Nada Yoga - The Musical Meditation

Have you ever wondered if music can be related to yog? Well, yes definitely!

We all love to listen to music and play our favorite songs in a loop. Each song has a different mood and feeling attached to it. It hits the right chords in our minds and brings a sudden change in our mood releasing our stress or anxiety. So what if we combine this power of music with yog.

Yog has plenty of benefits. You must have seen people practicing yoga for fitness, a healthier lifestyle, and even peace! Music, on the other hand, acts as an instant stimulant for most of us. This fact wasn't hidden from our ancestral rishis and gurus, which is when the practice of Nada Yoga came into form.

In this article, we will try to explain what Nada yoga is and how it is related to music. So, strap off your headphones and be ready to listen to the music within you.

Nada Yog is an ancient form of yoga, its origin lying in India. Its uniqueness lies in one and only one principle, that is, “the entire cosmos, and everything that exists in it, consists of vibrations''. It’s not the matters or particles that form the cosmos, but the energy of these vibrations, and these special vibrations are called nāda.

Nada Yoga is all about sounds and vibrations. It is the knowledge of the quality of sounds and how it affects people.

It consists of two different aspects:

• Anahata

• Ahata

Anahata is related to healing oneself from the inside, while

Ahata is healing oneself from the outside.

Let’s learn about these two briefly.

Anahata

1. Anahata refers to the vibrations within.

2. These vibrations are tied to one’s self so uniquely that the person cannot share these vibrations with another human being.

3. The inner sounds are so sacred that if once touched, it will open the practitioner’s chakras in a way that it will unite the body to the cosmos.

It is said that if you focus on the silent vibrations of yourself and learn to control your breath properly, then according to nāda yoga, you can listen to your Anahata, your inner sound.

Ahata

1. Ahata refers to the vibrations from the outer world.

2. The mind is attracted to different types of sound, In Indian music; these forms of sounds are called the Ragas.

3. Through outer music, we can tune our mind to the finest of the vibrations and transcend to the divinity of the cosmos.

Now, you must be curious about subcategories under Nada yoga as mentioned in the Vedas.

Yes, it does have four!

The Vedas have generously described the four stages of sound:

• Para nada

• Pasyanti

• Madhyamaka

• Vaikhari

It is said that a practitioner’s ability to experience these levels of sounds depends on the refinement of his/her Aatma, awareness, and consciousness.