I was almost two hours late for my appointment. Despite leaving home early for what I thought was ample time enough, I should have known better. Traffic. Traffic in the city can be so unpredictable. I arrived at my destination stressed, frustrated, and a little out of breath. Luckily for me, the place I had just arrived at was Bahay Ginhawa. Through the crowd and traffic, halfway through I almost gave up and turned around. But I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad we always end up right where we should be.
House of relief. Or house of comfort. This is what the name of Bahay Ginhawa means, directly translated to English. A house where you can participate in meditative circles, healing sessions, and further delve, explore, and grow into your spiritual journey. It was both the odd and the blessing that such a house of peace and healing could be found in the middle of one of Manila’s busiest cities. There, in QC, just a few turns from EDSA Kamuning, was a quiet traditional Filipino house brimming with good spirits and the promise of peace. It was exactly what I needed, not just in the moment but at that phase in my life.
I enter the front door of the house and saw a guy clearing the living room with incense in his hands. He turned to me with the softest welcome and a handshake. His name is Ish. “Would you like anything? A drink?” They asked me. I politely asked for a glass of water and they told me to sit in the living room to relax, rest, and wait. But of course this is no ordinary living room. There are no couches here. Instead there are pillows formed into a circle on the floor, a few ornaments, stones, and a Tibetan meditation bowl sitting in the middle. I waited, observed, until Ish came to sit with me and patiently answered all of my questions.
Later, it was time for my session. I had come to Bahay Ginhawa for a Sound Crystal Healing, a practice that aims to cleanse, heal, and balance our chakras—the vortexes of energy along our spine—using quartz crystal bowls, singing, or other musical instruments. Entering the room where the session will be held, I met Yeyette, who is the practitioner of sound healing in Bahay Ginhawa. She made me lie on the massage table at the center of the room, surrounded by white bowls arranged on the floor. I closed my eyes, and the session began.
The moment I rested my head on the pillow, I felt strong currents of energy flowing above my body, coming from Yet, who was standing above my head. She had a strong energy, and I could feel it.
Once Yet started all outside noise slowly faded and disappeared except for the ringing echoes of the quartz crystal bowls surrounding me. I was lying on my back and my eyes were closed, but it was bright. So bright. I was enveloped in white light. At least that’s what I saw in my mind’s eye. And when Yet started singing, in a beautiful, high angelic voice, a golden ball of light appeared in my vision, in the middle of all that brightness of white. Listening to her transcending voice, it reminded me of bizarre memories from my childhood that were back then quite unexplainable. I easily slipped into a meditative state—that floating sensation when you know you are awake and you are aware, yet everything feels so quiet and light. Like your consciousness has left your body. Total relaxation.
After the session we sat down to talk about the experience. Yet tells me that my energy was light. And I learn that her singing is a possessive state that happens naturally—something beyond her control. I could understand that. Once you’ve heard her spiritual singing voice, you’ll know that it really is something more than just singing.
I tell Yet of my childhood memories that suddenly came rushing back to me during my meditative state under her singing. My clairvoyant past along some other skills, and how I tried to suppress all these because as a kid, these talents scared me. And that until now, I still see things sometimes. “You have a gift,” she tells me. “You must be a healer.” I smile and tell her, “I think so, too.” I spent most of my life hiding, suppressing, and wondering about the odd things I could do, but everything is starting to make sense now. Yet asks me, “Are you still afraid?” “No,” I tell her. And I knew she only meant to refer to my gifts, but in my response, I meant it in ways so much bigger than just that.
I learned from my friend who also had the Sound Healing session that day with me that she also had vivid visions. And reading of other people’s testimonials to Bahay Ginhawa, I saw that the sensations both of us felt were pretty similar to the others, too. A wave of energy, flashbacks of the past, visions, feelings of light, or heat. And I felt a sense of belonging and comfort knowing I have found people who understand because, let’s face it, not everyone would. Which is why I told Ish I’m so glad I found Bahay Ginhawa. It was like a haven for me. A shared sacred space.
Experiences such as this—and the visions and sensations that come with it—always come with a message, or a lesson for us to learn. Or unlearn. And so if you are open to opening yourself, to uncovering buried pains, childhood trauma, or to letting go of things that are simply too heavy for you to carry still, I urge you to come to Bahay Ginhawa. Come with an open mind and an open heart. Because if you allow it, you’ll find that there’s magic and healing here.
Bahay Ginhawa offers Eastern-Western and Filipino indigenous services and experiences for health, well-being and creativity of the Filipino body, mind, heart, and spirit. They offer the following sessions:
- Halimuon – Aroma healing touch
- Hele – Healing of emotions as life-giving energies
- Indayog – Rediscover your healing rhythm
- Likha – Ginhawa art
- Sibol – Personal-growth mentoring session
- Oyayi – Sound healing
- Kalakbay – Ginhawa accompaniment for embodied psycho-spiritual integration
They also offer small group sessions that can be customized. Send them an email at the address below for inquiries.
EDIT 9/5/2017: Bahay Ginhawa no longer operates, but sound crystal healer Yeyette San Luis continues to provide her holistic healing services. You can find her contact details below.
–
Sound Healing with Yeyette San Luis
www.facebook.com/
Instagram: @yeyettesanluis
Email: soundhealer.yeyette@gmail.com
