The ancients saw the world as made up of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Similarly, I have broken the practice of the Yoga of Sound into five basic components: posture, breath, sound, movement, and consciousness. We will explore each of these five elements in the chapters that follow. First, proper preparation, combined with certain observances, will help you greatly in your Yoga of Sound practice; that is the subject of this chapter.
THE HINDU TRADITION holds three periods of day as conducive to yoga practice. The first two are sunrise and sunset; the third is the predawn hour. At dawn and dusk, with the merging of light and darkness, nature herself is in a yogic, meditative state. As night meets day, and day meets night, everything associated with these opposites merges into the ecstasy of yogic union: male and female, intuition and reason, hot and cold — all of these are in balance. We need only tune in. When we do, our cells begin to vibrate in sympathy with nature’s processes, and every part of our being becomes drawn into this prayer of yoga.
Hindus call certain mantras, yogic practices, and rituals performed at dawn and dusk Sandhya Vandhana. “Sandhya” means “to merge.” The same term is used in Sanskrit grammar to describe the merging of two or more consonants, an obvious connection between sound and yoga. The first three Vedic mantras provided in appendix one constitute an excellent Sandhya Vandhana practice.
The word “vandhana” means “to give praise.” At dawn, the rising of the sun and the gentle stirrings of nature awaken our energy and fill us with warmth. At dusk, the changing colors of the sky and the quieting of natural activity inspire a peace that draws us into the core of our being. For those of us who live secular lives, often beginning our day with resistance or anticipation of stress and returning home burdened with financial concerns or bruised from a rough day at work, it is good to enjoy nature’s help.
Another special time for prayer is the period preceding dawn. Known as the “nectar period,” this is considered one of the most auspicious times for yoga and meditation. Chemically and biologically, during this period between approximately 3:00 and 4:30 in the morning, a change takes place in hormonal and neurotransmitter secretions governed by the pituitary. Hormonal secretions shift from sleep-inducing melatonin to stress-inducing cortisol and serotonin. If this changing of the guard isn’t smooth, our emotions for that day can easily fall out of balance.1 Practicing yoga during this time, especially with chanting, helps smooth the transition.
The predawn hour is also coveted by yogis because of the purity of consciousness that manifests in the air at this time. Karmic impressions are almost negligible during this period, and there is a clarity of perception that is difficult to encounter at other times of day; it is akin to starting out with a clean slate.
If practicing yoga at dawn, dusk, or the predawn hour isn’t convenient for you, any time of day will suffice. But a dedicated time period is best. When you are developing a new component of your spiritual life, it is always good to set aside a special time, at least once a day, for your practice. Twice a day is even better. When we become accustomed to having a cup of coffee or a meal at a certain time of day, we naturally crave it when the hour arrives. It is the same with spiritual practice. Once we establish a habit for spiritual consciousness, we crave its undisturbed peace of mind. During this period, we find ourselves setting aside falsehoods and pretenses with natural ease and detachment. Our bodies, with their circadian rhythms, function like clocks. Being disciplined about the time of day for our practice, therefore, helps establish new grooves in our complex human mechanisms. Once established, it then becomes easy to access these grooves at any hour.
YOU MUST INVEST a reasonable amount of time in each of your mantra practices in order to absorb them. Once your body has learned and assimilated the effects of certain mantras, you can relinquish much of the conscious learning process and settle more deeply into the experience of yoga by employing breath control, yoga mudras, and movements either simultaneously or in sequential flow with your mantra practice.
Numbers have always played an important role in Hinduism, and most numbers have cosmological significance. The number twenty-one, for example, is considered especially significant in spiritual practice. The number three symbolizes wholeness (which comes from “holiness”), for example the many holy trinities. And the number seven represents perfection in differentiation; the seven chakras are a good example. So multiplying seven by three denotes a completeness that takes all the levels of consciousness into consideration. Hence, the optimal duration of spiritual practice is roughly twenty-one minutes. From the practical standpoint, this allows enough time to settle in, do your practice, and make a smooth return to regular activity.
When working with a particular mantra for a specific purpose, pick a certain number of days during which you will recite the mantra. During this period, say the mantra as often as possible. Alternatively, determine a set number of recitations to do every day. It is considered particularly effective to perform 108 recitations, especially with the Gayatri mantra. Other frequently used configurations are three days, seven days, and twenty-one days. Various teachers, schools, and subtraditions recommend other combinations, such as twenty, twenty-four, forty, or forty-eight days for certain mantras. This depends on the deity being invoked or the specific power desired from the chanting. I do not advise this level of detail for the general practitioner since particular rituals, dietary obligations, and restrictions apply within these contexts.
OUR ENVIRONMENT, particularly our immediate surroundings, is crucial to effective yoga and meditation practice. In our sterile, tightly controlled, synthetic world, we are generally out of touch with nature. We get so accustomed to our artificial environments that we sometimes forget how unhealthy they are for us. This is why we need retreat facilities, monasteries, and meditation centers to constantly renew our spiritual practice. But, for most of us, our spiritual practice takes place in the heart of our lives, where we live every day.
Because carving out a practice in the midst of our lives is difficult, we need to designate a physical location for our sessions, just as we allocate specific times for our practice. This location, to which we return at the same hour every day, develops energy around it. Each time we return to this spot and harmonize our energies with those of our environment, we fortify this energy field as well as our own, which then becomes stronger and stronger with the spiritual vibrations generated by our practice. The Bhagavad Gita says:
Day after day, let the yogi continually seek the harmony of the soul by mastering the mind in a secret place, in deep solitude, hoping for nothing, desiring nothing. When the mind of the yogi is in harmony and finds rest in the Spirit within, her soul is like a lamp whose light is steady, for it burns in a shelter where no winds come.2
Ideally, you will dedicate a small portion of your home to your Yoga of Sound practice — say four feet by ten feet. In the Hindu tradition, the northeast corner of the home or room is used for this purpose. It is called the devatharchanam, a place for honoring Divinity. This designated space serves to remind you of a space within yourself, unperturbed by the disturbances of the outer world. It is your sanctuary, into which you can direct all your processes toward their deepest resolution and fulfillment. As time goes by, this space will establish itself inside you, and you will become less dependent on the external space you initially created. It is this inner space that becomes your refuge at all times and in all places.
To make nature a greater part of our space, houseplants are excellent companions for yoga and meditation. Quiet fountains can help if you are living in a busy neighborhood or in the heart of the city. Good ventilation, cleanliness, and orderliness will greatly assist with your meditation and breathing.
Lamps, candles, icons, statues, and well-crafted artwork depicting gods or goddesses may be placed around the room for ambience. Stone, brass, or wood are recommended; stay away from synthetic materials.
SOUND IS THE MOST important factor in our practice, and we need to stay attuned to all its forms. What if we begin our practice and a neighbor starts using his lawn mower, or the garbage truck is operating outside? These distractions make gliding smoothly into the depths of our being difficult. Each time we are pulled out of our spiritual process, it will leave us fragmented. You can minimize distractions by turning off the telephone and turning down the answering machine. But if the time you have set apart for your practice is frequently infringed upon by external conditions that you cannot control, consider changing the time frame. Remember, our sensitivities become heightened many times over during Sound Yoga practices; we don’t want to spend most of our time fighting off disturbances.
If noise is a constant problem, headphones can be an asset, especially the noise-canceling type created by Bose or Sennheiser; these special headphones can filter out a lot of unpleasant frequencies, but they are also expensive. When necessary, I recommend that you use regular headphones to create a pleasant inner space with sacred music or nature sounds; use them only when you really can’t concentrate on your practice, because headphones cut you off from experiencing and working with the natural energy of your environment. Also, never use headphones when singing along with a CD, as it will affect the accuracy of your pitch. In general, I recommend a good, high-fidelity stereo system or boom box for playing cassettes and CDs to help in your Sound Yoga practice.
Ultimately, the best response to intrusive sounds is to include them in your practice; exclude nothing. Instead of judging the sounds or wishing they weren’t happening, accept them. Relax and observe their effects on your body. You will experience sensations and even visual manifestations as the sounds trigger energy movements in you. Breathe slowly, deeply, and audibly. Practice Brahmari Mudra (appendix four) if the noise is unbearable. Offer minimum resistance to the sound, and it will pass right through you. The more you resist it — especially mentally — the more your body will experience discomfort. Learn to allow your body to become permeable, like a transparent membrane. Visualize the sound waves passing through you and out of you. Become aware of spaciousness beyond the sound. Attune yourself to that vibration, rather than to how the sound affects you; this way, you will experience tremendous freedom and power.
THIS MAY BE OBVIOUS, but I remind my students that we are what we eat. The vibrations of our food become the substance of our bodies and our minds. This is why mass-produced meat products, which result from subjecting livestock to unnatural conditions and inhumane treatment, are not ideal for the yogic lifestyle. If you eat meat, try to get organic meats without any genetically modified ingredients.
Don Campbell, in his book The Mozart Effect, cites a study conducted at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. Based on closely observing more than 1,400 persons with inner-ear problems, the researchers concluded that hearing significantly improved in those who were given nutritional counseling and put on diets low in saturated fat, simple sugars, and table salt, and high in whole-grain cereals, vegetables, and fresh fruits.3
Following the yogic method of eating, I recommend reserving half your stomach for solid foods and one-fourth for liquids, leaving one-fourth free for air. This can be applied to all your meals, or at least two out of three.
Also, observe the coincidence between food consumption and the tone and clarity of your vocal expressions. You may find that minimizing consumption of dairy products frees your vocal expression immensely.
FINALLY, the ancient texts detail many guidelines for proper and effective yoga practice. I have augmented these guidelines with further ideas I’ve discovered through my own practice:
• Cleanse your body before beginning your Yoga of Sound practice; a shower is ideal. If you have showered recently, brush your teeth, or at least rinse your mouth three times with water. If an hour or two has passed since you showered, a quick wash of the face, hands, and feet is also highly recommended.
• When showering to prepare for your Yoga of Sound practice, shower consciously, mentally purifying your body, mind, and heart as the water washes over you. Join your palms in reverence at least once during your shower to invoke a sense of the sacred in your body.
• Wear simple, loose, comfortable clothing. Cotton, silk, and wool are good conductors of yogic energy.
• Light a stick of incense to create a sacred atmosphere in your dedicated yoga practice area. Smell is associated with the root chakra and can help connect our awareness to the presence of spirit in matter.
• Offer a flower or fruit to an image of the Divine that adorns your altar. This immediately places your practice in a larger sacred context.
• Sprinkle some water around your meditation seat or yoga mat, symbolically purifying your space and cleansing it of negative energy.
• Face east or north. These directions are traditionally considered most powerful for mantra recitation.
• Try to do your practice before meals. The process of digestion requires energy that should not be diverted from yogic pursuits.
• Perform a fixed number of recitations by using a set of mantra beads, or decide on a fixed amount of time for chanting a specific mantra.
• Use an asana, or yoga pose, with your mantra. Ideally, you will maintain the same pose for the duration of chanting a specific mantra.
• If you are using movement while chanting, keep your awareness centered in your body and your physical sensations.
• Try not to allow your eyes to wander. Keep them fixed on your altar or a scene of natural beauty outside your window, or close your eyes and choose a center of reference in your body.
• Vary your internal center of reference among the navel, the heart, and the head so that you can work with at least three distinct vibratory energies.
• Vary your chanting between the loud external repetitions, whispering the mantra on your breath, and sounding it internally. These dynamics will help awaken a wide spectrum of consciousness.
• Try to do your practice at predetermined times, at least once or twice each day. If you miss these times for any reason, make it up somehow, even if only for a shorter period.
• Try to maintain solitude while you do your practice. If people are around, avoid speech during your practice; it will drain away the energy generated by your mantra.
• Chant with intense devotion so that the process takes you into your depths.
• Use a notebook to keep track of your recitations and to make journal entries relating to your experiences. See “Fortifying Your Practice Year-Round” in chapter seventeen.
• At the end of your recitation, spend a few minutes to become aware of what the mantra has revealed. It may be an insight into a problem, a sense of peace, a resolution to a situation, a vision of spiritual beauty, a palpable feeling of intense joy, increased energy, a sense of well-being, or a profound awareness of the Divine presence. Appreciate and offer thanks for this revelation each time, whatever it may be.
JESUS’ INJUNCTION to “pray without ceasing” was taken to heart by the monks and mystics of Christianity. They, too, used mantras such as the name of Jesus, the phrase “Lord, have Mercy on me,” or Maranatha, which in Aramaic — the language Jesus spoke — means “Come, Lord.” An interesting anagram of this word is Ramanatha, which means “Lord Rama” for the Hindu. The devoted Sound yogi is also dedicated to chanting all the time, not only for him or herself, but for others, for the world, for people in need, for cultures in crisis.
The whole purpose of mantra shastra — the optimal times of day for chanting, suggestions for maintaining a sacred environment, appropriate diet, and so on — is to enable us to create a field of energy strong enough to allow the power of our prayers and intentions to affect our lives and the world. This becomes possible only when our energy is continually renewed through spiritual practice, because this same field can easily become depleted by life situations. It is the power of accumulation that helps us build a reservoir of spiritual energy in our body, our mind, and our heart. We then share this refined quality of energy with others through our relationships, our professions, and our acts of kindness in the world, all of which contribute to making our world a better place for everyone.