Soudabah Moayedi
May 24, 2021
Nestled away in the Arcade of the 600 block is a store all the way from Nepal. Alex Gopali came to the states twenty years ago and knew he wanted to somehow carry on his families practice in sunny St. Petersburg and nine years ago Gopali Imports was born. Alex specializes in sound healing and singing bowls. In his shop you can find a variety of goods made in Nepal and brought here for us to enjoy their unique beauty and rich history. Alex has singing bowls, clothes, jewelry, sound healing classes, and statues. You can find the store open everyday and Alex in their jamming away with his customers.
His favorite instrument to play is the singing bowl and that’s saying a lot since he can play about five. Sound healing is an ancient art that uses vibrations from sound to heal the body and help reduce stress. Alex is a big believer in reducing stress in order to keep the body healthy and strong. While listening to Alex speak about sound healing and singing bowls you can hear the passion in his voice. Alex isn’t just someone who found this online and thought it was cool, he is the real deal and comes from a long line of healers and spiritual gurus in his family. He learned everything he knows from his grandfather and later on in his life singing bowl masters. I was shocked as well to hear that you can find singing bowl masters in parts of Nepal and the Himalayas and I love the fact that Alex in his own right is a singing bowl master here in our community. Sound healing is a great way to calm the mind, while Alex can’t verify that it can heal the body physically he thinks it’s a great way to reduce stress so the body can heal itself.
On top of having a shop here in St. Petersburg Alex also offers classes where you can receive your Sound Healer certification. He has three levels that go in depth into the history and techniques of singing bowls. For people who have always been interested in singing bowls or for healers who want to add something new to their book of tricks Alex is a great option. With his classes he teaches you everything from stress relief to even space cleansing. In a day and age where our lives are constantly bombarded with different stressors and needs its really awesome we have something we can add to our tool box of self care when we need it.
Alex Gopali takes great pride in his culture and the knowledge passed down to him from his teachers and grandfather. Our purchases at Goplai Imports not only helps Alex continue to spread his knowledge of sound healing, but helps a community all the way in Nepal hold on tight to their traditions.
You can hear more from our interview with Alex on our podcast Good Morning St Pete on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
