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"Singing is your birth right," says my teacher and friend, Shawna Carol.  Why, then, is it that most of us permit singing to be appropriate only for the "talented" and "gifted" few?  How can we change this belief and allow ourselves to tap into an immensely valuable resource for self-healing and well-being?  The only way I have found thus far is through a process taught to me 8 years ago -- by Mary Elizabeth Wheeler and Shawna Carol -- a process of authentic singing called SpiritSong™.

My greatest challenge has been finding ways within the limitations of our language to describe the process of SpiritSong™ and the benefits available for everyone through practice.  I have found the most effective way to do this is to share my own experience of spirit singing and invite others to find a teacher and/or song circle and "try it out" for themselves.

One of my most memorable and transformational spirit singing experiences happened a few years ago when I was involved with two other women in a weekly "song circle". That day I was feeling a deep despair and was not consciously in touch with any reason for it.  I could not figure it out.  Physically I felt tired and stressed.  Emotionally I wanted to die, to have God pluck me off this earth.  Spiritually, I was angry that God had put me here in the first place -- it was all just too difficult and painful. 

My "song sisters" arrived for our circle and we began our weekly ritual of meditation, sharing and song.  Over a period of two years, we had been creating a sacred, safe space where we could completely be ourselves without fear of being judged or analyzed.  It was a place where we could walk through our fears and talk/sing about whatever we needed.  We could do this sharing without editing, with full abandon.

When I began my spirit song, I focused on my breath, in through my nose, out through my mouth, until my body was ready to let out some sound -- first a few sighs, then some "ah" tones.  In this state of despair, as sound came through my lips, my eyes began to leak tears.  The more air I let in and sound I released, the more rapidly the tears fell.  The water of my tears joined the air of my breath to move my emotions, causing them to shift.  I soon felt hot, a fire burning in my belly.  I discovered not only did I feel despair, but also anger and rage.  I felt like a volcano erupting.  I continued to sing with no words, and the earth beneath my feet supported the movement of my limbs and the pulse of my soul.  My song sisters used drum and rattle to accompany the many rhythms of my body.  Words began to float into my song -- words of pain and resignation leading to cries of anguish and unrelenting grief.  The "judge" in me continued its critical, incessant chant, "You should stop, you’re going on too long, you should stop now, no one will love you now, they’re going to put you in an asylum."  The "judge" threatened to shut down what I needed to experience and express, what needed to pass through my body.

But all the while, my song sisters listened with focused, quiet presence; they did not move in toward me to take away my pain; they did not stop me out of fear for my sanity.  They listened with love and total acceptance and let me go to the depth of my pain.  They allowed me to sing/sob until I was finished.  Their tolerance and patient support helped me quiet the "judge", that negative voice, that life-blocking inhibitor I picked up somewhere very early in my lifetime.

Have you ever allowed yourself to cry until you were done?  I mean really done -- no more tears left?  The power that resulted from the release of the unabated tears alone was immense.  No therapist was telling me time was up, no well-meaning friends were trying to stop me, no one was telling me it was time to get back to work/school/responsibilities.  When I allowed myself to add my unchecked tears to conscious breath and uninhibited vocalization with the encouragement to be "authentic" -- I found enough power for a genuine miracle.

This miracle took awhile to unfold.  First, an amazing amount of old, fetid energy was released from my body.  At the end of the song, I felt drained, yet lighter -- much, much lighter.  My song sisters sang me a lullaby and rocked me, giving me a feeling of deep safety and nurturing.  After they left, I took a nap from which I awoke refreshed and free.  My despair had passed through me.  I didn’t know "why" I had been feeling it, but I didn’t need to know.  I had been released from its prison.  Its essence had been witnessed, honored, given permission to exist. In a future moment, I may discover some deep-seated reason for the emotion and energy that’s been troubling me, but have come to believe this is not necessary to begin healing, nor is it essential to the spirit singing process.  I have deep gratitude for those two special women who listened so deeply, with all of their being, and, through their genuine love, led me back to loving myself.

Today, in private sessions and in the song circles I lead, I assist many others in beginning their internal journeys to freedom, empowerment and intimacy.  I feel blessed and honored to hear so many songs of pain and joy, fear and excitement, anger and delight.  I listen deeply to multitudes of voices being freed, voices many people had previously kept buried and hidden. I observe people opening their ears and hearts to each other with great love and respect, creating deep intimacy and strong bonds that cannot be broken.  I witness voices being born, occasionally venturing back into hiding, then ultimately blossoming and expanding as singers show up week after week and gain increasing courage and freedom to open to their emotions. I hear the successes of each person as they discover how this process is helping them to speak with more conviction and stand more solidly in their truth in the outside world.  This is empowerment.

So if you think you can’t sing, I’m delighted to tell you that you are mistaken.  If you can find a safe place where authentic singing is not only welcome, but celebrated, you will find much more than any "perfected performance style" could give you.  Discover where your own, unique song can take you! Experience the extraordinary power of being heard!  It is your birth right!

____________________

Lyndsey Watson, founder and director of the River of Song, is a certified SpiritSong™ teacher and professional singer.  She is committed in her private sessions to helping people find their voice through the process of spirit singing.  Six-to-eight session "song circles" are also offered periodically.  Monthly "Open Song Circles" are held on the first Friday of each month for people to experience the process.  All sessions are held in Lyndsey's beautiful Song Room overlooking magical Mirror Lake in Wrentham, MA. She can be reached at 508-384-0655 or by e-mail at songriver@attbi.com.  You can also visit her web site at www.riverofsong.com.