ABOVE: Bill Gonnsen uses batons to play his crystal music bowls during his first healing session on Wednesday in Fairmont. The sessions are a part of CER’s fall programming, which includes 87 different programs.

FAIRMONT – Crystal Bowl Music Healing has attracted several signups for its four sessions, the first of which happened Wednesday.

Fairmont resident Bill Gonnsen, who uses the crystal bowls to make the music, first found out about this practice in 2014.

“We lived in Door County, Wisconsin, at the time,” he said. “There was a musician, producer, and I didn’t know much about singing bowls, but he offered a free event. I really enjoyed it, forgot about it, and then it wasn’t too long back, maybe four years ago or so, I stumbled across it again.”

The practice of Crystal Bowl Music Healing uses several bowls to create different sounds and sound combinations.

“The sound of each individual bowl will activate different frequencies,” he said. “Each bowl in this seven-bowl set is tuned to one note. It covers the key of C. For instance, you start with C, D, E, F, G, A, and B, and then you cycle back again through that. You can use it as a way to activate different systems in the body as a way to not only experience the song, but that vibration.”

What got Gonnsen back into this practice was the effects he could feel on his mind.

“I was very cognizant of how sound is, of course, auditory,” he said. “Also, the vibrational quality of sound, how sound will move through your body. Those things I found very therapeutic. I felt a lot of stress in my life, anxiety could be released, where there could be some peace of mind.”

Gonnsen has done this for several meditation groups before, and he said he has received positive feedback thus far.

“A lot of times when we come to do something, it’s hard to get to a place where we feel comfortable,” he said. “The most responses have been playing the bowls allows for the natural release of tensions and areas of effort, and allows the focus to become much more in this moment.”

When it came to bringing it to the general public, Gonnsen said he found out about Fairmont Community Education and Recreation (CER) when their offerings were presented physically.

“They used to send a pamphlet,” he said. “I found out about them that way. I noticed in there things that support well-being and health. They’ve been really supportive in helping me reach more people. I was really surprised at the response to this class.”

There were 12 people who signed up for the first class, but across all four, CER Director Stephanie Busiahn said registrations are already reaching the max.

For the first class, Gonnsen offered the hour-long session for free. He said he understands the barriers that come with trying something new for a price.

“Many people may not know about it,” he said. “They may think, ‘oh, that sounds interesting,’ but they may never have experienced it. It’s hard to ask somebody to come and do something that they’ve never experienced before.”

From these four sessions, he hopes people are able to derive some of the same benefits he has experienced himself.

“My goal would be to offer the opportunity to find those kinds of benefits,” he said. “The experience of well-being is one of personal experience. It’s not something I can give to somebody, but through the practice of these rules, it can allow them to access that sense of well-being. The things they feel anxious about, being attentive to the bowls and relaxing, allows you to release some of that and be able to feel some opening to joy.”

The remaining sessions are $20 per session from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1, 8 and 15. For more information or to register, visit fairmont.k12.mn.us/o/cer or call 507-235-3141.