The sound of HEALING
St. Helena studio creates a sanctuary of energy and vibration
Standing before a set of deep, pastel-colored bowls, Dina Saa-lisi begins at the base, using a small wooden mallet to bring a low hum from the basin. It’s a C chord, the foundation. With the twirl of her wrist, eyes lowered, she turns to a shallower bowl to draw out an A chord for the “third eye,” or intuition. The sound playfully rings through the room, nearly fading before she sprinkles a third sound, a bright F chord, on top for the “heart chakra.”
The chords rise and fade in a tapestry of sound that fills the room with a gentle atmosphere.
“Sound is one of our innate senses that can be used for healing,” Saalisi said. From her second-floor studio off of Main Street in St. Helena, Saalisi taps into basic senses, such as detecting sound and vibration, to create meditative sound baths. As a wellness coach, she uses a series of singing bowls, flower therapies and guided meditations to provide well-ness consults for individuals and groups alike.
Singing bowls are rooted in traditional Buddhist meditation practices. And in the wellness world, people often turn to singing bowls as a source of improving focus, clarity, sleep and overall bringing more positivity into one’s life.
Saalisi uses a set of deep quartz crystal bowls – some almost a foot tall – that are infused with a variety of gemstones and metals.
People come to the studio in pain. Her clients may arrive stressed, depressed or anxious and are seeking out new ways to find joy in their lives, Saalisi said. Other times, she’s worked with clients who had cancer or who were reeling from a job lay-off.
“I think people come to me because they are suffering,” she said. “They want help, and they want it quick.” They come seeking comfort, and Saal-isi works to give them both a new language for tapping into those emotions, and mindfulness practice to help her clients see and feel the world around them with more clarity.
With the sound bath practice, the layers of chords are used to dive deeper into the psyche.
“It doesn’t just make you feel good, it puts you in a deep meditative state,” Saalisi explained.
She also advises her clients to pay close attention to everyday elements of nature around them, from natural obsidian deposits that can be found in the Napa Valley’s hills or paying attention to the
different wildflowers that fill the valley with each season.
The studio is the product of Saalisi’s decades spent exploring healing work. She originally discovered meditation and flower therapies, which use flower
extracts to help emotional well-being, in her 20s. The practice played a crucial role in helping her deal with significant childhood trauma, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.
Over the years, Saalisi adopted the title of “flower therapist” and began working with clients as a wellness coach. Since then she has also written several books focusing on self-discovery, affirmations and the healing energy of flowers.
After years of serving as an individual wellness coach and living across California, she chose Napa Valley as the home for her first full studio in 2022.
The sound healing sessions are available for groups of up to 12 people, as well as individual meditation sessions, both of which Saalisi offers by appointment only.
In the coming year, Saalisi plans to hold sound ceremonies to mark the new moon and the full moon of each month. These ceremonies, she said, are intended to attune the community to the flow of changes that each season brings and perhaps spark a few within ourselves.
More information about the studio, including booking information and upcoming classes, is available at dinasaa-lisi.com/classes/. Sound healing sessions are held at Saalisi’s studio at 1360 Main St. in St. Helena.
