One of the yoga practices we teach in our Caribe Yoga Academy Yoga Teacher Training is Nada Yoga. According to the ‘Hatha Yoga Pradipika’, Nada Yoga is one of the most powerful and fruitful meditation techniques to calm the mind. It is an ancient Indian practice that uses sound vibrations and resonances to produce an inner transformation.
So what does Nada Yoga mean?
The Sanskrit word Nada can be translated as sound, tone or vibration, whilst yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ meaning ‘to unite’. Therefore, Nada Yoga usually means ‘union through sound’. According to the ancient Vedic texts, the entire cosmos and everything in it was created as pure vibration. This cosmic sound is called Nada Brahman and is the same sound vibration as the Om mantra. Nada Yoga is a sacred sound practice that turns your perception of hearing inwards to listen for the pure sound of your inner spirit.
The two types of Nada Yoga:
There are two types of sound in Nada Yoga: internal, or anahata, and external, ahata. By focusing their mind and controlling their breath, the practitioner is able to concentrate on external sounds that allows the mind to become quiet enough to hear the anahata sound. The anahata, which is often referred to as the heart chakra, is our own inner, unstruck sound that is inaccessible to others. It can take a practitioner years of preparation and practice to hear the sound of anahata nada. The first step of Nada Yoga is pratyahara, the fifth limb of yoga in the Ashtanga yoga system. Pratyahara serves as a foundation for meditation as it helps to turn off the sense organs and tune into the inner being. The practices of dharana and dhyana are also important in anahata Nada Yoga. Dharana means concentration or single focus in Sanskrit, whilst dhyana is the act of sustaining dharana for a few minutes. Most yogis will not have the time or dedication to reach this advanced level of yoga, but there is the external, or ahata, Nada Yoga practice which is accessible for any practitioner of yoga. This type of yoga can be practised by listening to soft, calming music such as relaxing instrumental music, while sitting in a comfortable meditation pose. The practitioner should focus all of their attention on the sounds of the music, the ahata nada. Once they become more aware of their inner sounds, the practitioner should concentrate on these instead. Once the meditation becomes more internal, the external music can be gradually turned down to allow the practitioner to focus on their inner sounds. For those yogis that are able to hear the sound of their anahata, it is often be perceived as bells, flutes or an electric hum. Sometimes these sounds are actual sounds from within the body, such as the energy of the nerves or the blood flowing through the veins.
Anahata and Ahata Nada:
Although anahata and ahata nada aren’t especially easy, practising listening with your full attention while simultaneously quieting your mind is a very valuable skill. Being able to discover, listen and focus through ahata nada can help to benefit you in many areas of your yoga practice and life. Music is an extremely powerful tool that can guide you along the path to self-realisation. This practice can help to heal the body and rebalance the mind. It works as both a medicine and therapy that helps people become healthy and happy individuals with a strong sense of well-being.
Nada Yoga, the yoga of sound, uses music and sound to connect to a higher state of consciousness that stills the mind. If you would like to learn more about this practice, consider signing up to one of our Yoga Teacher Trainings.
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