NAADA - THE SOUND OF YOGA

NAADA – THE SOUND OF YOGA


c.By Shanta Sawh

Today most people are familiar with the word Yoga. You must have heard of all the varieties of yoga, hatha, kriya, bhakti, but are you familiar with Naada Yoga? Naada is a Sanskrit word meaning sound. Yoga as we all know means union. Now put these words together, we get Naada Yoga. It simply means union through sound. The use of sound plays an important role in the practice of Naada Yoga. This path is one of several yogic paths used for spiritual growth and awareness. In fact it uses sound to bridge two worlds - the internal and the external, also described as the subtle and the gross. Philosophically it is joining the subconscious with the conscious. This practice uses sound as a means of transformation. It is being aware of the quality of sound and observing the way it affects the individual.
External sounds are the ordinary audible sounds, for example, the sound of your voice, or the sound of an instrument. That is, it may be ‘gross’ or in Sanskrit ‘ahat’. To describe what internal sound is may be difficult in that it is outwardly silent, or “subtle” as coming from your core being, arising inwardly. The Sanskrit word is “anahat”. When a sound is produced, it happens through striking, but anahat is a sound which is not produced through any striking. It is spontaneous
However, to reach the superconscious or transcendent sound, the process has to start with the experience from the external sound.
Our mind easily becomes absorbed in music. To start an experience of this absorption listening to soothing or soft music should relax and calm the mind.
Soft instrumental music for example the flute, or the sitar or New Age music is the exposure that encourages the unwinding of the mind. At this stage it is better not to listen to voices and words as these are too specific and distracting.
Focusing on the music for about fifteen to twenty minutes gradually prepares the mental state for tuning into the refined field where those who are initiates automatically find that their given mantra would take over and continually repeat itself. Eventually the ahat or gross sounds become muted and the anahat or subtle sound rises within.
There is a gradual shift from listening to the music and without realizing attention has shifted more and more to finer and finer sounds within., thereby merging with sounds coming from the ‘Anahat Chakra’ which is found in the region of the heart. .
The journey itself is pleasant and truly great are the benefits of Naada Yoga in respect to our physical, emotional and mental health. Listening skills improve, as one becomes sensitive not only to music and sound, but to the subtle emotions and energies within oneself and in others as well. One learns the art of listening.
The great Sufi teacher Hazrat Inyat Khan said,
Creation is the music of God.
In other words, the universe arose out of the music of God
He who knows the secret of the sounds knows the mysteries of the whole universe. A feast of heavenly music awaits those who can tune in.
Krishna with his eternally enchanting flute, Shiva with his rhythmic drums sounding the vibrations of creation and sweet Sarasvati with her melodious veena are all symbols that remind us of the heavenly quality of music.


Shanta Sawh is a singer in the classical Indian raga style who has been studying music for the past ten years. She lives in Toronto with her husband and family. She is Ammaji’s younger sister, and Ammaji thanks her for taking time to write this informative article.