I recently returned from a quick trip to California for a mother-daughter/mother-son escape. The purpose was to finally meet the mother of my daughter’s boyfriend in person. But knowing I was going to be visiting places ideal for meditation, I brought along some of my alchemy crystal bowls to sneak in some sound baths.
The trip started with meeting my daughter, Marissa, in LA, where she lives. I did a private sound bath session for her and one of her friends, her boyfriend Matt, and his mom – an ice breaker – then when Marissa went out for the evening to a friend’s birthday celebration, I got to play the part of the participant rather than the practitioner.
It just so happened that one of my mentors from whom I purchased my bowls, Shehera Barnes, who is based in Beverly Hills, was doing a full-moon sound bath. I couldn’t believe we were going to actually meet in person! It was like the universe set me up for reflection, release, and intention setting – definitely a fabulous kickoff to this Cali trip.
My daughter loves the Hot Springs area and her boyfriend is a fan of rock climbing at Joshua Tree, so we planned our get-to-know-you-getaway in the area of these locales. After learning about Two Bunch Palms, an historic, contemporary wellness hotel and retreat and hot springs located in Desert Hot Springs that is just 45-minutes from Joshua Tree, we decided this would be an ideal place to plant ourselves for a few days. And did we choose right!
During our stay at this incredible facility, I meditated every day and took part in another sound bath, as well as vinyasa yoga and energy healing. I participated in a mindfulness meditation class where the practitioner focused on “noticing”, which I found to be quite inspiring. If you’re silent and still, you can notice the sounds around you. During one of my silent meditation sessions under the sun, I listened intently to the sounds filling the air. My “noticing” involved a bit of an illusion – to me the wind blowing through the trees sounded like the waves in an ocean. It is amazing to see what happens when you let yourself truly be in the moment and pay attention to your surroundings.
Exploring outside of the hotel led us to amazing sights that were not only stunning but also spiritual spots for meditation. Being among nature, the rocks, cactus, and hot springs I just had to break out my bowls! I can’t express the overwhelming feeling of calm that enveloped us as the sounds spread through the stillness. And we capped off the trip with an evening sound bath as my daughter and her boyfriend bathed in water from the hot springs themselves. I was so happy to not only be introduced to the mother of my daughter’s boyfriend, but to also introduce her to the meditative benefits of sound baths in some spectacular natural environments. This getaway was the perfect blend of family, friends, practitioner, and participant.
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