time we speak languages which are no longer made like that, so it is best to handle it with intention…”

Posted on

Transformational Voicework: What the Heck Is It?

I’ve been on a quest since the beginning to aptly name my work. I’m still searching for the right words to describe what Transformational Voicework is…and isn’t. It’s one of those “you have to experience it” experiences. Finding the right words to explain what must be experienced to be known is and will probably always be impossible. But I keep trying! I even wrote two books about it.

It has always been challenging describing and defining my work. Use the word “voice” and people think of standing in front of a room shaking or standing in the back of a choir shrinking, and worse yet, screaming…as if that’s all the voice had to offer us. They think of words and lyrics, yells and squeals.

At first, I called my work Shamanic Voicework because the practices developed out of my experiences with Toltec shamanism and the exercise known as recapitulation. Forget the fact that it also combined elements of Creative Drama. After all, I couldn’t very well call it Shamanic Creative Drama Voicework! But the word “shamanic” was a trigger for a lot of people while others just felt is was too woo-woo, so I changed the descriptor to “transformational” since when people engaged in this work, that’s what was happening. They were transforming. They were losing inhibitions and tapping into buried creativity and expression. But while this describes the result, it doesn’t really explain the purpose or process.

THE PURPOSE AND PROCESS

The voice is a powerful tool for healing, but few people think about the potential of the voice beyond speaking and singing. They take the voice for granted instead of realizing the incredible magic if offers. But I couldn’t very well call it “healing voice” or use more technical types of words because there were already too many associations with speech therapy, another common mistaken association. And I couldn’t call it “voice yoga” because my friend Kara nabbed that one! 😉 But actually, even that didn’t quite reach the heart of the method I’d created. For years, I’ve been making due with Transformational Voicework.

But now that I’ve left a city where every other person is a yoga teacher or massage therapist to live in a country where few people even know what Reiki is, let alone something called Transformational Voicework, I’ve had to rethink things again. I’ve had quite the brainstorming session, and words like “metamorphosis”, “catharsis”, “unwinding”, and “opening” came up.  So did “evolution”, “revolution”, “rapture”, “genesis”, “deconditioning”, “purification”, and “reprogramming”. But some of these are already in use in a different way. For example, there are musical artists that call themselves “Vocal Revolution”. Besides, some of these words are no less “woo-woo” that “shamanic”.

Other words came to mind, like “primal”, “divine”, “sovereign”, “instinctual”, and “reflexive” …along with plenty of silly phrases like “Voice Hurling” and “Vocal Roto Rooter”…along with nutty mash-ups like Evocalvox. There were also words like “authentic”, “pure”, “satisfying”, “archetypal”, and “heartfelt”. “Imaginative”, “creative”, “uninhibited”, “liberating”, “adventurous”, “natural”; each of these words plays such an important role in the type of voice work I share with clients. But how do I get that across in three words or less? So many words, each of them saying something important about the techniques I offer, but no one able to encapsulate the energy-moving, life-altering processes.

While I thought I was onto something with the word”release”, a major aspect of the work that has to come first to get to the juicier parts, it too presented problems. Short and sweet, but associated with screaming,  it was perhaps too easily misinterpreted. Alas, “Vocal Release” is already in use to describe a singing method anyway.

Another word I really like is “intuitive”. The head has to be removed or the sounding isn’t natural and indigenous to the body; it is still far too conditioned. The voice (or the mind that controls it) requires deconditioning. But while I would be referring to mental deconditioning, voice therapists already use the term to describe degenerative states of the vocal mechanism, and I certainly don’t want that connotation! I love the word “intuition” which reflects that the sounding isn’t about following a sheet of music or trying to sound a certain way. But using “intuitive voice” alone connotes channelers and psychics.

I recently came up with “Intuitive Vocal Release” and tested it with a small audience. The usual connotations arose: singing, screaming, shouting. Some people thought it was downright wordy and empty. Granted, they have nothing experiential with which to relate it…nothing but singing, screaming, or speaking. The usual. But that’s not what I teach. Transformational Voicework is a series of processes that take a great deal of coordination with attention on very subtle changes, utilizing breath, movement and the full palette of the voice to move emotion, energy, stagnation and pain. Tranformational Voicework is a way in and a doorway out.

AND SO…

Transformational Voicework will have to stand for now. Regrettably, I am aware that misunderstandings of my work continue. Most clients who show up for the first time at workshops tell me, “I have no idea what this is. I just know I have to try it.” Such brave souls and always ready for the experience. With others, for example random people who ask me what I do, there are always assumptions more so because there are no concepts other than singing or speaking with which people can relate. Sometime, I just give in exasperated, “I’m a vocal coach.” At least they can wrap their heads around it. Someone suggested the word “experimental” and while it requires a sense of exploration for the person going through it, I don’t like the connotation that there is no method to the madness. I know where it all leads…to the “exalted voice”…something I’ve seen and been blown away by time and again in my clients who are fortunate enough to allow themselves to go that far.

I’ve been trying to label all of this, to develop a phrase that narrows in on the most essential elements of this amazing work, but maybe it is the heart alone and not a name that needs to call people to this path. I’m okay with that.

Posted on

Vocal Toning Resources

Vocal Toning Meditation: Level I Foundations

Resources

VIDEOS on Toning for Peace


History of Toning

Toning for Peace Q & A Series

Toning for Peace at the Light Center

CD’s on Vocal Toning

Dielle’s Free MP3 Toning Library

Vocal Toning Meditation Level I: Foundations CD’s

VTM Level 1

Posted on

Nepal: What Can We Do?

The recent Nepal earthquake is a heavy tragedy that will be affecting many lives more years to come. As a witness to the devastation, it can feel overwhelming. What can we possibly do to help all of our suffering brothers and sisters. By all means, donate to your respected and trusted charity. But please don’t stop there. The people in the region need our prayers and ongoing energetic support. Both those that have passed and those that must live on through the catastrophe can be served with the energy of our love and compassion. Please join me in reciting OM MATRE MUYE SALE DU for the souls who have already and are now transitioning.

matri

Here is a beautiful plea from Chongtul Rinpoche of Bon Shen Ling asking for the recitation of two mantras, including MATRE,  that you can start today. There is also a link for monetary donations.

Thank you.

Posted on

Hum for Health

highres YTV pinwheelWe all want to stay healthy and happy all year-long, of course. Here’s a great article with some tips for staying healthy this winter. Toning for Peace finds #14 exceptionally interesting!! And you can do it all year-long…

It’s all about the hum! “Humming has been shown to increase nitric oxide in the nose, which is antimicrobial,” says Dr. Payne. To read the full article and item 14:

http://www.today.com/health/26-ways-avoid-getting-sick-winter-1D80290214?google_editors_picks=true

Posted on

Har! Sound of the Universe

pinwheelYogi Bhajan, responsible for bringing Kundalini Yoga to the West, taught a very powerful meditation using the syllable of “HAR”. I’d like to share it with you.

  • First put your hands together in front of you, back to back like a reverse “Namaste” or prayer pose. But then let them relax and curl in toward your heart as if pointing to yourself with both hands, thumbs extended upward. They should be at the level of your sternum.
  • You may close your eyes or keep them gently focused on the tip of your nose.
  • Now begin to repeat the sound HAR over and over (it should almost sound like “HUD” as you roll the final R) and feel the sound through the fingertips as the chest moves with the sound.

Resound this sound in the heart cage and reap the benefits as Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and Mercury, represented by each of your fingers, come into balance while your thumb–ego–remains out of the picture!

After chanting aloud, you may then chant in a whisper transitioning into toning inwardly, in silence, before returning once more to toning aloud. Try this for three minutes working your up to eleven minutes or more and see how you feel.

  • Toward the end, stretch your arms over head and spread your fingers wide while continuing to resound the sound of HAR. Stretch your arms and spine to equalize and distribute the energy for about 30 seconds.
  • Bring your arms down, and form a double-handed fist at your heart. Inhale, hold the breath, and press your hands into your heart. Hold. Release.
  • Now bring your fist to your navel. Breath in. Press as hard as you can. Hold. Release.
  • Finally, bring your arms close to your body, your fists at armpit level. Breath in. Squeeze your arms into your sides and your fists tightly as you hold. And release.

Yogi Bhajan taught that resounding the sound of HAR in the chest cage in this way is one of 6 sounds that can give one the power of the Universe. It will kill the unwanted self. Enjoy!

Posted on

Is It Just Me or Is It Noisy in Here?

tingsLast month, I had the privilege of taking my mother to the doctor’s office. It was a stressful affair for me, and likely for my mother as well, though she acted as if it was nothing. We entered the lobby, sat down to fill out the paperwork, turned it in, and then sat back down and waited to be called. The wait gave me the opportunity to tune into the music (though in this case, I use that term very, very loosely) that was being piped through snap, crackle and pop speakers.

As Michael Jackson hissed an unintelligible lyric, I looked around me. Was anyone else hearing this? Was anyone else extremely irritated? I looked at the young man across from us. He was texting on his phone. I looked at a more mature man next to him. He was reading a magazine. I looked to my right. An Asian man was also looking through a magazine. I looked at my mother and then to the women working behind the desk.

Did no one realize that they were listening to nothing more than disruptive static? Were all oblivious to the impact this noise was having on their bodies, minds and spirits? Did the whole purpose of music in the first place completely elude them?

I blinked incredulously and squirmed in my seat. I could no longer hold it in! Well, okay, I didn’t quite make the scream that I felt rising up from my belly. Instead, I got curious.

“Excuse me, but is anybody enjoying this music?”

The Asian on my right shook his head, “I’d rather have silence.”

Oh, amen, brother! Me too!

Then to the older man across from me. “And you?” I asked.

“It doesn’t bother me. You must not have a 17-year-old at home,” he joked.

And from the young man on his phone, I got merely a silent shrug that said, “Who gives a crap?”

Well, I give a crap! I give a crap that music, the most powerful healing tool on the face of the planet is abused and misused and treated with irreverence and ignorance every day in restaurants, waiting rooms, airports, stores, and everywhere humans hang out.

This was a doctor’s office…a place of supposed healing! Why wasn’t there relaxing and healing music being played over a sound system that could deliver? And why, dear God, why, was there any noise at all when there could have been blissful silence?

There is a total lack of consciousness going on around sound in our environments. And it really, really creeps me out! You know what happened in this doctor’s office? Once I mentioned it, someone tuned the dial and voila, it was still an awful choice of music for a medical space but at least it was actually music as intended.

Had I not said anything, would it have gone on like that all day long…week after week?

Numerous times, I’ve been in a waiting room with some CNN or other news show yammering on and on. I walk up and turn the damn thing off. No one has ever complained yet. In fact, they often thank me.

So here’s my plea. I know I am talking to people (preaching to the choir, so to speak) who understand the importance of this. If you find yourself in an environment where the music is too loud, or there are too many sources of noise, or something isn’t right with the sound system, or the ambient noise is totally out of balance, please please please bring it to someone’s attention. Help them to hear what they just cannot perceive until someone of more sensitivity points it out.

We need to create a world of harmony and balance, and frankly, it seems people are becoming less and less sensitive to a constant and increasing barrage of noise.

I thank you!

Posted on

On Overdrive? Try This.

pinwheelAre you all feeling the amping of energies lately just as I am? Astrologically, we are in very interesting times. Time itself seems to be speeding up, information (and misinformation) is a constant onslaught, and change is not only imminent but mandatory. We’re all being asked to up our game. If we don’t take time out to empty and find our way back to neutral, we’re going to have a harder and harder time keeping up.

Toning is such a great way to clear your mind, body, and spirit of all the brouhaha. Even if you practice the following technique just minutes a day, you’ll feel the impact.

This particular exercise is adapted from one I learned from my mentor, Dr. Gene Nathan. It consists of three sounds and three centers:

SOUND                               CENTER
Ah                                            heart
Om                                          dan tien (or lower belly)
Shh                                          forehead

Begin by placing your hands on your heart. Tone the sound ‘Ah’ aloud on any comfortable pitch. Do this three times. Then move your hands to your dan tien. Here you will tone the sound ‘Om” with an emphasis on the ‘mmm’. Do this at a lower pitch than the ‘ah’. Finally, place your hands on your forehead. Here, you sound a ‘Shh’. Repeat this cycle, three times at each center, for at least three cycles.

After each tone, notice how your energy is shifting. Take your time. Notice especially the connection that occurs between each center, each helping to reinforce and strengthen the others. And notice how the ‘shh’ quiets the rattled mind. Enjoy!

Posted on

Vocal Toning Exercise: Spring Cleaning!

pinwheelAbout this time of year, many minds turn to the practice of spring cleaning, clearing out the closets, dusting in all the nooks and crannies of a home, and making things sparkle!

Why not do the same inside? Our bodies and minds could use a good cleansing after this rather challenging winter, don’t you think?

Winter is typically a time of reflection and hibernation. We’ve taken inventory and hopefully come to a clearer understanding of what is worth keeping and what has to go. Now, tiny buds emerge and new colors pop into our awareness as we prepare for the re-emerging of dormant life.

Vocal toning is a perfect tool for clearing out and making space for what wants to emerge from within you. So set aside 10, 15, or even 30 minutes, go outside into the sun, and have some toning fun. Choose a vowel with a vibration that resonates for you with the sweeping out of dust and debris of the winter. Maybe for one person that is “SHHH” sound. Maybe for another, it’s an “EH”. Give the byproducts of your toning to the earth for recycling; she knows what to do with it.

When that process feels complete, tone for the joy of Spring! You can tone to a tree you encounter on a walk, tone to the little bulb sprouts popping their heads into the day, or simply breath in this fresh promise of spring and exhale an “AH!”

Enjoy!

 

Posted on

Quantum K Healing Experience

pinwheelI know somewhere along my blogging journey I have shared the work of Andrew Kemp, creator of the Quantum K Healing Experience. I want to share it again for anyone who may have missed it. And even though he has withdrawn his Quantum K-2 in order to perfect it, the video is still available, and I find it quite powerful as it stands.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7iLX14ua6k&w=420&h=315]

You will find many translations available on both his Vimeo page and on Youtube, so share this healing experience with your friends around the world.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUKLVt2Ikgg&w=420&h=315]

XO

Posted on

Happy New Beginnings

pinwheelAs you’ve probably heard, this New Year’s Day is punctuated with helpful astrological forces including a New Moon to catapult us beyond the habits of the past and into the terrain of fresh, clean starts.

Give yourself some time and space today to meditate on the following:

Your Keyword for 2014: This is a word (or words) that will be your guiding light throughout the year. The energy of this channel will color everything you experience, so choose wisely. Life will provide what you need to clear the channel, make it stronger, and express it in your daily life. Last year my keyword was “Alignment” and this year it is the phrase “Be in Love.”

6-12 Statements of Intent: These aren’t resolutions or problems to be fixed. These are things aligned with your heart’s desire to be made manifest in 2014. You may want to start them with “This is the year…” and keep the statements somewhat general. It is such a thrill at the end of a year to review these statement and see how Life responded. Indeed, from my list of 12 statements last year, 10 of them were fully realized and the remaining 2 are still works in progress. Amazing! For example, for 2013, I wrote:

This is the year I discover the reflection of love. Someone, or someones, love me for who I am and just as I am.

In April, I met my now husband. My statement was not about finding a partner. It was very open to any reflection of love. And meeting my husband was not the only way this statement manifested either; it came through in other ways as well. So don’t write yourself into a box.

Once you have your keyword and several statements of intent, write them in a journal or on the computer…somewhere safe where you can refer back to them at six months and again at the end of the year. You can always add or change things at any time.

With your words committed to paper, close your eyes and go into your heart. Allow the sound of “AH” to resonate internally…building slowly in intensity until it arises forth from your voice. Allow the sound of “AH” to saturate your words, enfolding each one in perfect love and wisdom.

Breathe and bless yourself.

Happy New Beginnings!

Posted on

Quieting the Mind

pinwheelThe majority of us spend a lot of time in our minds. Even having spent years silencing the mind through meditation, the function of the mind never really goes away. It may get quieter, and we may have better control over our thoughts, but it is a very rare individual who can live the majority of their lives in that quiet state.

Working with the mental body can train it so that it takes up less and less of our energy and instead becomes a source of it. The Toltec liken it to the mind becoming our ally instead of our enemy. Meditation in general is the best practice for training the mind. Vocal Toning Meditation, through the use of sound, makes it easier for many people to quiet the mind.

Try this.

First, sit in meditative silence for five minutes.  You can be in any posture that is comfortable for you. Pay attention to how you feel, what thoughts are drifting through, whether or not you find them easy to release or not, etc. Focus on stilling the mind.

Then shift. Sit for an additional five minutes, but as you do so, tone the sound UNG. It is a nasal tone that resonates in the head. As you do this, pay attention to the energy of the sound, the space of silence between as you inhale, and how your mind and body are responding.

Now stop. Breathe. Notice any thoughts. What has shifted? How did sitting in silence compare to sitting with the tone of UNG?

Posted on

Avatar “OM” Circle

  • pinwheelI was inspired after watching the movie Avatar for the second time recently to try something new in my toning group today. It was an experiment that went quite well, so I thought I’d share it with you.

In the movie, there is a scene when the tribal people are offering a healing to the dying scientist. In the scene, they are sitting cross legged in circles around this magical tree, each person with his or her arms around the shoulders of the neighbor to the right and left. They are swaying back and forth in unison while singing a sacred healing chant.

I adapted this moving idea for Toning for Peace. At the Light Center in Black Mountain, the geodesic dome has a vortex right in its center. So we made a circle around that sitting cross legged on the floor. We discussed out intent…what it was we wanted to create or evoke with our sounding. We sat close enough together so as to put our arms around one another’s shoulders. Some folks weren’t physically comfortable with this, so they had the option to place their hands on the neighbor’s knees instead. Obviously, this wasn’t meant to be an exercise in discomfort!

We then practiced moving in a circle with the energy flowing first left to right and then right to left. We waited to sense the natural shifting of the energy currents.

Once we felt ready, we closed our eyes, focused on our intent to celebrate love and balance, and began to OM. I had spoken earlier about how to OM, that one should give equal time to the O and the M. I also mentioned that it didn’t have to be one long, sustained OM but could be a pulsing series of short OMs.

The exercise was beautifully meditative; the combination of movement, touch or connection, and sound was powerful. It unified the group in a magical way quite quickly.

One person did suggest afterward that it be done standing up. I’m sure this would have been fine too and more comfortable for certain folks. So, as always, be flexible with how toning practices are done. Honor the body, not the idea.

Do you have a toning idea to share?

Posted on

Voice Play: Treat for the Inner Child

pinwheelFor a child, being free with the voice is a natural thing. We animate our dolls and trucks. We laugh and make sounds freely. As we get older, it is no longer okay to make strange, silly sounds. We have to be serious. When things do escape our lips, others look at us like we have two heads (unless we have the privilege of playing with children and hiding behind such an excuse). But play is a means to freeing our voice and our creativity. It shouldn’t stop altogether or change just because we reach a certain age.

Here is an fun exercise in voice play I’ve often used in Toning groups and a great party game.

Think of a phrase and say it with the group. For example, “I love chicken feathers in my soup.” The sillier the better!

  • Repeat the phrase aloud normally.
  • Now say it in different ways. Try whispering it like it is a very big secret you don’t want others to hear…or maybe a secret you really do want others to hear. Notice any difference?
  • Now yell it at the top of your lungs. What does that feel like?
  • Say it in a very deep voice. Come on ladies; you can do it!
  • Say it in a very high voice. Gentlemen, it’s only a game!
  • Say it as fast as you can. Oh, come on! Faster!
  • Say it both high and fast, like you’ve just inhaled helium.
  • Now say it high and very slow, like you’re slowly emptying of helium. What are you feeling?
  • Say it low and fast, like a tribal cartoon character.
  • Now say it low and very slow, like a broken tape-recorder. Having fun?

If you tried this alone, good for you! Your inner child is now glowing. If you tried this with friends, even better for you! Nothing like laughing your head off with people you love!

 

Posted on

500 Words of Wisdom Shared on Inspire Me Today!

Dielle is honored today (4/30/13) to share the 10 Gates of Sound as the featured luminary on Inspire Me Today!

imt

I’m so excited to share some great news with you. On April 30th, 2013 I will be the featured Inspirational Luminary on InspireMeToday.com, sharing my wisdom of sound and voice with the world. This FREE website is one to bookmark!

Inspire Me Today features the inspiration of a new Luminary every day. You can start your day with the wisdom of Sir Richard Branson, Guy Laliberte, Seth Godin, Neale Donald Walsch, Marci Shimoff, or one of hundreds more, now including me. I’m so honored to be with such esteemed company!

To help you stay inspired, you can sign up to receive this 3 minute pick-me-up each day by email, by RSS feed or in an iPhone app. You can even subscribe to it on Google Currents!

Please visit the site on April 30th, 2013 and help me inspire the world. If my traffic and comments break records, InspireMeToday.com will share my content with millions of additional people too! I hope you’ll check it out, leave a comment and share it with your friends.

From the folks at Inspire Me Today and from me, thank you in advance for your kind support. I know you’re going to love InspireMeToday.com! Together we really can inspire the world.

Be inspired,

Dielle

Posted on

The Great Awakening

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from a philosopher named Herbert Whone who wrote: “Humanity has been enchanted–sung to sleep. In the depths of that condition, we are given the capacity to make our own sound, which is in effect a means of escape, a way of breaking the spell.”

This quote reminds me what the true purpose of vocal toning is. It is a means of awakening from the influence of the dream. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, just as we are about to approach the Emerald City of Enlightenment, we fall under the spell of sleep in a field of poppies…two steps from the door. The practice of toning is our alarm clock. It reminds us the shake off the effect of our complacency and do the inner work. It reminds us that the path is strewn with temptations and obstacles and fears, so by all means, hum a tune. It reminds us that we have within us the capacity to take those two extra steps despite our need for comfort and familiarity. Toning gives us the smarts, the heart, and the courage to keep going.

So the next time you feel yourself getting pulled under, take just a few moments to literally “tune” in. Consider the illusion you are being asked to buy into and choose to remain awake. Use your voice like a shield and create a vibratory field of protection around yourself using an OM, AH, OO, EE, or whatever feels right to you. “You’re out of the woods, you’re out of the dark, you’re out of the night….”