Singing Bowl Lady

Energy teemed around the downtown Denton Square as the first series of bands and performers readied themselves for flocks of festival attendees. Staff writer Violet Ravotti was at Banter to check out the Singing Bowl Lady, Sandee Conroy, with Jeffery Barnes and it was an excellent way to warm up her senses and prepare for the sea of music 35 Denton weekend had to offer.

The performance was very trance-like and the vibrations strongly resonated, we could feel the currents shifting in the air as Conroy spun the roller tip around the quartz crystal singing bowls. It was very compelling and the crowd was able to fall into a deep meditative state, enjoying the relaxed and balanced echo of the bowls. Alongside her, Barnes played on various instruments such as a bell tree, a soprano saxophone, a small thunder machine, gongs, and an Indian flute. It was a stirring and artistic sight to see. We appreciated seeing the Tibetan bowls because the sheer size of them was astounding, and being made of quartz that seemed to emanate a glow. - 35 Denton

Sandee Conroy, the Singing Bowl Lady, will perform Sunday, June 23, at 7 p.m. at the Clinton Community Center.

The performance will be Conroy's last in the area as she is soon moving to Texas, where she has family.

Conroy has led the Singing Bowl Meditation Class offered at the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Clinton.

Her instruments are several quartz crystal bowls that, when slowly stroked with a mallet, produce beautiful sounds.

“The tones produced by crystal bowls are not just heard by the ear, you feel them in your body, with certain tones affecting your energy centers (chakras) for healing, balancing and meditation,” Conroy explained.

The sounds of the bowls have been described as a massage for your mind.

Conroy says there are many reasons for the move to Texas, but admits she's struggled since her daughter, Karah, was killed in a car crash on Route 31 a year and a half ago when she was 15.

Since the accident, she said it seems that she and her two sons, who are still at home, have constantly been on the run. "We are just going to catch our breath," she said of the move.

Her commute to work takes her past the crash site. Just north of the site, construction is progressing on a bridge, but work stops before the intersection between Hampton and Glen Gardner. Although signs prohibiting left turns or driving across the highway have been put up, not much else has been done. Conroy knows that such things take time but is frustrated by what appears to her as a lack of action.

"It's a slap in the face," Conroy said. And it's not just that intersection. That whole stretch of Route 31 is dangerous, she said. She doesn't know what will be done with that intersection in the future. She hopes that action will be taken to improve safety on the busy road. Perhaps something as simple as lowering the speed limit would help, she said.

Conroy expects to be back in New Jersey on occasion and someday may return to live.

Before she moves away, Conroy and Peter Olsen will attempt to mesmerize the audience one last time with the sounds made by the quartz bowls.

Admission to Sunday's concert is $15. Spectators should bring their own chair or blanket or mat, though people lay on the floor. - Hunterdon County Democrat

Those who need a break from the day’s stress may want to come to a Singing Bowl Meditation Class at the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Clinton.

Singing bowl meditation is a unique class where the instructor uses several quartz crystal bowls while slowly stroking them with a mallet to produce beautiful sounds.

“The tones produced by crystal bowls are not just heard by the ear, you feel them in your body, with certain tones affecting your energy centers (chakras) for healing, balancing and meditation,” explained Sandee Conroy, singing bowl meditation facilitator, Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Clinton. The sounds of the bowls have been described as a massage for your mind.

“People often ask, what do I have to do in your class? The truth is you just lie back, close your eyes, listen and relax. Most people who attend my class fall into a deep meditation. Some come into class with a slight ache or pain and channel the sound to that area, by the end of class they feel relief from their pain,” said Conroy.

Singing Bowl Meditation is a class that must be experienced. The Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Clinton will offer a free demo class on Tuesday, March 5 from 6-7 p.m. The class is held every Wednesday at the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center, 1738 Route 31 North in Clinton Township from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The drop-in fee is $14 per class for members and $19 for others. A four-week is $43 for members and $61 for others.

To register for the Singing Bowl Meditation demo class, call 908-735-6884. - Hunterdon County Democrat

HANOVER TWP. - When musician and composer Peter Olsen of Whippany agreed to attend a “singing bowl gig” in Hunterdon County with a friend last year, he wasn’t enthusiastic about the invite.

“I was skeptical. I had low expectations,” he said. “I thought it was going to be kind of lame, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised. It was amazing - a unique experience - musical, but not a performance.”

Mesmerized by the tones of Sandee Conroy’s seven crystal bowls, Olsen approached Conroy, of Lebanon Township, about collaborating on a CD. “I am always thinking about music, and I had some ideas for compositions. I wanted to do something with this.”

A year in the making, “The Portal,” a 63-minute CD, has just been released. It includes four original compositions by Olsen of numerous tones emanating from the crystal bowls Conroy gently strokes.

“I tried to keep it close to the live experience because this really is an experience rather than entertainment,” Olsen said. “The title is indicative of the experience of the bowl session, the portal being that which allows you access to the inward reflection state.”

Conroy is not surprised by Olsen’s initial and subsequent reaction to her “singing bowls.” Although metal singing bowls have been used for centuries by Tibetan monks, the concept of using crystal bowls to produce sounds for relaxation, meditation, therapy, and healing remains an unfamiliar one to many. “What I am trying to do,” Conroy says, “is bring it more into the mainstream, to people that might not seek it out.”

She’s given singing bowl meditation workshops at local venues including libraries, hospitals, schools, senior centers, community centers, and yoga studios. She is a frequent guest at spiritual retreats, conferences, and festivals.

She leads a session every Wednesday at the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center on Route 31 in Clinton Township and will bring her bowls to the Clinton Community Center for a workshop at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. Bring a mat or a blanket, Conroy advises, because most people prefer to rest flat on the floor when she plays.

A bowl session has been described as an “internal sound massage,” according to Conroy. Sessions begin with a five-to-seven minute guided meditation.

“Then I tell people, ‘Become the sound. Feel the vibrations within you.’ It is a mind and body experience. You have to allow it to happen. If you don’t, you are going to be uncomfortable. If you give yourself permission to have the experience, it will envelop you. It might not be for everyone. It is for those who are seeking.”

After about 20 minutes into a session, Conroy says she can feel a difference in the room. That’s when “stress seems to vibrate out of you – just drip off your body.”

“The purity and slowness of each tone requires you to adjust with it. When you become in tune with it, there is no escaping,” Olsen adds. “It slows you down. It is relaxing, but also meditative. You lose yourself in it.”

For most people, “it is a ‘time out’ from ‘this’ – whatever we are in right now,” says Conroy. “At a minimum, I think it is very relaxing, and people are all over the place with additional benefits. Some cancer patients say it empowers them; it gets them out of the downward spiral. If you can change the thought process about what is going on, it gives a little light at the end of the tunnel.”

“It interrupts the negativity of their thinking,” Olsen adds. “Sound and music can have a profound effect on our health and well-being, physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Conroy’s interest in bowls started 11 years ago when she received three bowls as a gift on her birthday. “I was not familiar with bowls at the time, but I have always been interested in my essence and I have always been a seeker. I would sit in my meditating position and get one going. Then about four years ago, a friend invited me to her bowl session. Everyone was lying on the floor and she started to play the bowls. The power of them just blew me away. All the stress, gunk, and blah in my life just vibrated out of my body. I fell in love with them. I knew I’d found my joy.”

She now plays seven bowls – one for each of the seven chakras or power centers in the body, according to yoga philosophy. Each bowl is made of crushed and molded quartz crystal and the smallest bowl weighs about 20 pounds. Bowls cost, depending on size, upwards of $400 each.

Contact Conroy at (908) 399-4355 or Sandee@MyEnergyWorks.net.

For additional information on singing bowl meditation, a calendar of Conroy’s upcoming events, or to purchase “The Portal” online, visit www.MyEnergyWorks.net. - New Jersey Hills

A Quartz Crystal Sound Experience

Immerse yourself into the unique vibration & tones of quartz crystal bowls. The Singing Bowl Lady creates a sonic experience that not only is heard with the ears but felt within the body. Bowls guide you into relaxed awareness, transporting you to a place of no thought … of a quiet so real you can’t believe you’ve touched it … and that’s just one of the things they can do. So come and take a time out from ‘out there’ … relax into the edgeless energy of you … BE BOWLED.

We have plenty of IntelliBEDs to lie on, but last time Sandee was here all of the beds were occupied, and we had people all over the floor.

Our RestSpa features all sorts of vibration, light, and sound therapies, but Sandee’s events are special. She leads these free small-group events and invites you to immerse yourself into the unique vibration & tones of quartz crystal bowls. Sandee’s Singing Bowls help balance the vibrational integrity of both the physical and emotional bodies. Some people use Bowls as a backdrop for meditation. Some say it reduces pain and helps balance emotional issues such as depression, fatigue, anger, loneliness, and fear. And others just come to relax, enjoy, and de-stress. But no matter your personal purpose, a Bowl session provides a feeling of deep relaxation, peace, and a connectedness beyond your ‘normal’ waking consciousness. Sandee offers a sonic tapestry for you to weave your own unique experience. - Intelligent Sleep, Austin TX