“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” – it is a well-known beginning of Gospel of John. Word – is the primary vibration, sound. Thanks to scientists-physicists, nowadays we know that everything in this world is vibrations or waves. Each particle of the material world is vibrating, and according to Nikola Tesla, all interconnections between particles and phenomenon are established and supported by various kinds of resonances (from the Latin resono – I sound in response, answer), i.e. consistent vibrations. This applies to the human body and its parts, as well as human community and the nature in general.
Sound is also a vibration that has a strong impact on the human body, including the brain. No wonder that from the earliest times in Vedic Culture the sound and singing has been the shortest way to God. And the way to God – is yoga. However, first things first.
Yoga practice is the path for healing and recovery
Yoga is the science of achieving integrity, that is, the reunion with the Divine Principle. In the words of N. Tesla, yoga is the science of attaining the state of resonance with the primary vibration. And that is impossible without healing, i.e. re-harmonization, coherence of all human vibration emanating from both the body and the mind.
In fact, Patanjali Yoga is a «broad-spectrum»therapy, ie the practice of healing from all the pain, which results from the illusory separation from the Source. According to the classical concept of yoga, the separation (or dissociation in scientific words) is the root of all human problems. In simple terms, if a person lives in the duality of «good-bad», he inevitably gauges, makes judgments, thus setting himself up for failure, when reality does not meet expectations about «good». Generally speaking, the main point of yoga practice is about developing the ability to accept and feel the unity and interrelation of all processes around, i.e. to develop the ability to be happy regardless of any external circumstances. When it comes to hatha yoga practice, i.e. working mainly with the physical human body, the key to the real success the acceptance. If we struggle with your body — it reflexively struggles with us. Only acceptance, putting up with its specifics, whether it is a weakness, woodiness or hypermobility, makes us grow in practice. Humility, or acceptance, in this case does not mean to give up doing something; it is about freedom from the expectations, or in Patanjali’s words — vairagya (detachment).
«Divide and Conquer» vs «Accept and Love»?
In modern society, a man is prone to analysis, in other words, to the separation;and this habit is inadequately exaggerated. From childhood, we are taught to think and analyze, but no one teaches us to feel, that is to perceive things holistically, without analysis, paying attention to their resonance inside us. In medical terms, the vast majority of modern Western people has a dominating left hemisphere, which is responsible for analytical thinking. Just have a look at the medical advances of the last decades. Analysis, analysis, analysis – to separate everything to the smallest components — and a very rare synthesis after. As a result, as many big heads of medicine say, that is a dead end. We hit up against the fact that medical treatment is based on the market laws «demand breeds supply.» And consumer demand is extremely primitive, «Doctor, do something against the pain.» That is a result of our left hemisphere life credo — «divide and conquer!»
Continuing with terms of neurophysiology, we clearly lack for right brain associative, or holistic, perception. This is exactly what let you to accept things as they are, without analysis and evaluation. It is a known fact, that the physical body and the mind are not just related things — it is an integral, absolutely indivisible whole. However, if you focus only on the external side, without feeling, this the whole can be divided, what results in the dissociation of personality to some extent;and this state is the opposite to yoga. That is the greatest danger in the sport approach to hatha yoga practice, when mastering asanas (i. e. only physical forms) is put at the forefront.
The purpose of asana practice is not just to prepare the body for a long meditative work and pranayama. I am convinced that the purpose of practice is also to expand awareness through observation of physical feelings.It helps to understand the arising emotions caused by these physical feelings, and through the feeling –to become aware of deep beliefs (whether we are born with them, or acquire throughout life) behind these feelings. In view of general concept of yoga, asana practice should be a practice of integration, i. e. connecting to different aspects of ourselves that we do not realize and accept, or deny, considering them as «wrong», «ugly», «illogical» and so on. This means — to pay a close heed to the quiet voice of the soul and learn to love yourself, for to master the art of love for your neighbor, accepting him/her as he/she is.
Song of the Lord
Let’s go back to the beginning. In the beginning there was… was the sound. Figuratively speaking, however, in unison with quantum physics postulations, all things in existence–are the song of the Lord. And since we are created after the image and likeness of God, then we are supposed to «sing.» Not necessarily in the ordinary sense of this word, but to become co-creators, to create a beautiful world, above all, bringing peace to the soul. Any sounding — is the right hemispherical practice, which helps to turn to the world of feelings, to the integral perception of ourselves and reality, to the world of acceptance. Through the feeling, we expand the boundaries of our consciousness and awareness and become truly harmonious.
How do you think, why people moan being hurt? Because moan — is an appeal for help, and it has the answer already – the help itself. The sound of our voice – is a vibration, which tunes in our body balanced parts. Sound is the amazing power, and we cannot hide from its effects, even with ear plugs, as a vibration, it penetrates and resonates in all body-cavities. No wonder, in all religious sacraments,there is a sounding in one or another form. Dr. Alexander Danilin wrote in his book «The tablet from death», «fading sounds are the first symptoms of death desire.»
The sound in its essence is a self-statement. I live, therefore I sound. However, the vast majority of people has a so-called «stress of sound» being afraid of our own voice, its open and lingering sounding. Non-acceptance of our voice means separation from it. Each person has an absolutely unique voice timbre as a fingerprint. The voice fully demonstrates both our uniqueness and our similarity, unity with other people. Perhaps that is the reason why we pay so much attention to the sound in hatha yoga practice.
HA + THA = LOVE
Therefore, yoga is the science and art of achieving integrity, and, above all, intrapersonal integrity. This is also about harmonization of the cerebral hemispheres, and the ability to understand your feelings and to be honest with yourself, even when it is unpleasant to you to realize something, that makes you to leave the comfort zone. The principles of «ha» and «tha» could be rightly associated with, respectively, the left- and right-brain processes of our psyche. They are interrelated, though there are some distinctive features, and as a result of a harmonious hatha yoga practice, there is a balance of them.
During group classes of hatha yoga, or any other direction, we usually sing three times mantra «Om» to tune into the practice and at the end of it. Internal work in asanas should be performed in silence, in a state of full concentration on the breath and sensations. This is true. However, we are often caught in trap of our restless mind and cannot go deeper into asana, beyond physical sensations. In this case, a deep reservoir of the feeling remains inaccessible to our perception, and asana loses at least a part of its essence.
If we venture to vocalize sensations experienced in asana, and then listen to the silence that follows the sound, we can experience a more quick relaxation in flexibility asanas, and we find extra source of stamina in the sound performing power asanas. In addition, we are slowly getting used to love our voice and connecting with this aspect of ourselves. It activates the right brain, teaches us to feel, trust our feelings, so leading us to the harmony of our body and soul.
In addition, sounding in asanas is also a step in the direction of Nada Yoga, the yoga of fine (internal) sound. Sixty-sixth sloka Hatha Yoga Pradipika says: «A Nath yogi believes that there is away suitable for everyone, named, Laya to Nadia (yogi’s mind becomes absorbed in the inner sound)», and further we find in the comments: «The sound is known as Nada … […] Nada has a creative power of the higher consciousness. It exists in every individual consciousness, and everywhere in space. […] When the mind follows the sound, it becomes absorbed by this sound. There is a unity of consciousness and energy, it is yoga.» However, the practice of Nada Yoga is very special, and work with a sound in asanas only makes us closer to it, especially if we learn the art of silence and listen attentively to the silence, preceding the sound and following it.
Combining physical work in asanas with the sounds and being aware of feelings, connecting the right and left hemispheric approaches to yoga practice and life in general, we find ourselves on the path of evolution from homo sapiens (thinking man) to the homo amans (loving man).