The Story Behind 2 Bells
2 Bells is Track #2 from RESPIRE-1 the first commercial CD produced by COHERENCE in 2005 in support of Coherent Breathing®. To put 2 Bells in context, the overall CD was designed very purposefully to make learning Coherent Breathing very easy, and at the same time elicit the profound change in state that Coherent Breathing brings about. By achieving these production goals with the initial CD, users can develop an immediate appreciation for the method and understand from the very beginning that we have it within our own power to perform Coherent Breathing and to elicit the pleasant and desirable state all-on-our-own. It is simply a matter of knowing how. So Track #1, Vocal Instructive Sequence is step #1 in learning Coherent Breathing.
The practice of Coherent Breathing while we are awake and going about daily life, keeps us relaxed, vital, and aware. However, if we remain perfectly still (with the exception of breathing), with with our eyes closed, then within 8-12 minutes we begin to fall into the meditative state (where we need not know anything about meditation for this to happen). This can be confirmed with EEG where, the moment Coherent Breathing begins, brainwaves begin shifting away from sympathetic bias and toward a meditative pattern. I’ve been told by a most qualified and trusted colleague in the field that during a session, alpha wave amplitude increases with the first breath.
Vocal Instructive Sequence fades away leaving the doors open to the meditative state. 2 Bells fades in where Vocal Instructive Sequence ends. If we stay with 2 Bells (where it is proposed that we inhale on the high bell and exhale with the low bell), then the harmonic/dis-harmonic quality of the 2 bells draws us deeper into the meditative state where the sound itself if beneficial (where we don’t have to listen) we just have to hear it for the body/mind to begin making psych-physiological changes. This dis-harmonic quality is very deliberate, Tibetan Bells being one of several Eastern instruments that produce this quality, all having been “designed” to do so. Why? Because the right mixture of harmonics and dis-harmonics, especially when we breathing slowly, deeply, and rhythmically, “unties knots” in the psycho-physiology. In the East, these knots are referred to as “granthis”. Granthis can occur due to any insult or injury, be it external or internal. Our wish is to gradually, untie granthis and flush them away, day-by-day, shedding ourselves of insult and injury. We can use it like a broom, and let it sweep away daily insult and injury so we’re left free of it. It is forgotten and the mind is still. A single bell has this quality but the two bells together play off of one another and present 2 distinct tones with which multiple listeners may synchronize their breathing together – a powerful experience. So 2 Bells can also be used for groups, as can Vocal Instructive Sequence of course, but in this case without words – we let words go.
So you can see that RESPIRE-1 was purposefully designed to address multiple objectives: establishing a new definition of what healthful breathing is (where there are many many methods out there), and to demonstrate how the simple act of breathing “coherently” along with relaxation and stillness can elicit the meditative state. (When Stephen Elliott personally realized this, it was a big breakthrough in his personal pursuit and a wake up that it was something that needed to be shared.) There are so many systems of breathing and so many systems of meditation, all with so much to learn. Here there is the simple matter of breathing, relaxation, and stillness. Stephen sees this as a primordial capability that is innate in man and other animals. But it seems that in the Western world, this would-be truth has been forgotten. Certainly it was known to early peoples.
One last thing about 2 Bells. Stephen Elliott is a student of Wuji Qi Gong and has been since 1995, but has been in pursuit of the understanding of what “wuji” is for many decades before that. In seeking Tibetan Bells that were right for the 2 Bells recording he ran across an ancient bell, with exact origin unknown, but a tale that goes back over 1000 years. The important distinction with this bell is that at its center is the symbol of “wuji”. Stephen purchased it and used it as the low bell for the 2 Bells recording.
Not to leave out Track #3, Clock & Bell, it is designed for continuous play in an office environment, bedroom, or wherever one wishes. It is expressly designed for clinic office environments where clinicians can play it at an almost imperceptible volume. For those that know its there, they can begin synchronizing with it. For those that don’t it can be subliminal preparation.
We hope you find benefit.