Good Vibrations
Finding Joy and Peace through Sound
Summer 2020
Written By: Molly Absolon | Images: David Bowers
Daniela Botur speaks softly, her voice gentle and soothing even when speaking over the noise of a restaurant in downtown Jackson. She seems grounded and soft, with no rough edges to be seen. It’s this serene presence that adds to the power of her work. Whether she sits silently while running a mallet gently around the edge of one of her crystal bowls, or adds her voice to the deep, shimmering echo of their vibrations, the power of her sound is felt deep in your core.
“Crystal singing bowls are a very contemporary form of sound healing,” Daniela says. “But it’s part of an ancient tradition of gathering and raising
vibrations.”
Sound healing is currently enjoying a wave of popularity. Google “crystal singing bowls” and you’ll be presented with all sorts of information, including a 5-minute mediation by Daniela on YouTube. But the use of sound in everything from meditation to healing and spiritual awakening is anything but new. It is believed that Aboriginal Australians have been using the deep vibration of the didgeridoo in ceremonies for 40,000 years. Gregorian chants, Tibetan mediation bowls, drum circles, and the simple act of listening to music are all examples of how sound is used to enhance well-being and bring joy.
“People are fascinated by the sound. They feel encompassed, enveloped by the vibrations. People leave my sessions feeling more connected with themselves. They have a sense of oneness, of being part of the whole,” says Daniela. “I help [bring] people to a place of gratitude and stillness, which is hard to come to in today’s busy world.
Daniela began working with singing bowls when she lived in Mexico during the early 2000s. She was designing jewelry at the time, and her work with crystals, essential oils, and flower essences set her on what she calls a “shamanic journey.” She began using sound vibrations to program the crystals she used in her jewelry for specific intentions — such as balance, clarity, joy, serenity, and passion.
“Crystals have an extremely high and exact rate of vibration, which can be precisely manipulated to transform, store, and focus other rates of vibration,” Daniela notes on the website for her jewelry line, Aromaje. “For these reasons they are used in communication, computers, optics, lasers, etc. These same vibrational qualities of crystal can modify the vibration of the human body and its energy field.”
Daniela says that all matter vibrates at some frequency, although much of it is imperceptible to the human ear. These vibrations can be shifted or altered when they interact with other vibrations. The science explaining the physiological effects of sound healing on humans is limited, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence for its physical and mental benefits. Thousands of people report that it reduces stress, tension, anger, fatigue, and anxiety while increasing a sense of spiritual well-being.
Still, Daniela’s first experience with crystal singing bowls was not positive. She was listening to a group of people playing bowls that had been stored
in boxes for years, and, according to her, the energy release was negative and expressed a sense of being trapped and constrained — not a soothing experience for listeners. Still, she believed in the power of vibrations and experimented with the singing bowls until she found her own voice. Daniela
still remembers that first experience, however, and, as a result, keeps her bowls in sacred containers and pays attention to the spaces where she performs so nothing can detract from the power of each bowl’s vibrations.
When Daniela moved to Jackson in 2011 she owned and displayed her jewelry at Intencions Gallery. She has since moved away from that work and is now focusing on her crystal bowl practice.
“I’ve played everywhere,” she says. “Once I played for 400 people at Jackson Lake Lodge. It was powerful. The sound of my bowls brings everyone into the same state of being, which few things can do, especially in a big group setting like that. People quiet down and listen.”
Daniela also leads Flourish Fully Retreats in Mexico, where she first began her crystal exploration. The retreats weave together sound healing, breathwork, and yoga movements with cultural exploration. She offers sound baths at local yoga studios and special performances at numerous locations, but her favorite place to work is the tipi at her home on the National Elk Refuge where she holds chakra clearing ceremonies and sound healing mediations for small groups, couples, and individuals.
“The tipi is a magical place,” explains Daniela. “You are in a sacred container, a place of prayer, healing, and celebration. You can hear the brook babbling outside. You come out of there recognizing that the elements — fire, water, earth, air, and the ether — exist within you. We aren’t that separate from the world around us. I help people remember.”
When it comes to her work, Daniela says she’s “so grateful. Life has had its challenges, but that’s part of what got me on this path. I give, and I also
receive.”
