Tuning Into Stillness: A Journey into Sound Healing

In the quiet between tasks—between the buzz of emails and the clink of coffee mugs—I found myself craving a deeper kind of stillness. Not just the absence of sound, but a presence of peace. That’s what led me to sound healing: a journey that began with curiosity and unfolded into certification, crystal bowls, and a renewed relationship with my own breath. Now, whether I’m listening to meditative playlists or creating tones myself, I’ve discovered how frequency can soothe a scattered mind and make space for mindfulness. It’s not magic, but it feels close.

A Restless World

The world doesn’t stop—not for stillness, not for reflection. We wake to alerts, scroll through headlines over coffee, and rush through the day chasing both purpose and productivity. In the noise of it all, the mind rarely gets a moment to exhale. We tell ourselves rest will come later, once the inbox is empty or the checklist is complete. But stillness isn’t something we stumble upon. It’s something we create—with intention, with practice, and sometimes, with sound.

Discovering Sound Healing

It started quietly—ironically, amidst the noise. A passing mention in a podcast, a crystal bowl’s resonance tucked into the background of a yoga video, a feeling that tugged at something deeper. I didn’t know then that those sounds would soon become a form of medicine for my mind. As I leaned in and learned more, I followed the threads to a sound healing certification course. What I expected to be informative turned out to be transformative. There was something empowering about understanding how specific frequencies affect brainwave states—how sound can move you from scattered to centered without demanding effort, only presence.

Now, whether I’m listening to curated playlists or creating tones myself, I find that each note offers a subtle invitation: to return to my breath, to be fully here, to soften. In learning to create sound, I began hearing my own inner stillness more clearly.

How It Works

At its core, sound healing with crystal bowls is a conversation—between vibration and body, between frequency and awareness. Each bowl is tuned to a specific note, often aligned with energy centers in the body, though you don’t need to know chakra charts to feel the effects. You just listen. Or rather, you let the sound reach you.

The tones are long and resonant, like echoes that linger in the air and settle somewhere inside you. They don’t ask for attention the way words or music lyrics do. Instead, they invite stillness—gently guiding your brain toward slower frequencies, the ones linked to deep relaxation, meditation, even sleep.

It’s not about being “good at it.” You don’t need a practice space, candles, or rituals (though all are welcome). You only need a willingness to pause. That’s what makes this so accessible: healing sound meets you where you are—in your living room, your headphones, your breath.

What I’ve Noticed

The shift wasn’t dramatic. It was subtle—like realizing you’re no longer clenching your jaw, or that the mental static has softened to silence. At first, I’d listen before bed, unsure if anything was happening. But over time, I noticed the space between thoughts widening. Sleep came easier. My mind, usually darting from one idea to the next, began to settle with less resistance.

What surprised me most was the change in my ability to focus. Not in a hyper-productive way, but in a steady, anchored way. Sound became a kind of scaffolding for mindfulness—supportive, but never intrusive. And when I create the tones myself, it deepens the connection. There’s something powerful in holding a bowl and feeling both the vibration and the stillness it creates.

These moments are short, imperfect, and sometimes fleeting—but they’re mine. And they remind me that calm isn’t a distant destination. It’s a frequency I can tune into, whenever I choose to listen.

An Invitation to Try

If you’ve ever longed for quiet—not just outside, but within—you’re not alone. We all carry the weight of busyness, the hum of a mind that won’t rest. But there are doorways to stillness we haven’t all walked through yet. Sound healing might be one of them.

Start small. Search for a crystal bowl playlist. Sit with it for five minutes. Let the tones fill the room, or just your headphones. See how your breath responds. There’s no right way, no goal to reach—just a moment to return to yourself.

Stillness may not be loud or obvious, but it’s always waiting beneath the surface. All you have to do is listen.

Why Taking Breaks Makes You a Better Leader

Introduction: The Moment I Realized I Needed a Change

There was a time when my calendar looked like a game of Tetris—every hour crammed with meetings, decisions, and urgent tasks. I was constantly in motion, responding to requests, putting out fires, and squeezing productivity into every available minute. But one day, I found myself staring at my screen, overwhelmed and mentally exhausted. I realized I wasn’t leading—I was reacting.

That’s when I made a simple yet powerful decision: I started blocking time in my calendar just for me. No meetings, no emails, no last-minute requests. Just space to think, strategize, and breathe. What happened next surprised me.

Why Pausing Matters in Leadership

By carving out intentional breaks in my schedule, I saw a profound shift in my effectiveness:

  • Sharper Decision-Making – Instead of rushing through choices, I had time to analyze and make thoughtful, strategic moves.
  • Emotional Resilience – With space to process challenges, I responded with clarity rather than reacting impulsively.
  • Better Preparation – Having uninterrupted time to think meant I entered meetings confident, informed, and ready to lead.
  • Greater Presence – Without back-to-back overload, I showed up more engaged and fully present with my team.

What once felt like a luxury—pausing—became the very thing that made me a stronger leader.

Practical Ways to Integrate the Power of Pause

If you’re feeling caught in the cycle of constant motion, here are simple ways to create meaningful pauses:

  • Calendar Blocking: Treat your personal thinking time as a non-negotiable meeting with yourself.
  • Micro-Pauses: Even a five-minute breathing break between calls can reset your energy.
  • Reflection Rituals: End your week with a moment to assess what worked and what needs adjustment.
  • Encouraging Team Balance: Lead by example—help your team embrace pauses for better collaboration and creativity.

Closing Thoughts: The Pause That Changed Everything

What started as an experiment became a game-changer in how I lead, work, and show up for others. Taking intentional pauses didn’t slow me down—it made me more effective, present, and prepared for the moments that matter most.

So, where can you create space for yourself this week? Because sometimes, the most powerful step forward begins with a pause.

Color Your Way to Mental Health: A Simple Guide

Watching the pandemic news, working from home, kids home from school, schedules a mess….who can relate? As a mom, like me, you probably feel the burden of keeping the peace in the house, meal preparation, etc. Keeping the kids balanced as well as your spouse. I’m not sure why we take this on, but it seems instinctual.

In the wake of this corona virus craziness we all need a very simple way to relax and reduce stress. A daily practice of coloring can calm the mind and stay positive. Keep you mentally healthy to focus on what matters.

Coloring has the ability to relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind.

beaumont.org – health benefits of coloring for adults

You don’t have to look far to realize mindful coloring has several benefits. The next are just to name a few benefits according to Alfred James – author of Pocket Mindfulness

  • relieving stress
  • replacing patterns of negative thinking
  • encouraging yourself to be in current moment
  • escaping the rat race
  • building mental strength
  • relaxing and having some fun

And a study noted by Psychology Today’s blog indicates this. After a week of daily practice, it displayed significantly lower levels of anxiety. It also showed a reduction in depressive symptoms.

You need 5 to 15 minutes to just relax the mind. Take more time if you can. Concentrate on the positive. Coloring is so simple. You will find it really helps bring you into the current moment. It gives your mind the break and calm it needs.

An added advantage is the end result can be shared to spread some happiness and positive feelings in others.

If you interested in getting a mindful coloring book, here is a link to get one on Amazon.

A Moment in Nature

Nature keeps us in the moment and allows us to stop thinking about all our other thoughts. Today was no different.

I was thinking of more ways to be in the moment and had memories of taking photos of nature with my husband on our honey moon back in the day. My brother had given us a really nice camera for our wedding present (a camera he wanted to get more use). We gladly accepted it. This was prior to the digital picture age.

I remember how it slid us down a slide of learning everything about the camera options and lighting. We took a lot of photographs together and saw amazing sights. Taking in all the nuances of the scenes outside. We loved getting them developed and going over them and trying to remember which one of us took each photo and why. My husband was way more talented that I at this endeavor, but I loved being in the experience.

So, today I enlisted my daughter to use her digital phone and take pictures for my blog posts. She captured such incredible videos for a previous post, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. She went on a walk for some fresh air and captured the most incredible pictures today. It was raining earlier and she went out in the break of the rain.

What I didn’t realize is how many great shots she would get and how satisfied and relaxed she was when she returned. I thought to myself this would be a good reflection for today. I asked her what her top three things that were calming and mindful to her.

Top three reasons photography is mindful.

  1. Being tune with Nature and finding little nooks of peacefulness.

2. Ignoring any anxieties while focusing on the intricate details of the photo.

3. Focusing on this very moment and beauty of the shot without distraction.

When she returned and we were going over the photographs, and she was explaining her experiences, it really brought me back to how photography can be so calming and stimulate a mindful connection to nature and the people you share the photos with. I’m going to have to go with her next time.

This one is particularly fun, because there is a fly photo bombing in the flower. Can you find it?

Free Your Mind

I love the idea that focus and intention can free your mind to true happiness.

“The path is to free your mind, become more focused, bring yourself into a proactive, calm and positive state of mind.”

https://humanperformancepsychology.com/2020/02/21/from-outside-your-comfort-zone-and-into-the-zone/

Validation for me that having more focus is crucial to the journey of development and growth in life. Why do we lose focus and what does it take to regain it. From what I’m learning, it’s our fears that creep in that allow us to get in a comfort zone. We may not even realize we have fears or what they are. This comfort zone creates the willingness to allow attentions to be divided. Being proactive and deciding to face the fears, or even just figure them out along the way can create the path for greater quality of life.

The article makes reference to Flow. The book “Flow” by Csikszentmihalyi.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness and greatly improve the quality of our lives.

Csikszentmihalyi now has a newer book called “Finding Flow: The Psychology of engagement with everyday life.” I have just ordered it on audible credits.

Who doesn’t want to free your mind to true happiness?

When I’ve completed the book I will post a follow up. For now, have a great day.

Improve Focus

What to get out of this post: 3 mindful activities that can help increase the ability to focus. They have equal benefit for men, women, and children.

  1. Coloring
  2. Walking
  3. Connecting with Nature

Coloring

I find the coloring is pretty easy and good way to practice a laser focus on the ‘here and now’. You want to be intentional about the activity. Meaning, set a time and a find a place you are undisturbed…keep your attention to the coloring and when your mind drifts off (which it will) redirect it back to the physical act of coloring, choosing colors, the texture of the paper, the pens or pencils, the sounds, etc.

Walking

I used to walk and just let my thoughts wander and go from thought to thought, I would work out problems to solve or plan things I needed to do that day. Which is valuable, but the practice of mindfulness walking that trains the mind for focus is a bit different. It is an activity of intention and discipline to stay focused. Each step having intention and observance of the action, and feeling every motion and interaction with the feet to the ground.

The following information is a good to start: A guided ten minute walking meditation by MrsMindfulness. She also posted a soundcloud guided meditation.

I really like the following quote from the guided walking meditation.

“…Aiming to put aside any mental commentary, labeling or judging about what you see, and instead just being present with what is here to be seen…”

https://mrsmindfulness.com/guided-walking-meditation/

Connecting with Nature

Connecting with nature can be done in multiple ways and I’m only scratching the surface here. One way is to observe nature and really focus on the details of what you see. When other thoughts interrupt, use the study to refocus on the nature you are observing. Think about the texture, the smells, the movement, colors, etc.

I started adding pictures and videos of nature on the lifeinspiredreflections instagram account. It’s been really fun to work with my daughter to capture these and post them. We will continue to post more. Here is one of a flower.

Another way to use nature for practicing mindfulness is picturing in your mind of something in nature you’ve seen before. Sit without distraction and close your eyes and visualize every detail…try to rebuild the image in you mind. Even better describe it to someone else with you. It’s harder than you think and does take some practice.

There are several more out there related to nature. The main thing I’m getting out of these is the practice of keeping the mind focused. I find distraction in almost every corner these days and I used to be very intentional with my focus. I am working to get that back and attempt to make it a subconscious skill again.

Thank you for reading…stay tuned for more ways to practice in simplistic ways. Please comment or email easy ways you’ve practiced mindfulness.

Coloring with Intention

I’ve never really been much of an artist myself, but I’ve always been an admirer and supporter of art and artists. I find observing art and thinking about what it took to create it very meaningful to me. I can really dive into related memories and observations that the art provokes. I am so blessed I have friends and daughters that have the gift of art and appreciation for it. I have even been thinking of experimenting with simple art myself.

Recently, as I got a starbucks and perused target while looking through the book isle, I ran across some coloring books for positive thinking. Considering my desire to do some simple art, I wondered if coloring would help me be more mindful. Post I’ve read recently even claim coloring can create a meditative state. They claim you don’t even really need to think about it, the calmness will come naturally with the activity.

I brought my book home and sat it on the coffee table. Thinking this will be relaxing and enable me to share my experience as well. After walking past it a couple days, I ordered some cheap markers and anxiously awaited their arrival from amazon. They arrived the next day.

The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.

– Thich nhat hanh

I collected up markers and my book and tore out the first page. I highly advise if you try this to get the perforated paged books. It’s much easier to color them independent of the book itself. I found a comfortable spot on the couch and started in on my adventure.

I immediately noticed, as I opened the markers, that I was very much in the present moment trying to decide what colors to use. I started with a lite pink marker. As I picked it up I realized I had not used a felt marker in a long time and it was very lite in my hand as I started to fill in the first shape.

I started to notice how quiet it was in the room and my breathing was relaxed as I chose each shape to be pink. I didn’t pre choose a color pallet, but that may have made it even easier on me during the activity. Each time I chose a new color, I just spread that color out across the pattern. I was listening to the marker sweep across each stroke to fill in the shapes. I was coloring very contently for about 15 minutes.

At the 15 minute mark I did find that my mind was trying to pull me away from the present. I was determined to stay with my intention of coloring a single page. I stayed focused to finish the outside pattern for about 5 more minutes for a total of 20 minutes. But my page was only half completed before I needed to start some food preparation and dog needed let out.

Lucky for me, my daughter came walking into the room right as I was wrapping up. I showed her what I was doing and asked her if she wanted to try it. She finished the middle section for me in a beautiful pattern of colors which is now my profile picture of an owl with flowers around it.

So, I do think this is worth the practice. I noticed that it does help you to be more aware of the present even after the activity. I will see if my patience improves with practice. I have a whole book to color now. I have posted some of the resources I used to find information and more examples of this activity.

Resources

These resources have information about how to do this activity and also lots of free resources for coloring pages to print as well as some Amazon links.