I found the underlying concept in this reading to be very engaging as it walks us through Olivero’s internal feelings and personal retreats and how they led up to her externalizing them and sharing them with people around her; leaving her mark. The work she has done is impressive in distinctive ways as she was able to incorporate music and vocals in her meditation and healing. Just reading about it felt calming and reassuring. Her initiative in making The Sonic Meditation group a female-only meeting has allowed for a safe, women-empowering space. It’s also interesting that, although it was catered for musical practices, they also incorporated “journaling, discussion and Kinetic Awareness exercises”, which makes them feel more like a family, especially in the time of women-liberation where the house would be a sanctuary for them.

One of the meditation exercises that I found compelling was “Teach Yourself to Fly” where they would focus on their breaths and at some point allow their voices to sound, resembling the noise that an airplane makes when up in the air. This was a kinetic awareness exercise with the main goal of healing. The idea of focusing on our breath when meditating is not new, I have attended multiple yoga and pilates classes that emphasized breathing and its importance, allowing for inner peace and overall calmness. Moreover, when I used to have trouble falling asleep, I read online about a method that helps when focusing on breathing. Inhale while counting to 4, hold my breath as I count to 7 and exhale while making a “whoosh” sound, counting to 8, and then repeating the full process for multiple cycles. This, in my experience, allows the mind to focus completely on the sound and count and avoid overthinking or thinking about things that keep the mind wandering and awake.