Nada yoga

Nada means the flow of sound and Yoga means Union. Nada Yoga is the process of the union of the individual mind with cosmic consciousness through the flow of sounds. It is the Union of the body and mind and the expansion of atman (individual self) to the nada brahman (universal self). Nada Yoga is a science of inner transformation through the power of sound.

Nada yoga is the conscious use of sound vibrations, like chanting, mantra and musical resonances to treat various spiritual and psychological conditions.

Nada yoga is the path of listening to the inner sound. When yogi totally merges with these inner silent sounds gets connected with cosmic consciousness the absolute truth. Aim of the nada yoga is to listen to this inner subtle, unstruck sound which was presented even before the first sound struck. That sound is still existing and is the ultimate source of all creation existing at present. This first subtle vibration is still existing and resonating through each and every vibration that had arisen since the beginning.

Peace and tranquillity will only be experienced when we feel who we are beyond the body and the fluctuating mind. In other words, when we meditate beyond the cyclic rising and falling of manifest OM, then we begin to contact our true nature.

Our real nature is silence. The sound of inner silence is called nadam (inner music). It is known as the unmanifest fourth aspect of OM or Turiya. Nadam is the great cosmic vibration that exists in the form of vibration when we are chanting. Chant mantras and remain still you will hear a silent echo pulsating inside and outside the body. When we meditate and contact inner nadam our minds become quiet and our real nature shines forth.

In ancient times, music and words were used to gain the spirituality aspect in the human consciousness the whole purpose was to lift the spirit beyond the worldly affairs and come to the realisation of seeking the truth In the modern age music and words are only used to please the mind instead of tranquilizing the mind.

The origin of nada should be traced back to the Vedas.

The Vedas are a collection of hymns in the Sanskrit language. it is one language where form and sound are connected. In English for example, if you say “sun” or “son,” in utterance it is the same, only in spelling it is different. What you write is not the criteria. The sound is the criteria because today modern science is proving to you that the whole existence is just a reverberation of energy. There is a vibration, there is bound to be a sound. The whole existence on one level is in sound form.

When you realize what sound is attached to a particular form, you give this sound as the name for that form – now the sound and the form are connected. If you utter the sound, you are relating to the form – not just psychologically, but existentially, you are connecting with the form. If you have mastery over the sound, you also have mastery over the form.

Knowledge of nada is rooted to the practice of Vedas as a language and took many different forms. Later on sages mastered the knowledge of sound by studying the Sama Veda and other Vedas and wrote many various understandings on the sound which can help to lift the human consciousness. They introduced different concepts associated with the sound in the cosmos and how we are nothing but sound and vibration, every atom in this space is composed of 99.9 % emptiness. This emptiness is nothing but vibrations and sound.

We know that deep-rooted knowledge of Vedas was existing in the Indus valley civilization. Archaeological discoveries at Harappa in the Montgomery district and Mohenjo-Daro in the Larkana district, besides other sites in the Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan make it abundantly clear that several centuries before the period of the 'Rigveda’. History of nada cannot be really known by mankind because it is dated even before mankind can date things.

Well, the understanding of nada kept on changing and creating various traditions and scriptures to explain and forward this knowledge of nada. Right from the Rig Veda to Upanishads, to hath yoga, Bhagavat Gita, Puranas, tantra, everywhere nada is been mentioned. There is a lot of knowledge still unknown and lots are not placed together to know better about nada yoga. Still, in some areas the concept of nada is a mystery.

The major musical instrument referred closely to human consciousness is the veena instrument. It is also mentioned in the Sam Veda and goddess Saraswathi carries that instrument.

There are many scriptures where nada yoga has been mentioned but it is difficult to gather their link together in this time of understanding. I will list some of the scriptures and quote their teachings to get a glimpse of nada yoga: “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, “Vijnana Bhairava Tantra” and “Nada-Bindu Upanishad”.

The nada yogis believe that the five elements, five karmendriyas, five jnanendriyas, the fourfold mind and the three Gunas have evolved out of one eternal sound. It means that Prakriti, the material, mental, psychic and intellectual universe, is all an outcome of nada Brahma. This is the ultimate belief of all nada yogis.

Nada yogi believes in a reality which has manifested itself in the form of vibration. It is a vibration that either does not vibrate at all or at such a high frequency that it is beyond the reach of the human faculty. The eternal or original nada has the highest rate of frequency and vibration. When any object vibrates at a tremendous and unimaginable speed, it becomes still. It means that the highest point of motion and vibration is stillness.

Nada yogis contend that everything in the universe originated and evolved from the eternal and infinite nada. In this context, a study of the Upanishads is recommended, with special reference to Nada Bindu Upanishad and Hamsopanishad.

Music is also a materialized form of nada and the movements of prana in the body are also nothing but the expressions of nada. The purpose of nada yoga sadhana is to find out the primal, the finest, the ultimate inner sound - the word or shabda. In order to discover this transcendental and non-empirical sound, the process starts from the external gross sound. From there the ultimate form of sound is conceivable only through going into the deeper realms of our consciousness.

Ancient Indian teachings say the whole world emerged from the original sound: the sound of creation. Nada Yoga is a metaphysical system that is based on the belief that the entire cosmos and all that exists in the cosmos, including human beings, consists of sound vibrations, called nāda. It is also a philosophical system, medicine, lifestyle and form of yoga.

Nada yoga is a union of the self through the sound. Mantra harnesses the power of Nada Yoga, as does the vibrational energy of instruments such as the harmonium or the Tibetan singing bowls.

Nada yoga of sound involves becoming aware not only of audible frequencies but also of frequencies that are inaudible to our ears. Nada Yoga is described as the most immediate path for reconnecting the human being with the divine core of his or her being. Nada Yoga is considered to be an essential component of all yoga disciplines. Hath Yoga Pradipika describes it as one of the most powerful and fruitful meditation techniques to calm the mind. After describing the practices for yogic development such as asanas, pranayama, shatkarmas and bandhas, devotes much of its final chapter 'Samadhi' to the practices of nada yoga

Nada yoga is one such type of yoga which is also referred to as ‘musical meditation’. It is divided into 2 parts – Anahata and Ahata. Anahata refers to the internal aspect whereas Ahata refers to the external aspect of Nada yoga.

What is anahata nada? No one has been able to tell even till this day. Some say that is the cosmic sound of Om. Others say it is like Brahmari, a sound resembling the unceasing and unbroken sound of the honeybee. Some say that it is the beat of the heart.

Anahata derives from 'an' + 'anahata'. 'An' means 'no', 'ahata' means 'that which is striking, hammering or beating'. Therefore, anahata means 'no beating or striking of two things'. Usually, a sound is produced by two things striking against each other, but anahata is a sound which is not produced by striking. It is spontaneous and automatic. Anahata also means 'without any limit, without any boundary,' or 'without any specification'. It is a sound upon which no limits can be put. It can be any sound without a strike.

Anahata sounds (or the melody) are the mystic sounds heard by the Yogi at the beginning of his cycle of meditation. This subject is termed Nada-Anusandhana or an inquiry into the mystic sounds. This is a sign of purification of the Nadis or astral currents, due to Pranayama. Anahata Sound, called the sound of the nada Brahman, emanates from this center. Significantly, Anahata Nada is the unstruck, mystic sound that occurs spontaneously and is not the result of striking or beating certain things. Depending upon the intensity of a seeker concentration and the level of his mental purity, Anahata Nada can be distinctly heard in deep meditation, paving the way for the seeker evolution to the highest level of consciousness.

Anahata Nada also forms the basis in all the six chakras or plexuses located within the sushumna that extends from the base of the spine to the crown of the head brahmarandhra or the tenth door. Since the lower three chakras muladhara, swadhishthana and manipura are dominated by the tattvas earth, water and fire respectively, Nada is not clearly heard in these.

Anahata chakra, which corresponds to the cardiac plexus in the physical body, is the center of Vayu Tattva.

Anahata Nada manifests itself in different ways ranging from the sound that is similar to the beating of the waves of the sea to the deafening peals of huge bells and the holy sound of the conch. When the seeker hears the sound of the flute, his entire being is permeated with Divine bliss and he loses body-consciousness; the sound of the kettledrum bestows the seeker with powers of clairvoyance and the ability to see distant objects. But the nada that leads the seeker to the ultimate goal of yoga, Nirvikalpa Samadhi, is the meghanaad, the sound of thunder.

TEN KINDS OF SOUNDS

Nada that is heard is of 10 kinds:

• the first is Chini (like the sound of the word Chini);
• the second is Chini-Chini;
• the third is the sound of bell;
• the fourth is that of conch;
• the fifth is that of Tantri (lute);
• the sixth is that of Tala (cymbals);
• the seventh is that of flute;
• the eighth is that of Bheri (drum);
• the ninth is that of Mridanga (double drum) and
• the tenth is that of clouds, viz., thunder.

In yoga, it is taught that the sound of anahata nada can be represented as Aum or Om, the sacred syllable and revered bija mantra. This is the sound from which the whole universe emanated and represents the fundamental oneness of all creation.

In Kundalini yoga, it is said that the goddess of kundalini shakti embodies anahata nada. She is portrayed as a serene goddess, cantered on her selfless spiritual devotion. Her energy, and that of anahata nada, is upward moving.

A sound which proceeds from a cause which like speech, they consider being an accident of air, occasioned by percussion. To reproduce the ahata sound, clap your hands together forcefully and listen to the sound or blow air into a flute and listen to the sound.

Shabda-Brahman is a term expressing the Way and Means of Projection of the universe or by other words the creation/becoming of a universe out of/by/through the Word/Sound/Vibration. The Sanskrit term Shabda-Brahman corresponds in this context to Christian Word – “Out of Him comes everything”.

The projection of universe “started” with the initial/first Sound/Word/Resonating Vibration from which proceeded all the next projections/manifestations/diversification – by other words all the next vibrations/sounds. (The Big Bang sounded/resonated)

When speaking about the cosmos based on human cognitive capabilities (seeing it from our site) the Shabda-Brahman is the first/initial Name and Form of the universe. From the Shabda-Brahman proceeds all the next names and forms. That is the power of the name framing the forms (the vibrations framing the matter) – the Namashakti.

Shabda-Brahma is when God manifests as shabda (sound as well as a word). We have Nada-Brahman for sound so I'll consider the word as Brahman. If we look at it that way then every and all literature that we read with devotion is Shabd-Brahman. If you read Vedas with devotion, that's Brahman as shabda in front of you. If you read Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta.

Shabd is made up of Akshara (one that cannot be destroyed) so Brahman in the form of Shabd is always present and always resonating in this creation and beyond. One just needs to get in tune with the melody of the Universe and Shabd Brahman will reveal Himself to you...

Shruti literary means something like “that has been heard”. Shruti in music refers to the smallest interval of pitch that the human ear can detect. To clarify the concept (for those who don’t know about music and acoustic), every sound has a Pitch (the pitch indicates the frequency/vibration of the sound and is measured in Hz). When the sound frequency change in a few Hz we are not able to detect with our ears this change in the tonality of the sound. If the sound change in Hz is higher our ear is able to detect the change of the tonality of the sound.

So Shruti refers to this small interval /range of frequencies.

In music theory there is the concept of Octave, that is the interval between one pitch (let’s say with the frequency =xHz) and another pitch having a double frequency (2xHz).

In the Octave, there are 22 Shruti. So, in the 7-note scale, there are 22 different “sub-note”, having different tonality from each other.

Swara refers to the sound that manifests itself, in Sanskrit grammar Swara refers to the vowels (that are the first manifestation of sounds from the language point of view), in music Swara refers to the musical notes, the “steps” of the musical scale in the Octave, each swara is separated from each other by an interval of 2,3 or 4 Shruti.

Nada is the “causal sound”, the “Sound”.

With the term Nada we can refer to: The Primordial Sound vibration, the omnipresent vibration that animates the universe.

“There is no song or music without Nada, there are no musical notes without Nada, there is no dance without Nada and the world is filled with the essence of Nada”.

So, we can say that: Nada is the “Primordial sound” and is present in the entire range of frequency, audible and not audible.

There are 4 stages of Nada yoga:

1. Vaikhari which means audible sound, struck sound that can be heard by the human ear. It is a sound of speech and song, the sound that is made when two objects strike each other. This is the grossest level of sound. Vaikhari sound is audible and producible.

2. Madhyama which means the mental sound that is a little more subtle than Vaikhari. This is when the subtle nada begins to emerge. It is just the stage before the actual articulation of the word. The sounding of the word maybe even non-existent in conventional terms but it still holds a presence to where the mind is going with the visualizing of the word and of what word one felt rising up from the Para. I relate this very much to breathing. Since one is not consciously aware of breathing during the activities of the day, the very same concept can be applied to how the word becomes just right before articulation. Where there is no effort of conscious thought to the ground meaning of a word.

3. Pashyanta which means subconscious sound, A visual sound, one that can be seen. A dream of music or a visualization of the quality of a sound. It is a form of intellectual consciousness and the clear cognitive textual representation that can be seen with one’s inner eye so to speak. The sound one makes when one speaks out loud is nada. However, one can say the word without speaking it. However, when one thinks about the word “Mandala, Mandala, Mandala”, apart from visualizing a circular shape, one is free to fill the Mandala up with how they see fit. It’s a gateway to the unconscious where one’s interpretation of one’s own mandala is a means to understand the self and even help through therapy. The words that we visualize can even change their pattern and taste throughout the years of experienced life.

4. Paranada which means transcendent sound. A transcendent sound with infinite wavelength, associated with the sound Om (or Aum). It is the final stage before samadhi, heard in a state of super consciousness. This is the anahata, the unstuck, or silent sound. Hearing this sound is a goal of practicing Nada yoga. The complete symphony which can be heard through this inner ear that is not physical. It may lie in the realm of imagination, and through this realm of imagination, one can see so many possibilities simultaneously. Is it a state of perfection? It may relate to it since we all have an inner state of perfect harmony if we explore ourselves deep enough.

Anahata nada practice: The best time to practice Nada meditation is between midnight and before 5 am, which is when the world is at its most peaceful.

• Sit in Padma or Siddha Asana, close the ears with right and left thumbs, and hear the sounds very attentively. Occasionally, you can hear the sounds through the left ear also. Practice hearing from the right ear only. Why do you hear through the right ear only or hear distinctly through the right ear? Because of the solar Nadi (Pingala) which is on the right side of the nose. Listen to the sound from the heart The Anahata sound. which is also called Omkar Dhvani. It is due to the vibration of Prana in the heart. listen to that sound of infinite. Merge with that sound of absolute with divine energy. Stay there as long as you are completely absorbed into it.

• Start the practice of nada yoga in the following manner. Plug both the ears. Take the consciousness to Bindu and try to find out or be aware of any sound that is internal. This internal sound may resemble anything. It may be like a cloud passing or a stream flowing, the sea roaring, or a bell ringing. It may also be the sound of a flute, the rhythm of a guitar or the sound of birds chirping in the evening at the time of sunset. It might be in the form of an awareness of the distant ocean or the sound of a thunderbolt. Or it might even be the vision of a starry night devoid of any sound.

• Close your eyes and mouth, cap your ears, and turn all your attention to the inner workings of your body — your inner cosmos. Concentrate on the right side of the head, near your inner ear. You may hear the chirping of crickets or a light ringing sound. As you listen closer, you may hear newer, more distinct sounds reverberating through your body such as the sound of the sea, the clouds, a waterfall, the mridangam, a bell, a nagara, a flute, the veena, or the humming of a bee. Merge with the sound and let it be. you can bring your conscious back to the breath whenever you feel comfortable.