Jewels of Silence - Ashana (with Thomas Barquee)

Meditations on the Chakras for Voice and Crystal Singing Bowls 

Meditation music unlike any you have ever heard …

This extraordinary CD, when played during bodywork, prayer, meditation or before sleeping, quiets the mind and gently carries you into a state of deep rest and relaxation … to the very center of stillness within your being.

Divinely inspired, transcendent music for healing, meditation, and deep relaxation, Jewels of Silence is an incomparably beautiful recording of great depth and exquisite sensitivity. Perfect music for the journey within … for prayer, yoga, reiki, bodywork and rest, “Jewels of Silence'' features Ashana’s angelic vocal improvisations, crystal bowl playing and the vocal and keyboard artistry of Thomas Barquee, accompanied by bansoori flute, esraj and santoor.

With each successive track, the listener floats into deeper and deeper states of profound relaxation. The exquisite music, accompanied by the constant droning of the crystal bowls, shifts brainwave patterns almost immediately into alpha, theta or delta states, quieting the mind and supporting meditation, rest and dreaming.

Experience the healing sounds of this divine music …

– to deepen your prayer and meditation practices

– as an accompaniment to yoga, massage, bodywork and alternative healing modalities

– to relieve insomnia and sleep disorders

– to relieve anxiety, fear, stress, worry and depression

– during pre- and post-surgical experiences

– to heighten creativity and inspiration

MUSICIANS

Ashana: Crystal Singing Bowls, lead and background vocals

Thomas Barquee: keyboards, lead and background vocals

Anjan Basu: Esraj

Sandip Chaterjee: Santoor

Shakti Nag: Bansuri Flute

All music composed by Ashana Lobody and Thomas Barquee

(c) 2008 Pearlescent Music LLC and Barkawitz Music (ASCAP)

A Message from Ashana and Thomas

The inspiration for Jewels of Silence came out of the many requests I have received over the years for a CD of my crystal singing bowl sound meditations. These meditations weave together prayer, guided visualization, color, toning, mantra and crystal singing bowls, on a journey of light and sound through the seven main energy centers in the body, commonly known as the chakras, moving upwards from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.

When Thomas and I first came together to record it was our intention to create something that evoked the feeling of this experience — and being the artists that we are — also to infuse it with beauty and music. Once we began, we simply opened up the space and allowed the sounds and music to come through. And so, of course, this CD took on a life of its own and became more than either one of us ever could have imagined.

It is our prayer that the gentle peace of Jewels Of Silence will help you go deep within so that you may rest in the quiet stillness of your being. We offer it from our hearts to yours, with gratitude and praise for the eternal light that shines in All.

Music to Balance and Clear the Chakras 

At the heart of each piece in Jewels of Silence, is the constant drone and chime of alchemy crystal singing bowls intoned with sacred mantra. Beginning with the root chakra in the tonality of C and ending at the crown, in the tonality of B, the pieces move sequentially up the seven main energy centers of the body, through the seven degrees of the western musical scale. To deepen the meditative and healing effects, each piece also features seed sounds, or bija mantras, that are associated with these energy centers.

The specific bija mantras on Jewels of Silence are based on vowel sounds. Bija mantras are one syllable mantras that have no translation and carry great vibrational power. The bija mantras that are sung on this CD are vowel sounds that may help activate and balance the chakras, resulting in an overall increased feeling of peace and well-being. Because it is the nature of crystal to amplify and transmit energy, when these sounds are chanted with the crystal singing bowls, with intentions of healing and devotion, their effect is significantly increased and intensified. 

For more information on the bija mantras, please refer to Thomas Ashley-Farrand’s wonderful book, “Healing Mantras,” Ballantine Wellspring, 1999.

For those of you who would like to chant along with the CD, here are the names of the bija mantras with their corresponding chakra and tonality, and a simple description of the key qualities traditionally associated with each chakra.