June 17th 2026
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WellBeing Magazine
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Ancient cultures across the world have long believed human beings are made of far more than just their physical bodies. Thousands of years before Western medicine dissected cadavers, the yoga tradition was exploring the magnitude of this intangible, energetic landscape within us. They knew beneath the skin and bone was a far more subtle, yet powerful, reality. One that dictated our wellbeing in every way. Unlike anatomy which uses science to study the structure and organisation of our physical form, subtle anatomy looks at the physical as well as all the non-physical aspects of our being. Understanding the subtle body is based on the premise that we are not just chunks of matter with skin and bone moving around the world. Rather we are energetic systems constantly interacting with each other and our environment. Yoga offers diverse practices that help us manage our energetic systems, one of which centres around the profound impact of sound.
Everything is energy
“Everything is energy, and that’s all there is to it.” ~ Albert Einstein
Einstein said it best when he recognised what the yogis had always believed: that everything is just energy. This is why the yogis placed so much emphasis on managing our prana (energy) through sadhana or conscious spiritual practice. And why subtle anatomy asserts that the physical, mental and energetic parts of us are interwoven and interdependent on one another, so yogic practices embrace a multi-faceted approach offering methods such as asana, meditation, devotion, selfless service, breath, and sound. Yogic texts described the different models that sought to codify the subtle anatomy, so that we could be empowered to bring our energy back into balance through these conscious practices.
The chakras
One such framework is that of the chakras. It is said in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika that there are around 72,000 nadis, or energetic channels, that carry prana throughout the body. Of these, there are three primary ones: ida, pingala and the major pathway running along the spine, sushumna. In the framework, ida and pingala spiral around sushumna, intersecting at seven points known as the chakras, wheels or lenses through which we see the world. When the chakras are balanced, energy flows freely and we experience clarity, connection and ease. When they are congested, sushumna becomes blocked. This leads to stagnation, which can manifest as physical, emotional or mental imbalance. Yogic practices consciously direct energetic traffic along the nadis, keeping prana moving and the pathways clear.
The Bija mantras
One of the ways we can conduct the orchestra of our energetic traffic is through chanting. When working with the chakras, we do this by vocalising the bija or seed mantras. Each chakra has an associated bija mantra, and chanting the specific sound with each one is considered a simple but highly effective way to clear the gridlock. Chanting LAM for example can stabilise the root chakra, harnessing feelings of grounding, stability and safety. Chanting YAM is connected to the heart chakra, fostering courage, emotional release and love. We can work with one particular chakra that we recognise is out of balance or chant all seven to tune the whole system.
Vibration, sound and chanting
“What we have called matter is energy whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses.” ~ Albert Einstein
In addition to the bija mantras, there are many other forms of chanting prescribed in the yoga lineage that have proven to be powerful medicine. We see the power of singing and chanting across many religions, cultures and lineages, giving voice to prayer, accessing something sacred and intangible. It helps us feel what we cannot put into words and experience what is beyond the mind. Chanting is one of the most widespread meditative practices across the world, prevalent in diverse cultures and religions. It generally involves the repetition of a chosen phrase, word or syllables, while disregarding distractions. In yoga, bhakti is the path of devotion, and kirtan or chanting is the primary practice, repeating mantra or sacred sounds, deities or phrases.
Modern physics now echoes what the ancient traditions knew — that everything is made up of energy in the form of vibration. The physical world around us, which is made of matter, only appears solid because the vibrations that compose it are moving slowly enough for us to see them as form. However, the subtler parts of ourselves, our thoughts, feelings, breath, memories and experiences are also made of the same stuff , energy vibrating at a different pace.
Sound is just vibration travelling through the air as waves. When the molecules bump into each other at a particular rate, our ears detect a frequency that we call ‘sound’. Humans can hear vibrations up to about 20,000 cycles per second (cps), and different animals can hear more imperceptible sounds. Porpoises for example can perceive up to 150,000 cps, while cats can out-hear dogs.
If we think of the body as a symphony of vibrating energy, sound becomes a direct tuning tool, a way to re-harmonise the subtle body especially when life has knocked us out of tune. Sound sorts us out in ways that other methods cannot. There is increasing research and evidence supporting this, re-affirming that sound can shiftour neurophysiology in measurable ways. Tibetan singing bowl meditation has been shown to reduce tension, anger, fatigue and depression, while humming stimulates the Vagus nerve and regulates the nervous system. And chanting has been found to decrease stress and depressive symptoms, increase focused attention, increase social cohesion, and induce mystical experiences. It has also been shown to change brainwave patterns and increase activity in regions associated with empathy, connection and emotional regulation. When in doubt, when all else has failed, we may find humming or singing our little hearts out may be just what the doctor ordered. Well, perhaps they didn’t but the yogis sure did.
The art of listening
In a highly distracted world, where our attention is pulled in a thousand directions, energetic traffic is thick, it is challenging to see or hear clearly what is happening in each moment. We have mastered the skill of multitasking but lost the art of listening. We rarely focus on one thing for more than a moment, scrolling and swiping for the next dopamine hit. Our nervous systems are fried and overstimulated, so it is increasingly difficult to discern what is important from what is noise. Often the loudest voice wins, stealing our energy at the expense of the quieter meaningful things.
Learning to listen is one of the most potent practices available to us in the modern world. In the practice of nada yoga, or the yoga of sound, we observe how challenging it is to hear things, as they are, in the present moment. We sit in meditation, listen to external sounds, and observe a sound, maybe footsteps, a bird, or a car. We notice how quickly the mind wants to label it. As we practise listening without categorising, we learn to hear things for what they are, vibrations moving around in space. Harnessing our capacity to hear the world in this way allows us to see and hear things as they are, free from judgement.
Over time we listen more deeply, turn our focus inwards, and hear the quieter, more subtle sounds. Eventually we learn to listen to the most valuable voice of all, our consciousness, connected to our wisdom. Beyond life’s white noise, our inner voice that knows exactly what to do in any moment. If we go deeper still, we hear the anahata nada or unstruck sound, the sound of the universe before its creation. It may sound like a deep hum, chant or total quietude. Hearing the anahata nada, the Upanishads and Hatha Yoga Pradipika tell us, is the goal of yoga, said to bring about a state of complete peace.
Unity
The better listeners we become, the more connected we are to our inner compass, the greater capacity we have to unity in our lives. We live in a world where we talk constantly yet rarely listen. The Yoga Sutra teaches us to listen openly with curiosity, to stay in the grey space of not-knowing and to steep in ahimsa, or compassion as a starting point for all interactions. It suggests dharana, dyhana and pranayama which allows us to witness the patterns of our mind and breath. As we observe the pause between thoughts and breath, we can respond consciously instead of reactively allowing space for real understanding. When we listen deeply, to sound, breath, or one another, we are reminded that the essence of yoga is non-separation. We may appear to be individuals, but we are all made of the same stuff , woven together by a field of vibrating energy. Listening is a radical act of remembering our sameness, our connectedness and our vastness.
OM
One of my teachers, shaman and sound healer Gareth Mansell, once described OM to me as “The Great Eraser”. It can be seen as an accessible way to wipe the slate clean, interrupt negative mental loops and reset the nervous system. In yogic philosophy, OM is considered the primordial sound, the vibration from which the entire universe arises. In the Yoga Sutras, OM is equated with the divine, with consciousness, so to chant OM is to tune in to the underlying frequency of creation.
OM also contains the three qualities of nature, the Trimurti: Brahma (creation), Vishnu (sustenance) and Shiva (destruction or transformation). Every cycle in life follows these phases. To chant OM is to honour this universal rhythm at a vibrational, cellular level. Every cell feels it and softens our aversion to impermanence, reminding us that to be human is to be always moving through this cycle. The most potent part of OM, however, may be what comes after it: the silence. That silence, filled with vibration, is also said to be the doorway into hearing the anahata nada.
Uncovering peace
The thing I love the most about the yoga of sound is that it encourages the opposite of what the modern world mostly asks us to do. It teaches us that healing is not always found in doing more. Sometimes it isn’t complicated, it isn’t about working harder or applying more effort. Rather it is about softening. In the end, the yoga of sound reveals what the yogis have always known, that peace is not something we achieve, it is something we uncover. It has always been there, humming beneath the noise. We just need to be quiet for long enough to hear it.
A yoga practice for listening
This practice pulls our awareness inwards, and uses poses connected with each chakra as we chant the associated bija mantra in that asana. Chant them three times or more depending on how you feel. As you chant, close your eyes and feel where in the body vibrations appear. We close with an introspective child’s pose and nada yoga, inviting the experience of hearing the anahata nada.
Malasana
Set feet hip width or wider, turn toes out and squat, keeping soles of feet connected with the earth. Allow the spine to coil forward supporting head with hands or sit with a tall spine. With awareness in the base of the spine, chant the bija mantra LAM.
Prasarita Paddotonasana
Standing with feet about a leg’s length distance apart, toes pointing straight ahead, fold forward taking hands to the earth or catching toes, ankles or calves. With awareness at the lower belly, chant VAM.
Ardha Matsyendrasana
Seated, legs extended, step the right foot to the outer edge of leftleg. Twist over to the right, hooking leftelbow over right thigh. Keep leftleg or bend leftknee and sit between heels. Bring awareness to the navel centre. Chant RAM. Swap to the other side.
Supported Matsayasana
Lie down with a block under shoulder blades and head, (or a pillow or bolster in absence of blocks.) Bring your awareness to the heart space and chant YAM. Either stay here, or if your neck is well and healthy, remove block under the head and take crown of head to the earth opening the throat channel. Bring awareness to the throat and chant HAM.
Balasana
Make your way to child’s pose, knees together or wide, toes together. Place forehead to earth or a block to feel connection of that space between your eyebrows firmly connecting to something. Chant OM. Listen to the silence after the OM. Stay here for as long as you need.
Seated Meditation with silent OM into Nada Yoga
Come to a seat. Close your eyes. Check that your jaw and face are relaxed and that your spine is tall. Place awareness to crown of head and chant a silent, internal OM, seeing if you can hear the internal vibrations.
Shift attention to the sounds around you. Observe how quickly you label things. Instead of making meaning out of each sound, listen and move on to the next. Hear every sound, the loudest, the quietest. Over time, see how far you can hear noise, then pull in and notice what you can hear close by. Turn inwards and listen to internal sounds. Can you hear your heart beating, your blood flowing? Sit and listen, perhaps hearing the anahata nada. Chanting YAM is connected to the heart chakra, fostering courage, emotional release and love.
This article is featured in Wellbeing Magazine Issue 222
The post Yoga of Sound appeared first on WellBeing Magazine.
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