A physician friend of mine once jokingly said that most of the time, doctors just entertain their patients until they cure themselves. While he was joking, there is an element of truth in what he said. The body is its own best healer. When balanced and harmonious, your body knows exactly what to do in any situation. One tool that can help you tap into the balance, harmony, and healing that is innately within you is sound.
The Mechanics of Sounds/Vibrations
Sound has been used for generations by most cultures to bring peace and balance. Beating a drum, playing a singing bowl, and chanting a mantra can all have a harmonizing effect. Listening to the sounds of nature can also have a healing effect on your well-being. A walk in natural surroundings can create a soothing effect through your entire physiology. Listening to different music at different times can be used to stimulate or soothe the mind and body. In Indian music, there are specific pieces known as rajas, which are played at different times of the day to align the rhythms and energies of the body with the rhythms and cycles of nature.
The Indian Vedic Science of Mantras has, for thousands of years, used a system whereby the vibrations of different aspects of creation can be reintroduced into an area of the body to restore the memory of wholeness in that area.
Here are some ways sound can help heal.
Get in Tune
Everything is sound or vibration. If you want to communicate with someone or something, get in tune with its sound or vibration.
Many years ago, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced the West to many fascinating experts in yoga and ayurveda. One of these was Balraj Maharishi from South India, who was reported to know the vibration of 6,000 herbs. When asked about this, he humbly responded that whenever he walked through the forest and came across a new plant, he would “ask” it what it was good for and attune himself to its vibration. Or, if he was trying to cure a particular illness, he would walk through the forest and “ask” who could help, until a plant would “sing out” to him.
Listen to Your Own Thoughts
Your own thoughts are vibrations, which become your actions and shape your life. It is said that if you want to know why your life is the way it is now, look at your thoughts in the past, and if you want to know how your life will be in the future, look at your thoughts now. If your thinking is negative and confused, you are creating turbulence in your physiology.
Worrying about something creates a negative vibration through the whole physiology, throwing everything out of balance. Making the sounds of worrying is one of the most harmful things you can do to yourself. Instead, try to keep your thinking calm and positive, creating a soothing, loving sound. Your cells will appreciate this and your body is more likely to stay healthy. Try thinking more from your heart and less from your mind. Sounds emerging from the heart have healing vibrations.
Chant Simple Sounds
There are special mantras that can be used for healing, but these are best learned from an experienced teacher. However, there are many simple sounds you can use that are quite effective. These sounds can be chanted silently or aloud. Chant them and direct the vibration to the area of imbalance.
The vowels are known as nonlocal sounds, meaning they will localize and harmonize wherever you direct them:
Aaa
Eeeee
Eye
Ooooo
Uuuuuu
Sounds containing consonants generally localize in a specific area:
Mmm—sinuses
Nnn—ears
Imm—eyes
Lmm—nose
Paam—stomach
Kaa gaa gha—throat
Yaa yu yai—jaw
Haa—diaphragm
Mam—reproductive organs
Maa—heart
Sssss—lungs and large intestine
Shhh—liver and small intestine
Who—spleen and gall bladder
Wooo—kidneys and bladder
Chant Chakra Vibrations
Consciousness transforms into matter at every point in the universe, but is most lively in certain places. On the body, those places are the chakras, which spin consciousness into matter. The chakras are energy centers positioned along the spine; clearing them so they can spin freely is an important part of spiritual growth.
Like everything else, each chakra has its own sound or vibration. Chanting these sounds either aloud or silently with your attention in the appropriate area helps balance the chakras. Each chakra has its own qualities, but by starting at the base of the spine and chanting for each chakra two to three times, you can create an overall harmony.
Lam—Root chakra (base of the spine)
Vam—Sacral chakra (behind the pubic bone)
Ram—Navel chakra (just below the ribs)
Yam—Heart chakra
Ham—Throat chakra
Ksham—Third eye chakra (between the eyebrows)
Om—Crown chakra (top of the head)
The Journey
Silence contains the potential for all sounds and therefore the mechanics for all healing. Mantras such as the Chopra Center’s Primordial Sound Meditation mantras are vibrations that take your awareness on an inward journey.
By making this journey on a regular basis, you begin to integrate this potential in your daily life. In the process, the mind and body gain a deep level of rest, and rest is how the body naturally heals itself. The memory of wholeness, health, and harmony begins to be restored in all levels of your life.