The power of sacred sound in yoga is of particular benefit to Yoga Practitioners, Yoga Teachers, Therapists, Energy Workers, Sound Healers, Artists, Health Care Workers and Spiritual Practitioners of all persuasions who wish to deepen and expand their consciousness, fuel their inner lives with refined spiritual energy and effect powerful change and transformation in the world .

The practice of Hatha yoga that has recently exploded in the West offers a brilliant system of physical flexibility, enhanced health through muscle toning and stretches and powerful stress-reduction techniques. Through a better understanding of the role of mantra and other related sonic applications pertainting to The Yoga of Sound (musical intervals, vocalizations), I  hope to educate and motivate Western yoga practitioners (yogis) to also incorporate sacred sound into their practice. A better education about this sonic science will allow American yogis to expand the scope of yogic states available to them. Such an understanding is also important for the general public, who may not consider themselves yogis, but still have to deal with enormous levels of stress that is generated by noise and vibration in our environments. Noise pollution accounts for more than 20 percent of illnesses in America today.

At present, the role of sound in American  yoga practice is limited almost entirely to devotional chanting, or kirtan — a call-and-response chant sung in praise of the Divine. Although devotional chanting is accessible and touches the heart quickly — two qualities that strongly attract the average practitioner — it is only one of four streams of sacred sound in yoga and Hinduism. If the world were all heart, or if we lived in the protected environment of a spiritual community without much contact with the outside world, or if our work environments were more compassionate, devotional chanting alone would suffice for our sonic spirituality. Alas, this is not the case for many of us, which means, limiting our sonic practice to kirtan alone may leave us poorly equipped to face our turbulent times. Through a varied, integrated sonic mysticism, (for instance, the application of Vedic and Tantric mantras, or Nada Yoga techniques), we can discover new forms of strength, sensuality and attunement in addition to the love and connected that comes from devotion. Devotion will always remain the most important!

After almost twenty years of teaching Westerners, I have found that an integrated practice that includes all four sonic streams appeals to many people. While the most obvious candidates for this path may appear to be yoga practitioners, the word “yogi” actually embraces any serious spiritual seeker who consciously and methodically aspires to achieve harmony, balance, and refined consciousness. 

Mantras are the sounds that can accompany our yoga postures, especially after an asana has been mastered. Like strands of DNA, these sounds offer yoga practitioners a direct link to the source and substance of the yoga tradition. Just as one cannot truly grasp science without the knowledge of its language – mathematics, it is equally impossible to touch upon the depth of yoga without the knowledge of mantras. Ranging from single, resonating syllables to long, recited sentences, mantras can fuel yoga practice with an amazing energy that can facilitate profound spiritual awakenings. The vocabulary of mantras are also a powerful means of working with mental stuctures and patterns. Like the surgeons array of delicate instruments, or an archeologist's bag of tools, our vocabulary of mantric sounds can provide powerful support during our meditation practice.

The Yoga of Sound has much to offer others as well. If you are not a yoga practitioner, but are inclined toward practices such as Tai Chi, Chi Gong, or forms of dance, you will still find that the practice of mantra can increase your concentration, enhance your creativity, and enable you to maintain a healthy body and mind.

Health care workers and those seeking healing for themselves will discover that Sound Yoga provides tools that connect them with the spiritual dimension of the healing process. Furthermore, research shows that chanting produces natural painkillers, lowers the heart rate, and reduces blood pressure — a few of many positive effects of sound on the body. Sounds cannot replace medicine, but they certainly can augment the healing process. Mantra has always been central to healing in India, where sonic formulas have been used to promote well-being for thousands of years. When used in combination with ritual, meditation and Hatha yoga practice, mantras become vessels of healing energy that we can direct within ourselves or into others. 

For those interested in spiritual experience, or to use a clinical term "non-ordinary states of consciousness," the incorporation of mantra into your daily practice can powerfully affect your spiritual growth. You do not need to give up an existing practice or tradition to explore this path.

For artists, the Yoga of Sound offers a spiritual discipline that instills self-confidence, reconnects us with our bodies and can help clear creative blocks. Singers can add power to their art by widening the scope of their vocal and chanting abilities. Through proper application of mantras, they can enjoy improved vocal texture, control, depth and resonance. Indeed, any musician who discovers the language, cosmology and spiritual technology behind the mantra tradition will channel greater transformational energy into the world through their art and person.

And, of course, busy individuals caught in the frantic pace of the modern world can use mantras to relax, reduce stress and awaken creative potential in new ways. Sound Yoga is an easy, effective way to still the chatter of the mind. Mantras can also help us overcome addiction, reduce stress and take charge of our lives and our environments, transforming them through our energized spiritual practice.

Mantras are powerful energy suppliments. We all experience moments of emotional and spiritual vulnerability, when our energy drains from our ruptured energy systems. As we develop our capabilities with mantra, we can heal these ruptures on the energy plane and learn to protect ourselves witht the hidden forcefield that is generated by mantra practice. Imagine what a blessing it would be — and what a storehouse of power we would build — if we could convert the energy that flows through the many facets of our being into a positive force. Mantras enable us to harness the energy around us (and within us) so that we can use it to transform our lives and our relationships.

We have within us the power, the resources, and the skills to draw into our consciousness the experiences we value most, moving us naturally toward a harmonious future. Through an integrated approach to mantra and Sound Yoga, I will share with you the techniques I have used to make my own life increasingly harmonious. Grounded in traditions thousands of years old, the Yoga of Sound can be a powerful tool to transform you lives and our world.  

How can Sound Yoga contribute to our lives today?

The four streams integrated under the Yoga of Sound umbrella can be applied in many ways. As little as 3-5 minutes of mantra practice, two to four times a day, can make a significant difference in your energy and overall health, enhancing your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Life in America is very stressed with financial burdens, legal responsibilities and extreme competition in the workplace.  Statistics show that most heart attacks take place on Monday mornings. The practice of Shabda Yoga, or the use of Vedic mantras can instill strength and inner confidence, offering us a sense of protection  through their articulate power, providing us with "soul armor" as we take on the day's challenges. Shabda Yoga is excellent for morning pratice.

Synthetic clothes, unwholesome foods, artificial environments and unnatural methods of transportation sever the body/mind connection creating poor health conditions and causing disease. In the early afternoon hours, Tantric mantras - the practice of Shakti yoga - can bring us into a more intimate relationship with our body by removing the blocks and obstructions that prevent the optimal flow of energy in our system.

Superficial relationships, unhealthy sexual practices and the lack of true emotional fulfillment causing toxic emotions that result in manic highs or deep depressions. In the evening, Bhakti mantras - the practice of Bhava Yoga - along with simple, mantra-like movements can release love and devotion in the heart, providing us with a level of emotional fulfillment and stability that is capable of satisfying our deepest human needs for relationship.

Music is naturally healing, but "art for art's sake" is propagating so much of negative energy in our environment causing our spiritual and psychic systems to go out of balance. At night, the practice of Nada Yoga meditations can help us attune our bodies and our minds, bringing us into harmony with the world of nature and the cosmic order of the universe.

Russill Paul

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