Proper posture, which invariably implies proper symmetry, generates the optimal distribution of the spiritual and physiological effects of our Yoga of Sound practice, because underlying the symmetry of our posture are harmonic proportions — the same proportions that allow us to appreciate beauty in music.
A beautiful image from Christianity compares the body to a temple for the Holy Spirit. I like to say that, because temples and cathedrals have wonderful acoustics, this analogy is particularly significant in Sound Yoga. Interestingly, this image is more than metaphorical, as demonstrated by studying the golden mean.
THE GOLDEN MEAN — also known as the golden section, golden ratio, or Divine proportion — is a harmonic proportion that inspires us to identify with much of the beauty in art, nature, and the human body. The proportions of harmony, in other words, generate beauty. A wellproportioned body is beautiful because it is musical and dominated by the golden section.
The golden section is a ratio or proportion of 1 to 1.618033-988749895 . . ., which is designated by the Greek letter phi. It can be derived via a number of geometric constructions, each of which divides a line segment at the unique point where the ratio of the whole line (A) to the large segment (B) is the same as the ratio of the large segment (B) to the small segment (C). In other words, A is to B as B is to C. This occurs only where A is phi times B and B is phi times C.*
This ratio has been used by humans for millennia; the Egyptians incorporated it in the design of their pyramids. The Greeks, too, were familiar with this ratio, and used it to create beauty and balance in their architecture. Plato considered it to be “the most binding of all mathematical relationships, and the key to the physics of the universe.”
Renaissance artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, knew this ratio as the Divine proportion, and they used it to create beauty and balance in their artwork; da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper is a key example. The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was built using this proportion, which continues to appear throughout modern architecture, for example in the United Nations building in New York.
The golden mean is also found in the Bible, in the design of Noah’s ark, the Ark of the Covenant, and the colors of the Tabernacle. It appears throughout mathematics, in the shape of the earth, in plant spirals, in our DNA, in the solar system, in the shapes of dolphins and butterflies, and even in the behavior of the stock market.
The golden mean is still being discovered in numerous ancient cathedrals, temples, and mosques. With the spectacular acoustics in such places, sound not only carries clearly to every corner of the edifice, but seems to come alive with an otherworldly spirit. These structures were built to remind human beings of a supreme intelligence and power that was the source of their being. To enter such a holy place created a sense of awe, as though one were in the very bowels of the infinite.
For our purposes, the important occurrences of the golden mean are in music and in the proportions of the human body. The golden mean can be seen in the entire length of the human body, in the hand, and in the face. It has been found that a face that lacks the proportions of the golden mean results in health problems that can be rectified by orthodontic appliances. As an interesting corollary, the shape of the human ear is based on the golden mean, and so are the proportions of human teeth, both associated with sound, speech, and listening.
Musically, the tempered intervals listed in chapter ten are based on this Divine proportion. What is more, climaxes in musical compositions are often found to occur in a time sequence proportionate to the golden mean, at roughly the phi point (61.8 percent of the way through the piece). Mozart’s sonatas and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony demonstrate this, as does music from Bartók, Debussy, Schubert, Bach, and Satie. Key points in human aging and development, from gestation to old age, also occur in this Divine proportion. Reproductive processes in multicellular organisms follow this proportion so accurately that urban population growth can be predicted using it.
Joachim-Ernst Berendt cites German scholar Thomas Michael Schmidt on the prevalence of the golden mean in relation to the human body as follows:
“The navel divides the entire body length in the proportions of the golden section . . . The nipples divide the entire width of the human body with stretched arms in the proportions of the golden section . . . The knee divides the entire leg in the proportions of the golden section . . . The eyebrows divide the head in the proportion of the golden section . . . The elbow joint divides the entire arm including the hand in the proportions of the golden section . . . Inasmuch as the human body is structured by the golden section — by musical proportion, that is — one can call it a sounding work of art because its shape is dominated by the most perfect mathematical proportions. Thus it is entirely correct to say that, at least in terms of. . . anatomy, the [human] is meant to be perfect.”1
It is precisely these proportions in our body that allow us to appreciate music and distinguish among noise, bad music, good music, and sublime music.
ONCE WE UNDERSTAND the natural harmonies between our bodies and music, we can use our voice to give praise inside the temple of the human body and summon the energy of the infinite into this sacred space. When we turn our gaze to our interior and observe the abysmal darkness inside us, we realize that the body is not a solid structure, but an intense field of vibration with an infinite depth of resonance. This awareness allows us to sense the presence and substance of the soul. An oft-quoted statement from the German mystic Meister Eckhart sums this up eloquently: “Think not that the soul is in the body,” he says, “but rather that the body is in the soul.”2
Conventional Western postures of prayer represent attitudes and qualities of the heart that determine the relationship between our own soul and Spirit. Kneeling, for example, is a sign of humility — a visible submission to God’s greatness, and an acknowledgment of our need to align in loving relationship with this greatness. In the yoga tradition, posture is associated with the stabilization and flow of energy. By combining East and West — energy distribution and attitude of the soul — in our practice of the Yoga of Sound, we can create the ideal conditions for our inner journey.
In the East, calmness of the body is known to create calmness in the mind. This allows the yogi to prolong the period of meditation in comfort. Calmness allows us to view the very nature of the mind, rather than being preoccupied with the varying phenomena — the “mind stuff ” constantly arising within the mind field. As I mentioned before, Patanjali’s opening yoga sutra states that yoga is “chitta vritti nirodha — the cessation of the modifications of the mind.” When the flux subsides, the mind functions as a well-polished lens, through which we can gaze into the depths of the soul.
Proper posture also aids concentration, which is the ability of the mind to focus on a specific area with only one thought flowing continuously toward that single reference point. In order to sustain this one-pointed concentration with a minimum of interference from mental distractions, the body literally holds the mind in check by virtue of its own steadiness. Posture is therefore essential to creating the optimal conditions for yoga.
In the West, posture is first used to acknowledge the presence of God, and then to bring the self — the ego — into that presence. In the East, the process is reversed, beginning with the self and then expanding into the conscious realization of the Divine essence. Both approaches have the same objective. The yogic approach is especially important for us today because we often lack body consciousness. Most of our day is spent at a computer or in a car. Our minds, too, are furiously racing around, and dragging our bodies along for the ride. When our consciousness is awakened through proper posture, we notice a significant difference in our body-mind relationship.
At the outset of your practice, therefore, the first step is to determine where you are in relationship with your body. By bringing body and soul into harmony, you can gauge your relationship with the natural world and with the Divine. Samadhi, as we know, should include all levels and dimensions. Take a few moments at the start of your practice to become aware of your mental, physical, psychological, and spiritual condition. If you have been living the past few minutes, hours, days, or months disconnected from your body, you will know it. If you have gotten locked into a state of pride or arrogance, you will know it. If you are disturbed on some level of your being, you will know it. Based on this information, you can adopt a posture that helps restore balance and facilitates healing in these relationships.
Posture also provides us with stability and strength. Our spiritual practice should be built on a strong foundation that we can fall back on with trust. As we delve into our depths, we can then do so in the comfort of knowing that when we return to everyday consciousness, a secure home awaits us in our body.
The rich will make temples for Shiva.
What shall I, a poor man, do?
My legs are pillars,
The body the shrine,
The head a cupola of gold.
Listen, Oh Lord of the meeting rivers,
Things standing shall fall,
But the moving shall ever stay.
Basavanna, 820 B.C.3
MOST OF THE ASANAS of Hatha Yoga offer variations of how to stand, sit, or lie down. In the following exercises, I will introduce you to these three basic options, and offer you simple meditations involving all the elements of Sound Yoga. I will leave the twisting and bending to the expert Hatha Yoga teachers.
LYING DOWN on the floor is known as savasana, the corpse pose. Despite its dismal name, this is an important posture; we can use it not only to relax the body in preparation for our practices, but also to distribute the flow of energy generated by a single practice, a series of practices, or at the end of a session. The corpse pose is also ideal for deep listening meditations.
1. Lie flat on your back on a yoga mat, rug, or blanket. Stretch your legs out in front of you in a straight line. Briefly place your feet together to align your body symmetrically, then let them go slack. With your arms beside you on the floor, keep your hands slightly away from your body and facing upward. Relax your whole body and allow all your body energies to sink into the ground. When your body has attained some equilibrium, focus your attention on the movement of your abdomen as your body breathes at its own natural pace. As you focus on this simple movement, allow your body to become more and more relaxed. This is savasana. Now you will begin your Yoga of Sound meditation in this posture.
2. As you attune to your breath, introduce the mantra so-ham, using the syllable so on the inhalation and ham on the exhalation. The meaning of this mantra is simply “I am,” similar to the answer Moses received when he asked who was appearing to him through the burning bush. The so-ham mantra helps us enter the ground of our being, which my mentor Bede Griffiths describes as being present everywhere, in everything, yet always escaping our grasp. “It is the ‘ground’ of all existence,” he explained, “that from which all things come, and to which all things return, but which itself never appears.”4
Don’t underestimate the simplicity of the corpse pose. Famous South Indian mystic Ramana Maharshi had his spiritual awakening when he lay down on the floor one day and imitated his death in this position. The corpse pose expresses a depth of surrender and facilitates profound healing as we allow ourselves to be received into the earth’s bosom, merging our own energies with her force of gravity and returning to the ground of our being. In the spirit of the Upanishads, “The wise should surrender speech in the mind, the mind in the knowing self, the knowing self in the spirit of the universe, and the spirit of the universe in the spirit of peace.”5
In preparing for our Yoga of Sound practice, it is good to begin with an act of surrender that relinquishes our personal agendas and any preconceived notions of what our experience should be.
STANDING IN praarthanaasana* — the posture of prayer — is an amazing and wonderful method of balancing our energy. One advantage of this posture is that you can practice it almost anywhere — in a bathroom, or even a closet. It is particularly helpful if you need a moment to gather yourself or relieve tension during office hours.
1. Stand in an upright position, with feet together and palms joined at the heart in the namaste gesture; fingertips are touching lightly but the palms are slightly apart with space between the fingers of each hand. This is known as anjali mudra. Close your eyes, relax your face, and breathe evenly. Particularly relax your shoulders, and allow each section of your body to consciously relax, beginning with the top of your head and proceeding down toward your feet. In doing this, you are not only relaxing each section of your body along the proportions of the golden mean (since so much of the body is proportioned according to this ratio), but you are allowing the energies of each of these sections to flow downward into the earth, helping ground your consciousness in a place of depth. Rest for some time on the soles of your feet and experience the subtle shifts in balance from one foot to the other as your body naturally adjusts to hold the position. This awareness gently stimulates ida and pingala, the hot and cold spiritual meridians on either side of the body.
2. Draw your awareness into your heart-space, and follow the natural breath process in this region. If you find that your mind is distracted or uncoordinated, use your nostrils to breathe slowly and deliberately into your heart space, but keep your mouth closed. When exhaling, slowly release the breath through your mouth with a gentle “aah” sound. Regulate your exhalation in your throat so that the sound is not as pronounced as in regular speech, but more like an ocean wave — a soothing sound that releases tension and calms the entire nervous system. If you perceive emotional unrest in your body, you may exhale with a few throaty groans or sighs; follow these with a few ocean-wave “aahs.”
3. If unrest continues, exhale slowly and ride the sound “aah” on your breath, as though you were whispering it into the space in front of you. Allow your palms to move apart slowly and make room for your breath, allowing the winds of heaven to blow through them. Keep your fingertips facing skyward, the fingers slightly erect and comfortably apart. Separate your palms until they are comfortably at, or slightly beyond, your shoulder blades. If your discomfort is extreme, spread your palms wide apart to dissipate the energy. Be mindful of the energy between your palms as you work your breath and match your hand movements with the expansion of your lungs. Notice the emotional quality of your heart-space being transformed. “Open wide ancient doors; let him enter, the King of glory.”6
Inhale, breathing slowly and deeply into your heart space, as you bring your palms together at your heart in perfect synchrony with your breath. As your palms move closer together, it will feel as if you are compacting your breath. Consciously assimilate this compressed energy into your heart-space, then allow it to expand as you exhale. Work this contraction and expansion until you feel that you’ve eliminated all the tension you’ve been trying to release.
This repetition should replicate a musical performance on an accordion, filmed in slow motion. Your mindfulness packs presence and punch into the practice. Slowly resolve the movement to a place of stillness, your hands returning to the namaste gesture and pressing gently against your solar plexus. Breathe naturally and stay relaxed in this position for a short while, keenly aware of the spaciousness and depth created by the movement. Remain alert for any subtle sensations or movements that may register in your body awareness.
You will find that this practice helps release emotional buildup, such as after a tense business meeting or a heated conversation with a loved one.
THERE ARE THREE WAYS to sit for your Sound Yoga practice: cross-legged, between your heels, and on a chair. Having a woolen blanket or rug on the floor underneath you helps your practice feel more grounded. Meditation practices produce such a subtle quality of consciousness that it is necessary to balance this with a connection to the earth’s energy. This “grounding” makes it easier for us to continue with regular activities after our spiritual exercises.
If even sukhasana, the easiest version of the cross-legged posture, feels difficult, try sitting between your heels or using a prayer stool. As a last alternative, use a chair; this is a wiser choice than using an uncomfortable posture that generates improper flow of energy in the body.
One last word of advice: Please do not use your designated time for spiritual practice to develop flexibility in your legs or aim toward the ideal posture; this should be done at another time. Try to finish your stretches and muscle toning before you engage in Yoga of Sound practices.
THIS EASTERN WAY of sitting is difficult for many Westerners — sometimes even impossible, but there are many preparatory yoga stretches that can help make your legs more supple and allow for a more comfortable cross-legged posture. Your local Hatha Yoga teacher can help you achieve this.
Having researched postures for thousands of years, yogis claim that sitting cross-legged is the most conducive to the flow of life force (prana). This is because the base of the spine and the two points represented by the knees pressing toward the ground form a holy triangle that naturally collects and concentrates our body energies. Second, since the legs correspond to all pairs of opposites — male and female, rational and intuitive, hot and cold — their interlocking facilitates an inner harmony between these pairs.
The full-lotus posture is an advanced asana. It is not recommended for your practice of Sound Yoga unless you are extremely flexible in your legs or you are an advanced Hatha Yoga practitioner. Because of the damage you can do yourself through inexperienced application, the lotus posture has been deliberately omitted from this section.
The following are variations on the cross-legged posture. Choose what is most comfortable for you, and work with that position until you can naturally move on to the next. Don’t force a position; it is not worth sitting uncomfortably for your Sound Yoga practices. Be patient and allow your comfort level to evolve organically as you gain experience. There are two important guidelines:
1. Whichever cross-legged posture you adopt, be sure that your knees are at, or below, the level of your hips — never above them. A good indication of an imbalanced posture is that your knees will start to rise, or that your body wants to lean forward to restore balance. If necessary, use a cushion to raise your hips higher than your knees; it will give you the stability you need.
2. It is not a good idea to lean on a backrest or against the wall because an independently erect spine is the ideal conductor for energy in the body, ensuring its optimal distribution throughout our nervous system. If you have a spinal problem, consult with an experienced yoga instructor or physiotherapist. As you ease into the posture, you must be able to hold your upper body erect and relaxed; your abdomen should sit comfortably into your hips; and you should be able to relax your face and shoulders comfortably.
SUKHASANA, THE EASY POSTURE: Sit with your legs comfortably crossed and use a cushion to raise your buttocks until you can hold your spine comfortably erect with your hips higher than your knees.
SIDDHASANA (VARIATION), THE STABLE POSTURE: Pull your left foot close to your pelvis, then pull your right foot as close as you can to the front of your left shin so that both ankles are pressed against the floor. You can do this in any order, but make sure your feet are not placed one above the other. Ideally, both knees should be pressing against the floor. Prop a cushion under your buttocks if you are unsteady when trying to straighten your spine; avoid leaning forward.
ARDHA PADMASANA, THE HALF-LOTUS: This is a compromise on the full-lotus position. Pull your left foot close to your pelvis with your left ankle pressing against the floor. Pull your right foot onto your left thigh, as close as possible to your pelvic area; it may alternatively rest on your left calf or ankle, whichever is most comfortable. You might find your right knee off the ground. If this is the case, raise your buttocks with a cushion or folded blanket so that you can lower your right knee to the ground. Try the reverse order, as well, with the right leg under the left, to see if that works better for you.
VAJRASANA: This posture is excellent for the breathing practices you will learn in chapter thirteen. Yogis claim that it aids the digestive process immensely, and you might have noticed that the Japanese use it formally for dining. Sitting between your heels naturally draws your attention to the center of gravity deep in the abdomen, known as the hara in Japanese Zen. It’s an excellent posture for centering.
KNEEL DOWN with your feet sufficiently far apart to accommodate your buttocks, then gently ease your buttocks downward until they rest comfortably in the air between your heels. Take some time to allow your lower torso and all the energies in your abdominal area to settle into your hip and buttock region. Advanced practitioners may spread their heels wide enough for the buttocks to actually touch the ground. The upper body is held in balance by the hips and the base of the spine, which must be held independently erect. Next, relax your upper torso, upper chest, and shoulders, allowing the energies in these regions to find stability and balance in the abdominal area, which in turn finds its balance in the pelvic region. Rest your palms on your thighs and ensure that your arms are relaxing at the most natural angle for your position. Once you know that your hands, arms, shoulders, and entire upper body are relaxed, begin to relax your head and face.
USING A PRAYER BENCH: If you find it difficult or painful to sit between your heels, you may use a prayer bench. This simple device allows you to sit in vajrasana without putting pressure on your heels. The bench takes all the weight of your body, leaving your heels free and relaxed.
YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL ashamed of sitting on a chair, as you can still derive most of the benefits offered by Sound Yoga by using one. Just remember to place the chair on a woolen rug or blanket so that you feel grounded.
THE CHAIR OR STOOL should be neither too high nor too low. Ideally, your thighs should slope downward slightly. Position your buttocks in the middle of the seat for the best balance, or move a bit closer to the edge for more spinal alertness.
WHATEVER YOUR POSITION, remember to check the symmetry of your body from time to time and make the necessary adjustments to maintain a natural state of balance. Verify that your weight and energy are evenly distributed throughout your body. It is natural for the body to shift its weight subtly in response to movements of energy that take place during Sound Yoga practice. Monitor these shifts, and channel your body responses with poise and grace.
Take care not to force your body into rigid postures of equilibrium — a common error among meditation practitioners. Sometimes there is a tendency to remove oneself from one’s body and objectify one’s posture, trying to “look good” from the outside. Tension may result. The only tension in your body should be the concentration of energy at the base of your spine and upper thighs, on either side of the genitals; this tension allows you to consciously experience and channel the subtle currents of the life force through the chakras located along the spinal cord. Consequently, if the spinal cord is not held erect and relaxed, these currents of energy may be dissipated or may fail to be channeled toward their highest potential. To simplify the process, once your body is aligned keep your head comfortably balanced; avoid stooping or looking up. Remember to constantly relax your face, shoulders, hips, and pelvis.
* For a thorough understanding of phi and the golden mean, visit http://goldennumber.net, a fabulous Website created by Gary Meisner.
* Praarthana means “prayer.”