In Turbulent Times, Let Us Sing More Cheerful Songs!

Thanks to inclement weather, my recent retreat in Hawaii did not go quite as I expected. (Read about it in my latest newsletter.) Nonetheless, I left the island with a renewed sense of appreciation for the unpredictable rhythm of nature. It was a lesson I thought was complete. 

Little did I know that my plane back to Chicago would be passing over Colorado just after a monster tornado tore through four states. I was in for another turbulent flight!

The tornado of December 11 broke all kinds of records. It’s being called “The Beast” tornado and statistics now show that wind speeds reached 190 mph as it traveled over 250 miles. Debris from the ground was carried as high as 30,000 feet. It essentially acted as a giant vacuum cleaner.  

As I reflect on this natural disaster, it becomes clear to me that the earth is transforming. We see it with the Coronavirus as well; it transforms and transmutes, and as the number of cases skyrocket, our fears increase. Personally, I felt as though I weathered a storm over the holidays, when several family members tested positive for Covid and I was afraid my 87-year-old mother would get sick. 

The question is: as we get tossed about in these turbulent times, how do we stay calm and not get stressed out? 

Just as I did during my bumpy flight, I turn inward and focus on my breath. WhaleBreathing in particular uses the power of rhythmic breathing to create vortexes in our bodies. Breathing this way creates a beautiful purifying life force in our bodies.

Part of the transformation is allowing yourself to be exactly where you are and flow with life. Sometimes, when I need to be reminded of this, I listen to the music of Beethoven. As a deaf person, I’ve always loved his story and his music. His birthday was December 10 so I was already thinking of him when news of the tornado hit. 

Beethoven’s music has all the elements of nature: it’s booming, calming, turbulent, and peaceful. I believe that because of his deafness he was hearing more energetically. He was here to bring something totally unique and transformative into the world.

His Ninth Symphony was his last and contains the famous Ode to Joy. This piece is more spiritual, more complex, because he was bringing it from his inner life. He honored the path he was on and made it beautiful. 

Similarly, when I’m doing WhaleBreathing and allowing myself to open my heart, something transformational happens. There is a beautiful, higher force joining me. I call on the energy of whales and the divine, and that carries me into a higher plane where transformation takes place. 

Music is energy, its own language. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is a powerful piece with many tones and characters. 

In WhaleBreathing, we do something called toning, which is a type of inner music. 

Like classical music, WhaleBreathing is an art. People who experience it often say, “I don’t even know how to explain that but it was so moving.” Just like music. I like to think there is a chorus of angels always on the lookout for open hearts and ears and eyes, so they can share the tones of the universal love song and bring us back to eternal self!

I have no idea why I was called to do this work. It came out of a deep listening. For that reason, I relate to Beethoven because he had a deep knowing that something was guiding him. I feel that way about WhaleBreathing. 

So in honor of Beethoven and as a balm in turbulent times, let’s greet the new year with these words from Ode to Joy:

O friends, no more of these sounds!
Let us sing more cheerful songs,
More songs full of joy!
Joy!
Joy!
Joy, bright spark of divinity…