When, where and how to use your chakra chime

Chakra Chimes are used all over the world by yoga teachers, body workers, sound healers and meditation groups as well as by individuals dedicated to their own practice. They have been used in recordings by New Age musicians Jonathan Goldman and Stephen Halpern.

The instruments are very helpful as a way to start or end a meditation, as a grounding tool at the end of a massage treatment, or as a gentle way to bring students back after Shava-asana in yoga class.

You can use the chimes as an alternative to sage smoke, to clear your body or your physical space from negative energies. It is a wonderful tool to use for transitions, to sound it when coming home from work in order to be fully present for your evening, or to use the sounds before going to sleep to cleanse your mind of thoughts in order to have a calmer sleep and dream time. Some people have the Chimes in a central part of their homes, and make sure to strike them whenever they walk by as a gentle reminder to stay centered and grounded.

Here are some useful exercises which will help you explore the possibilities with your chakra chime

Position of notes on the chime, and the quality of the corresponding chakra:

§                 8 = C: aura, connection to higher levels

§                 7 = B: crown, divine wisdom

§                 6 = A: third eye, intuition

§                 5 = G: throat, creativity and communication

§                 4 = F: heart, love and compassion

§                 3 = E: solar plexus, personal power

§                 2 = D: sacral, sexuality

§                 1 = C: root, grounding

Exploring harmony:

In western music a chord is created when three or more notes are played at the same time. You may wish to explore the chakra correspondences.

Experiment with these chords or create your own:

§                 C-E-G = 1, 3 ,5

§                 C-F-G = 1, 4, 5

§                 C-D-G = 1, 2, 5

§                 C-F-G-B = 1, 4, 5, 7

§                 C-E-G-C = 1, 3, 5, 8

§                 C-E-G-B = 1, 3, 5, 7

§                 C-E-G-A = 1, 3, 5, 6

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French sound healer Fabien Maman, in his book “The Role of Music in the Twenty-First Century”, suggests that the following scales carry a ‘summer tuning’. Try sounding and chanting these scales or create your own:

§                 C, D, E, G, A, C - Ascending

          (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8)

§                 C, B, G, F, D, C - Descending

          (8, 7, 5, 4, 2, 1)

Maman also suggests that the different notes resonate with the different glands in the body:

§                 C (1) - adrenals

§                 F (4) - gonads

§                 B (7) - pineal

§                 D (2) - thymus

§                 G (5) - pancreas

§                 E (3) - pituitary

§                 A (6) - thyroid

Dampen the first note before playing the second one and so on, to stop the notes from ringing simultaneously.

No.

Note

Position

Exercise

1

C-G

1, 5

Play the C-G interval (3:2 ratio), called the perfect fifth. This interval is considered sacred in many cultures and can be an energy booster. Repeat three times allowing the sound waves to travel through your body and consciousness.

2

C-E

1, 3

Play the C-E interval. This interval is thought to engage the emotions and has a calming effect.

3

Tuning up the chakra's:

An interval is the distance between two tones, and each interval has a different energetic quality.

For the Pythagorean tuning to be experienced most effectively, play the bottom note “C” and then add one of the upper seven notes for harmony. Let the resonance of each interval taper off before you start the next interval.

Examples:

§                 For the root chakra strike the bottom C.

§                 For the solar plexus strike C (1st) followed by E (3rd).

For amplified results, use your own voice and make a deep sound in harmony with the chime, as stated below.

Note

Position

Chakra name

Quality

Vocal sound

C

1

Root

Grounding -- with emphasis on the relations between you and the "tribe", or society in general

UHH

D

2

Sacral

Personal relations - often with emphasis on sexuality

OOO

E

3

Solar Plexus

Personal power

OHH

F

4

Heart

Love/Compassion

AHH

G

5

Throat

Creativity -- often with emphasis on communication

EYE

A

6

Third eye

Intuition

AYE

B

7

Crown

Divine (or spiritual) wisdom

EEE

C

8

Soul Star, Aura
or LightBody

Connection to higher spiritual planes

OHM

4

Note

Position

Exercise

C-D

1, 2

Play the C-D interval which is considered a dissonance. This creates a certain amount of tension. The dissonance can be a useful tool in healing work, where a dissonance can match the person’s initial level of agitation.

C-E

1, 3

A shift can then occur by playing C-E or C-G to elevate a state of agitation, to one of harmony.

C-G

1, 5

5

C-B

1, 7

Play the C-B interval, also considered a dissonance.

C-C

1, 8

After playing C-B for a while, move to C-C (1st and 8th). This is especially helpful when feeling lethargic and re-energising.

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Enjoy your exploration!