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.
We balance the body’s subtle energies and powerfully draw our awareness deep within, while expressing ourselves outward through the sounds we generate. This simultaneous inward and outward movement integrates who we are inwardly with how and what we are externally. It develops a willingness to be heard, unlocks creativity, and enhances self-acceptance.”
The self-generated sounds of toning are a natural breathing exercise. To make a prolonged sound, you must breathe fully and exhale in a steady, slow stream. Here is a simple exercise:
Stand in Tadasana (feet shoulder-width apart, firmly on the floor; arms at your sides). Inhale, raising the arms high above your head, gently reaching your hands toward the ceiling. Exhaling, lower the arms while toning AH. Find the pitch that feels best. Time the movement so that the tone is complete when the movement is complete. Do this five times, then stand in stillness and take in the effect.
The power of sound is that it makes us mindful of inner, subtler levels of vibration. Tension and relaxation, joy and depression, clarity and confusion have different vibrations. Whatever experience at the physical, mental, or emotional levels is the result of what is occurring at the energy level of vibration.
When you tone, introversion is deepened. At first, the vibration deep within the physical body becomes a focus while toning aloud. When the external sound is extinguished, the vibration continues, and the awareness of this subtle sensation continues to draw the practitioner into meditative stillness. Through respiration we are led to a deeper connection with the spirit.