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McKnight leads sound bath meditation

Amid busy and stressful lives, Peg McKnight is offering sound bath meditation classes designed to help people slow down and find calm.

McKnight, who has been teaching meditation for about 12 years and practicing it for roughly two decades, said sound bath meditation can provide support throughout a person’s healing journey.

“Remarkable things happen when people play singing bowls,” she said, noting the benefits of both teaching meditation and being a student of the practice.

McKnight explained that meditation can shift the mind into different states of awareness, noting that during meditation, a person relaxes into what’s called a “Theta State of Being,” or a dream state. She said meditation can allow people to detach from physical awareness and move into a dreamlike mental state.

“The Theta state is when your mind quiets so your body can heal itself without thought resistance,” she said. “You’re aware. You just don’t care.”

According to McKnight, sound is a form of energy medicine that can promote healing from stress, mental health disorders, physical or mental pain and everyday emotional struggles.

Sound healing uses resonant vibrations, often created by instruments such as singing bowls. Some research suggests these vibrations may help improve immune function, lower heart rate and blood pressure, soothe pain and reduce stress levels.

McKnight said her interest in energy work began early in life, born into a family of energy workers and believes she has been blessed with the gift of reading energy.

Many of McKnight’s students say their experiences speak for themselves. Some have been attending her classes since the beginning, including Jane Grimm.

“I’ve been doing (the class) since it started,” Grimm said. “(I’m) much calmer…Every day I take my phone, lay it on my chest, lay out for 30 minutes and listen to these bowls. It’s amazing.”

Val Hanson, a student of McKnight and her program Choose Happy Vibes, said she has been participating for 15 years.

“Guided sound therapy has changed my life. I have a debilitating heart condition, which has dramatically improved due to the healing magical properties of sound,” Hanson said.

Marie Forrester said she is grateful not only for the meditation practice, but also for the space McKnight has created.

“I continue to learn practical tools to manage stress, reflect more and move through life with a deeper sense of peace,” she said.

McKnight said her path to meditation and teaching was not always easy. In the early 2000s, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. During that time, a friend suggested she try singing bowls as part of her healing process. Today, McKnight offers several public and private sound bath meditation classes, as well as training programs, each month

Classes are held the first Wednesday of every month at the Yucaipa Community Center with sessions at 12:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

McKnight also offers private and public sound bath meditation concerts, wellbeing retreats, fire release ceremonies and singing bowl and sound training workshops. For more information on classes and pricing, visit choosehappyvibes.com.