Nada Yoga means “union through sound”. It is the ancient spiritual art and science of inner transformation through sound and tone. Meditation on sound is one universal path to Self-Realization, accessible to anyone, and appropriate for people of any religion or spiritual aspiration.
Continue reading Music Therapy: Nada Yoga – The Yoga of Sound
Marcia Goldberg has led workshops and trainings on Yoga, meditation, spiritual attunement and self-discipline throughout North America for more than 20 years. The unique combination of sound and postures that she has developed combines her many years of personal experience and study in the field of Yoga with the science of the power of sound.
Continue reading Music Therapy: Applying Self-Generated Sound in Yoga
Breathing is a basic human need. We can exist only minutes without breath. And so the arts of Pranayama, chanting, toning, and singing all derive their power from a basic and elemental human function. “I love this connection of sound and spirit: by uniting sound and breath, we release physiological tension in specific areas, induce relaxation, energize and promote deep breathing with prolonged exhalations.
Continue reading Music Therapy: The Connection of Sound and Spirit
Toning is the creation of extended vocal sounds on a single vowel in order to experience the sound and its effects in other parts of the body. No melody, no words, no rhythm, and no harmony – just the sound of the vibrating breath.
Our mind easily becomes absorbed in sound. This is why everybody – even infants and animals – enjoys listening to music. When the mind is fully concentrated on anything, there arises a feeling of inner bliss. In Nada Yoga, we learn that the source of the sound may be external or internal.
U can be used for the pelvis, hips, legs, feet, and lower body in general, O for the lower trunk and abdomen area from the solar plexus to the groin. A is for the chest cavity, heart, and the body as a whole. E is for the throat, upper chest, and head regions. I is for the back, skull and head regions.
The voice has a tremendous ability to be an instrument for healing. Pythagoras recognized the considerable therapeutic power of human speech. He treated diseases through the reading of poetry. He taught his students how a skilful, well-modulated voice, with beautiful words and pleasing meter, could restore balance to the body and soul.
Continue reading Music Therapy: The Healing Aspects of Toning
There are many vowel sounds in the human language, For toning we begin by focusing on several principal sounds. Remember, this is not a list of universal truths, just some traditional suggestions.
There is enormous research globally on the effect of structured sound on the unborn child. It has been proved that the fetus responds to sound from the 24th week of pregnancy. While sounds are greatly altered as they pass from the outside world to the ear of the fetus, there is more than sufficient stimulation to be heard in the womb.
Continue reading Music Therapy: Music, the Foetus and Vedic Chanting
The purpose of toning is to restore the vibrational pattern of the body (physical and subtle) to its perfect electro-magnetic field so that our spiritual essence can manifest more fully in our physical environment.