Going to Maria Teresa Larsen’s quartz crystal bowls ceremony at Hillcrest Community Acupuncture in San Diego on a monthly basis has become a way for me to find peace, a sense of centeredness and healing. I think because I am so connected to sound, music, noise levels and how they make me feel, that it makes sense to me that the sound from the quartz crystal chakra bowls would have such a powerful result for me. I often use music when I am stuck in my writing, I use it to help me daydream, and I fully believe in the power of sound healing.  

Maria Teresa’s background is Chiropractic but she is now a Shamanic Healer

The human body is composed of over 90% water and it makes sense to me that sound vibration can help us in our lives. When I am listening to the sounds that the crystal chakra bowls emanate, I don’t just hear the music, I can feel the vibration in the sounds. This isn’t like listening to a meditation CD or soothing relaxation music. These are vibrational sounds. Your body’s cells are filling with vibration. One way I describe it is to think about a still pond.  Nothing is going on, the water seems still, perhaps even stagnant. You have a flat rock and skip it across the surface.  Now the water is disturbed, and small ripples appear where the rock touched it.  The ripples don’t stay small; they expand as they move across the water. With the quartz crystal bowls that Maria Teresa Larsen plays, the ripples are the sound waves rolling across and through you.

At the end of the hour plus session I always feel like my body has been stuffed full of sound.  The closest example I can use is the way your fingers swell up when you’ve walked a long way,. They aren’t painful but they are plump. I feel like my body’s cells have been plumped full of sound.

When Maria Teresa plays the chakra bowls at Hillcrest Community Acupuncture, where I can relax in comfortable recliner, I am able to relax and drift into a state of mindlessness.  I don’t immediately drop into a zen state. At first I listen to the sounds and try to clear my mind. What happens is I feel that the sounds are surrounding me in a circular lasso of white light. I can feel them circling my body, wrapping me in vibration. I’ve tried to do regular meditation and can never get my chaotic thoughts to calm down and allow me to get to the quiet center I read about. But with the quartz crystal chakra bowls my thoughts quiet. It’s almost like the sounds are tying them up and setting them aside so I can fully relax. I feel the sounds swirling around me and I surrender to their strength.  

Maria Teresa Larsen plays all seven chakra bowls in a little over an hour. Some of the bowls have a soft melody and others are a little more clangy to my ears. I asked Maria Teresa about why that is and she said it’s a combination of what my specific chakras need at that moment and the way she plays each bowl. One bowl for me always has a harder sound. I asked her about this large crystal bowl and she said that is for the solar plexus chakra.  She uses a mallet instead of a want  for the solar plexus chakra bowl  and there are times when the bowls ask more of her than other times, which makes different sounds than other times. 

This is the solar plexus bowl I write about

I have watched her play the bowls and the speed of the sound is much faster than the speed at which she plays them. It’s almost like she’s releasing their energy and the sounds circle my body in an increasing pace.

I have tried massage, meditation, guided imagery and have never been able to attain the sense of peace and grounding that I get from the bowls. Coming out of each session i feel a peace inside myself. I feel like I have been transported to a serene place and I have to pull myself back. I listen to others getting up right after she is done playing and has said her final blessing on the ceremony.  I can’t do that. I am in such a state of bliss and it takes me a little while to come back to this earth plane.

Listening to the quartz crystal chakra bowls played by Maria Teresa has become an integral part of my healing journey. I hope you take an hour of your time and explore them too.  Maria Teresa can be reached at info@gracenotehealingarts.com and Hillcrest Acupuncture is www.hillcrestacu.com