.....it all began with a thought

Yogis,
It all began with a passing thought……as most things do.

I have always been attracted to the beat of a drum but never gave it much thought. That deep vibration enters my feet and fills me to my edges. There is something so primal about a drumbeat that I love. The drum is often referred to as the heartbeat of the earth which may be why it feels so natural.

I like to feel things and there is no avoiding a tactile sensation when in the presence of a drum. I remember being a child and feeling my own heartbeat quicken as the drums passed during a parade.  And there is nothing like being close to a drum roll to clear your thoughts away.  As an adult I have gone to a few drum circles to see what it felt like to be the one creating the beat. But it was always something ‘others’ do.

When I spent my week at Susun Weed’s for my herbal studies we were given the task one night of keeping a heartbeat rhythm on a ceremonial drum from sundown to sunrise. We each took two one hour turns as the fire keeper and then as the drummer. Having to slide next to the current drummer and hold the stick with them as the hand off was done so as not to miss a beat. Beating the drum alone in the dark while the others took turns sleeping.

Yet I never considered that I could be a drummer. But then I had a crazy thought……..

Why? Why am I always the observer or the visitor? Why can’t I own a drum and learn to drum? It was a novel idea. To me the ‘real drummers’ were much cooler than me. My perception of them was that they were somehow different than me. What was that all about? I had never questioned it.

So I threw caution to the wind and asked for a djembe west African drum for Christmas. And then at the last minute I thought ‘what the heck!’ and asked my sister for a hand drum as well. Both were under the Christmas tree.  Now I was a drum owner. Multiple drums!

The next step was to find a teacher. I put an add on our local listserv looking for a djembe drum teacher. A woman responded saying she had a drum teacher but we needed a few people. We each found one more friend and set up our first get together.

I lugged my djembe over…..only to walk in and meet Yolanda, a Native American woman who leads hand drum ceremonies! Thank goodness for multiple drums. We have now met several times and are learning the ways of the ancestors and hope to expand the circle. For the March full moon we gathered around the fire pit to sing and drum and were gifted with a visit from the owl. I paused to marvel at how now I was drumming on my own drum with others around the fire. A manifestation. Drumming feels amazing!

For the May full moon I will take another step forward and will be co-hosting a drumming event here with Yolanda. We will have drums and rattles for all, and we will fill the sky with the rhythm of the earth. Come and feel the vibration. Details on SerenityCircleYoga.com under 'The Events'.

And it all began with a passing thought……as most things do. What are you thinking about?

What you think is where you go,
SARAH