In efforts to try and prepare everyone for the beginning of spring semester, Tarble Arts Center hosts a crystal song bath to help align people’s chakras, and welcome them to the new year. 

Students, staff and community members were welcome to borrow a cushion or blanket from the Tarble, or bring their own from home. As everyone began to settle, the holistic healer arrived. 

Tyna Sue Loafman, a Reiki practitioner from Springfield, Ill. invited everyone to find a comfortable seat and relax. Before she started, she explained the magic that is her crystal bowls. 

According to Loafman, there are seven chakras connected to the human body, one for each main section. This includes the root, sacral, solar-plexus, heart, throat, third-eye and crown. Each crystal bowl is matched with a musical note C to B and matches with the corresponding chakra. Some notes would sound pleasing to the listener, while others felt off-key, or even a bit uncomfortable. In this instance, it meant that the listener’s certain chakra was unbalanced, and would need some extra attention to be in its more powerful state. 

After these words of guidance, Loafman allowed those who were comfortable to close their eyes, and allow the sounds of her crystal bowls work their magic. 

As audience members rested their weary bodies, the sounds of gently pitched-crystals filled the air. Some notes were soft, light and airy. Others had an intruding vibrato that caused some discomfort. All were required to help audience members learn what types of healings they should consider working on. 

But even with all these vibrations filling the air, Loafman says that she always starts her sessions by playing the root chakra bowl, the ‘C’ note.

“I always start with the root and I always end with the root because I want to make sure people are grounded when they leave…I often go in order, up and then down, back and forth,” Loafman said. “Then in the middle, I just kind of mix it up a little bit.”

 As for deciding how the rest of her session will go, she describes it as an intuitive feeling. 

“I just go intuitively on whatever feels right,” Loafman said. “You know, sometimes, there might be one that I don’t normally play more than others, but for some reason, I just get a feeling that it’s needed.”

Although she has been working in the practice for a bit, that doesn’t mean that every note sounds perfect to her. Loafman admits that some days, not every bowl is working for her that day. The ones she tends to struggle with the mist are the sacral and throat. 

“Evidently, I’m not expressing my creativity and passion well enough, so those are two that I really struggle with,” Loafman says. 

After the session, it’s as if the listener has been revitalized. The chakras, though not fully healed, have been given some well-deserved attention. 

Phlebotomist Morgan Norris says that she came all the way from Terre Haute, Ind. to come and experience Loafman’s singing bowls. As someone who has met some of the greatest holistic therapists, she had high expectations for tonight. 

Needless to say, she enjoyed herself very much. 

“I wasn’t sure how this environment would be, and somebody posted about it,” Norris said. “Now I’m really interested to see if there are any other classes.” 

As for farmer Becca Dickens, she said that her friend invited her to this event. For someone who loves to do yoga and meditate, this was the ideal way to spend her night. 

“We are really into sound healing,” Dickens said. 

For more information about her Reiki and sound bath work, contact Tyna Loafman at threeharmonyhealing@gmail.com or visit her website at www.threeharmonyhealing.com. 

Adriana Hernandez-Santana can be reached at 581-2812 or at aihernandez@eiu.edu.