Swimming in the Sea of Sound
(First published in Goodlife Magazine.)
At this moment, perhaps you’re sipping a latte in your favorite cafe’ and reading this article. It’s a quiet morning, finally, and the only sound you’re aware of is the sipping sound that your lips make each time you drink and the sound of your inner voice as you read the page. You fap your fingers to a tune you remember from high school while it plays through the cafe’ speakers.
Suddenly, the espresso machine interrupts your quiet contemplation. The frothing sound for the next latte rattles in your ears. Voices from the table to your right pull at your attention. You become aware of th jingle of the cafe’ door when the next patron arrives. The bass line pulsing from a passing car stereo jangles the window pane. Sound, sound, everywhere is sound. We swim in an infinite sea of sound waves. Sometimes those waves are calm, peaceful, and healing. Other times, the sounds crash down upon us.
Almost all ancient cultures understood how sound and vibration affect mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical well being. Great scientists of antiquity were also master musicians. According to Steven Ian Macintosh in his book, The Harmonic Lyre Sacred Sound of Universal Unity, “The primary focus of the Pythagorean schools was the use of music and vibration in the healing arts…they used musical harmony as a way of bypassing the intellect and directly affecting one’s emotional well being.”
The most powerful and accessible instrument for sound healing is the human voice. In Mayan mythology, for example, it is said that the first humans were given life by the soul power of their voices.
Toning, which is the process of repeatedly vocalizing a single, open-vowel sound, helps you balance, release emotional blocks, and open energy flow. “Bypassing language entirely, toning allows us to express the heart and soul directly, quieting the over-active left brain,” Joy Gardner-Gordon says in her book, The Healing Voice.
Our energy centers, known as chakras, resonate with different tones. For example, based on Gardner-Gordon’s toning method described in The Healing Voice, repeating the tone “ahhh” helps balance the heart chakra and helps release blocked emotions.
Try it for yourself. Inhale deeply and slowly begin to exhale. As you exhale, create the sound “ahhh” and let the sound flow through the duration of the exhalation. Relax and repeat this process several times. Notice the quality of the tone. Place your hand on your chest during the exhalation and notice how the tone vibrates. Finally, notice the meditative quality of your mind, therelaxed quality of your body, and the peacefulness of your spirit.
When working with sound, intention is perhaps even more important than the sound being projected. By projecting sound and conscious intent, sound healers can help restore resonance in the body and energy field. Sound Healing maestro Jonathan Goldman explains in his book, Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics, that sound is a carrier of consciousness. “Depending upon where an individual’s awareness is placed when they create a certain sound, the sound will carry information on that state to the person receiving it.”
You, too, can cultivate the healing power of sound by toning with conscious intent. Try the heart chakra toning exercise again. This time, consciously imagine that the sound carries the energy of compassion as it flows through you. Tone “ahhh” with the intent of self compassion, and notice how it feels. As you begin to feel a deepened connection to compassion for yourself, use your intent to project the tone and compassion to someone with whom you had a recent disagreement. Imagine the person simply absorbing the sound and compassion as it flows from you. To complete the exercise, send the tone and the intent of compassion into the world.
Notice how it feels to be an instrument of compassion. And, finally, notice the sacredness in your sea of sound. Are you swimming in quiet, peaceful waters or more turbulent seas?