Sacred Sounds

How familiar are you with the importance of sound as part of your yoga journey? I would hazard a guess that most of you don’t have a lot of experience with sound as part of your yoga practices. With luck, the classes you attend include the chanting of Om at the beginning or end. You may have noticed how powerful the Om feels, especially at the end of class.

Sound is a part of all spiritual or sacred practices. If you’re a churchgoer you are familiar with standing and singing hymns. Many religions use oral prayer as part of their practice. Indigenous communities use song and dance in their devotion to nature and spirits. Many eastern traditions use chanting, sound bowls and other implements to transmit sound. Sound is ever-present in the sacred.

Why is sound so much a part of this work? We could get really scientific about it but you need only reflect on your own experience with sound in these contexts and recall how the singing of hymns, prayer or chanting made you feel. There is a bit of bliss, a bit of ecstasy.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to immerse yourself in a yoga retreat or training you may not have had the opportunity to experience kirtan. Kirtan is essentially group chanting. Often the same mantras that are prescribed to individuals are used for group chanting. In my experience, kirtan has been uniquely powerful. The group energy or vibration elevates and the feeling is complete joy and bliss.

The bliss state is part of the yoga journey. It is the final kosha or sheath of our being. Any techniques such as kirtan or chanting that can help us have a taste of ananda, the bliss state, should be included in practice. Right?!?!

I’ve had many spiritual experiences with hymns over the years. One that always sends shivers up my spine is Amazing Grace. Those of you with some knowledge of the subtle anatomy and kundalini shakti know about energy moving up the spine, even if you haven’t yet experienced it yet. There is power in the vibration of sound.

As far as yoga goes, the first really powerful experience with sound came in the early days of my first teacher training. We did a fair amount of chanting in the training - relative to most other teacher training I’m sure - which many of us found a bit annoying, myself included. But one day when we were chanting, my eyes were closed and my spine was naturally swaying from side to side. Suddenly I felt a powerful surge of energy moving up my spine. I wasn’t sure what to do but for some reason, I felt safe and continued to chant. The energy increased in its force as it made its way to the top of my spine and then I felt something that can only be explained as the crown of my head opened and the energy released up and out. I wasn’t sure what was going on but I continued to chant somehow knowing that I’d be okay.

As I sensed the teacher wrapping up the chanting I wondered what was would happen next. Just as those thoughts entered my mind I felt the powerful force of ascending energy retreat back to the base of my spine. I sat there somewhat confused but feeling blissful. At that moment I knew there was a higher power that was beyond my comprehension. The experience humbled me and piqued my curiosity. I knew this wasn’t something I could replicate at will, but was in many ways a gift. An awakening of sorts.

Years later when I was still new to studying with my second teacher he initiated students at one of the trainings with a mantra his guru had bestowed on him. We repeated the four lines through the call and response process, then chanted it collectively for several minutes. Tears welled up in my eyes. My heart was touched profoundly by the energy of this experience. It was another transformative moment that can’t be explained by the rational mind. These experiences are part of the journey.

I’ve embraced chanting as a teacher. Those of you who’ve done classes with me will from time to time be asked to chant bija (seed) mantras in physical practice. These sounds and their vibration can enhance the practice to levels not experienced if done without the sound. Consider becoming a member and experience classes taught with mantras.

In training or retreat contexts I enjoy introducing group chants. These may be simple or familiar slokas/verses or they may be more elaborate. Layering sacred sounds into learning and immersive environments adds a rich layer to the experience. These heightened experiences help folks appreciate the scope of the yoga tradition.

Currently, I’m working with a new tantric teacher who is guiding us on a journey of using powerful mantras to accelerate our awakening. The vibration of sound at various hertz levels impacts different energy centres/chakras, the mantras used affect the chakras in innumerable ways and are vital to the process of awakening.

After 25 years as a practitioner of yoga, tantra and Ayurveda I’m moving into an entirely new domain of practice. One that is blowing my mind in ways that original chanting experience did some 15 years ago. I look forward to continuing the work with sacred sound and sharing my learnings with students.

Once I’ve mastered the prana work and kriyas that accompany these mantras the next exploration will be sacred geometry.

If you’re interested in exploring a more sacred approach to your yoga journey and want some input please reach out to me or book a free consultation. I’m sure there’s something you’ll take from the experience.

Have a beautiful week filled with sound and bliss!