The Sound of Yoga

February 2012
By Mehtab, Founder of Yoga Yoga

What does yoga sound like? Is it a mantra, the sacred sound of a gong or bell, meditative music, a whisper of the breath—or simply the sound of silence itself?

Yogis say that the essence of yoga can be understood through sound alone.  Sound, whether spoken, silent, or performed, has always been an essential part of the experience of yoga and an enhancement to its practice.

How can you use sound in your yoga practice?  Here are some ideas:

Mantra with Movement: Yoga postures, or asanas, were originally taught with an associated mantra.  Yogis chanted a scared sound as each asana was performed or meditated silently on the sound of the mantra as part of the asana practice.  The sound vibration opened the flow of energy through the body as the postures were performed.

While many of these original sounds or mantras are now “lost” or not openly taught in the West, you can still use mantra with your own asana practice.  Some sun salutation practices are performed with a primary sound for each movement.  A mantra can be silently used with each movement in or out of an asana.  In Kundalini Yoga, for example, the mantra sound of Sat Nam is often used as a silent focal point while performing a posture.

Music with Practice: Mantras set to music, or appropriate meditative instrumental music, can also be a way to incorporate sound into the background of a practice. Ideally the music creates an inner-directed yoga space. Many people find that songs with lyrics or popular music associated with non-meditative spaces tend to overly engage the mind and take them out of the present practice.

Another way to make music part of the yoga space is to use it to create a wall of relaxation after your practice or during the day to reconnect to that quiet space.  Try a yoga music CD in your car for a great transition after your class or before your work!

The Breath as Soundtrack: The primal sound of yoga is the breath itself.  Using an audible and full breath during your practice or meditation holds the mind in check, moves the energy through the body, and takes you deeper inside.  In Ashtanga Yoga, for example, the throaty breath during the practice (called Ujjayi Pranayama) produces both heat and a focus. Narrowing the throat by half-closing the epiglottis (the piece of cartilage at the top of your voice box) gives your breath a sound that completes the sensory experience of yoga.

Finally, the use of sound in yoga has another real benefit on the nervous system: listening to sound engages the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the body that allows us to relax and release tension.  In Kundalini Yoga for example, the gong is often played during relaxation to strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system and help repair damage to the nervous system caused by drugs and stress.

Let the Sound of Yoga become a part of your practice and discover the effects it has on your focus, energy and relaxation.