3rd Grade Singing Humiliation!

In my Singing For Health class yesterday I had each student sing a solo line, then had the whole class do an appropriate exercise that would address the vocal challenge the student was having.  After class a woman came up to me and said that she had had a humiliating experience at the hand's of her 3RD GRADE choir teacher, and had never sung again until yesterday.  Unbelievable how long we carry these old hurts that hold us back from enjoying life fully!

Response from Eve Kodiak, Lydian Center

I got a nice response from Eve Kodiak at the Lydian Center in Cambridge, MA regarding sound waves moving through CSF. Here it is:

Hello, Beth,
> You asked me to elaborate on the process of sound waves set up by
> tuning forks that move through the CSF. Basically, it's sympathetic
> vibration. As a musician, you know that you can sing a certain note and
> get the piano strings vibrating all by themselves, if the damper pedal
> is up. The very pure tones of the tuning forks set off sympathetic
> vibrations in the physical structure of the body itself, and the
> coherence and force of the wave pattern can kind of "smooth out"
> disorganized connective tissue.
> The effect is very relaxing. I personally use a set of tuning forks
> based on the Pythagorean tuning system. They are tuned to the circle of
> fifths, and I use them in pairs, one at each ear. I work completely
> through the hearing mechanism, I do not place tuning forks on the body.
> I purchased my forks through The School For Inner Sound, and took a
> training course with them. I use the forks primarily as an adjunct to
> my work as a Brain Gym Consultant and craniosacral therapist. I find
> that the forks enhance and integrate the other modalities very nicely.
> I hope that this answers your inquiry.
> be well!
> Eve Kodiak

Tuning Forks and Brain Function

I believe that sound and vibration are powerful forces for healing. I wish there were more studies done to support this field, but alas, I don't believe you can patent the use of a tuning fork, so no huge pharmaceuticals will be racing to do medical trials.

Recently, I read the following claim and wonder how this actually works. The practitioner using the tuning forks in perfect 5ths said:

"the frequencies can actually move cranial bones, by setting up wave forms that move through the cerebrospinal fluid and release blocks in connective tissue"

My question would be, 'do the waveforms affect the brain, which in turn sends nerve signals to release the connective tissue blocks?' Maybe I'll address this directly with the Practitioner, and report on it in my next blog.

Gardening for Health

Being an avid gardner who loves creating beauty and working with the natural cycles of the seasons I've become personally aware of the beneficial effect of working in the garden. Just as singing is its own type of therapy, gardening, or horticultural therapy is now being recognized as a natural route to health and wellness. Here's some info I found interesting:

The field of horticultural therapy studies the effects plants have on people. This includes everything from enhancing mood by having a single plant in a room to a recent study by British researchers who found that good bacteria in soil may affect the brain in ways similar to antidepressants.

Dr. Richard Mattson, professor of horticultural therapy at Kansas State University, said scientific advances have allowed researchers to measure the body's response to stimuli and pinpoint what happens when people are exposed to plants.

"We're finding that there are changes that happen when we are in the presence of plants," he said. "The brain is working, the autonomic nervous system is involved. We're also finding that some of these changes are affecting our immune system."

One study found that within 40 minutes of gardening, there were changes in the chemicals in saliva that affect the immune system, Mattson said. Another study measured blood pressure and heart rate as people entered and then left a botanical garden. Both rates decreased, which was especially notable given they walked through the garden, an exercise that normally would have increased blood pressure and heart rate.
"I think the evidence is pretty strong that healthwise, there are changes affecting our perception of the environment, the way our minds looks at objects, affecting our sensory system - these are translated into things that make us healthier," Mattson said.