✨ From Steel to Soul: My Personal Journey with the Handpan 💖

People often ask me:

“How did your journey with the Handpan begin?”

Well… it goes way back.

Back to the late 90s. Back to steel, soul & synchronicity.

And back to a very special man: Bill Brown, the father of the Caisa.

And me? I was lovingly called the Caisa Mama. 💖

The Caisa was one of the earliest handpans – a magical convex steelpan, originally played with hands or mallets. Bill built them with so much heart, and I felt deeply called to explore their healing potential. Together, we dreamed up something new:

✨ A handpan for therapy.

✨ For resonance, not just rhythm.

✨ For feeling, not performing.

I first met Bill in 1997 when I bought my very first steelpan for my didgeridoo concerts. I was playing in world music bands with Indian musicians, deeply inspired by Ragas, Laharas & healing tones. That’s when I began asking Bill to create custom-tuned pans for therapeutic use.

And he did.

In 1998, I even studied mechanical engineering for a while – trying to design an instrument I could play with my hands, not sticks. Without realizing it, I sketched the shape of a modern handpan in CAD.

But soon, music therapy pulled me back in. I felt the deep call to help others heal through sound.

The real magic began when I placed the instrument on the human body, like a singing bowl – and I could feel the frequencies deeply resonate through every cell. That’s how the Graha Caisa was born:

🌿 A handpan tuned to healing frequencies like 136.10 Hz (OM) and 432 Hz.

🌈 A sound massage instrument.

🧘‍♀️ A tool for deep energetic healing.

I tested it first on myself, then on patients in clinics and in my private practice. And in 2006, I finally introduced it to the world – for all the Klangweberinnen*, therapists, and healers out there. 💖

The OM Caisa became my bestseller.

And yes – I was one of the first to bring 432 Hz back into the scene, after it was nearly forgotten.

(That’s why many lovingly called me Pan Brownie.)

But life isn’t always harmonic.

In 2015, after hundreds of requests, concerts, teachings, and emails, I fell into burnout. I had to step away.

I left the scene completely and deleted myself from the digital world.

No newsletter. No website. No energy left.

And yet, so many people still have their first handpan thanks to me.

They just don’t remember where it came from.

They say, “I got mine in Munich,” but forget to mention who built it, or who inspired them.

That still hurts sometimes. But I understand. 💔

Now, I am returning.

Grateful. Stronger. Wiser.

And forever connected to Bill Brown – the one who believed in me and this dream from the very beginning.

In 2015, he passed the Caisa to new builders and started Baur & Brown with Tim Baur. And I’m happy to say: we’re still connected.

Our story continues.

✨ I’m currently writing my book & mastercourse “Master the Handpan” – to share everything I’ve learned over the years.

It’s a deep-dive into sound healing, intuitive playing, and the soul of this instrument.

Whether you read this now or later – it’s either in the making or already out there waiting for you 💖

Like a phoenix, I rise again.

For the love of sound.

For the healing it brings.

And for the deep gratitude I feel for everyone who’s been part of this journey.

💖 From my heart to yours,

— Doña

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