If you examine the beliefs of all the major traditions on our planet, they have a commonality in their awareness of sound as being the basic creative source, whether it’s called “The Word” or “Om.” Our modern scientists have finally caught up with this awareness and talk about “The Big Bang” or “The Cosmic Hum” as occurring in the beginning of all that is.
Sound has the ability of making, breaking, or rearranging molecular structure. If it can do this, what can’t it do? The chanting of mantras and other sacred sounds has been used in a variety of different traditions for many millennia. Sonic tools, such as bowls, bells, and tuning forks have become commonly utilized in many spiritual and healing practices. Between the two of us, we have been engaged in the field of sound as a therapeutic and transformational modality for over 50 years. It is a great joy to see its continued growth and emergence in so many people’s practices.
Sacred Sounds: Healing Sounds
Shri Yantra. A yantra is a visual mantra—a mystical diagram—used in meditation.
It is our great blessing to be coming to Yogaville this April to present our workshop, Sacred Sounds: Healing Sounds. We will be specifically focusing on working with the voice—going from the alpha to the omega of sacred and healing sounds—to create simple sounds that are most profound and can cause major beneficial shifts and changes in everyone. One of the sounds that we’ll be working with is found in the practice of Bhramari Pranayama, which combines breath with tone.
Our knowledge of this practice was initially inspired by Swami Satchidananda’s translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. In particular, in Sutra 1.27, Gurudev talks about the original sound of creation being pranava, the humming of prana, which ultimately was given a name and that name was “Om.” This motivated us to write our latest best-selling book, The Humming Effect. Gurudev’s teachings have deeply influenced many of our different practices and teachings.
We’ve discovered that many people confuse sacred and healing sounds with music. While music can certainly be both sacred and healing, it is not necessary for anyone to have any sort of proficiency in creating music or singing in order to experience the extraordinary benefits of vibratory resonances. With the power of Bhramari Pranayama, the practice of “Vowels as Mantras,” and the utterance of “The Divine Name” (a universal sound that has the ability to resonate both the physical body and subtle energy fields of anyone who intones it), you’ll learn to create sounds that have the power to usher in a new era of human consciousness, uniting us in healing, peace, and oneness.
On a purely physiological level, self-created sounds such as we teach can:
- Increase oxygen in the cells
- Lower blood pressure and heart rate
- Increase lymphatic circulation
- Increase levels of melatonin
- Reduce levels of stress related hormones
- Release endorphins—self-created opiates that work as natural pain relievers
- Increase levels of nitric oxide (NO), a molecule associated with promotion of healing
- Release oxytocin, the “trust” hormone
These are only a few of the scientifically validated effects of making our own sounds. The sounds we’ll be making can boost the immune system, resonate DNA and cellular structure, energize and balance the brain, and much more!
There are two basic ways that sounds affect the body and energy fields. One way is psycho-acoustics, and this takes place when sound is heard by the ears and then processed by the brain, affecting our nervous system, heart rate, respiration, and brain waves. This occurs when we listen to sounds. The other way that sound affects us is vibro-acoustics, and this happens when sound vibrations go directly into our body, affecting our organs, cells, and DNA.
Shri Yantra overlayed on the human body and chakras (energy centers).
In addition to creating physiological changes, sound is one of the most powerful means of affecting our etheric fields. In Yoga, among other traditions, sound is honored as being the bridge between the physical and the spiritual realms. Sound works on the etheric fields, balancing and aligning the energies that make up body, mind, and spirit. Because of the major inter-relationship between the body, mind, and spirit, it is virtually impossible for sound not to affect all of our energetic fields, as well as the physical body and the consciousness simultaneously.
Through the various sacred and healing sounds you’ll be experiencing in our workshop, you’ll experience an expansion of physical health, an activation of enhanced consciousness, and a deeper connection to the divine than you may have ever imagined. Sacred and healing sounds produce deep levels of mindfulness and compassion that are necessary for our well-being.
Our workshop, Sacred Sounds: Healing Sounds, is a step-by step process of vibratory activation and initiation. You’ll discover the secrets of sound healing, explore the scientific and spiritual basis of using sound for healing and transformation, and find out how your own self-created sounds can enhance your health and wellness. This is a program of self-empowerment through sound.
Perhaps most important is our reminder that the information, techniques, and exercises we present in our upcoming program are things that everyone can experience and benefit from. For many, they are life changing. And best of all, they feel good. It is our honor to be presenting again at Yogaville and we hope you’ll be able to join us.
