What Is Nada Yoga
Nada Yoga is the yoga of sound and aims at attaining spiritual union and bliss using sounds. It is one of the primordial spiritual sciences, the art of bringing about internal change through sound alone. Nada Yoga says that meditating on sound alone is a great way to realize the Self. This is simple, easy and accessible to any and everyone, regardless of age, caste, creed, religion or nationality. The term Nada Yoga is made up of two words – Nada and Yoga. Yoga means to join, to yoke or to put together with the Source of All Life. Nada, in Sanskrit, means sound. So, as the Supreme Being resides within all things, likewise there are many pathways to the Divine. Nada Yoga is one of them.
Nada Yoga is the way to the Supreme through Sound or Music. Many world religions and philosophies believe that life originated from Sound or Vibration. Once the mind is able to reach a plane of absolute silence and stillness deep within the hearts, one can hear this ‘Divine Music’. Hence we are able to traverse the path to the Source via the gateway of Vibration or the Path of Sound. Yoga mystics talk about outer sound, then moving to the ten inner sounds and, eventually, about listening to the One Divine Sound. It is also called OM.
The human mind is such that it very easily gets engrossed in sounds, proven by the fact that everyone, little children and animals included, love music. Once your mind is completely focused on something what follows is a feeling of inner bliss. Nada Yoga tells us that whether sound may be coming from outside or inside, whether it is gross or subtle, what matters is its effect on the mind and body.
The practices consist of focusing on deeper and finer sounds, by going to one’s inner realm of being from the outside. You consciously shift your awareness to inner sounds from the outside, all the while smoothly and tenderly coaxing the mind into calm, comfortable concentration and meditation. Nada Yoga is a very easy and very pleasant way of meditating since it is quite effortless. While meditating, one’s whole being, every cell of the body, is purified through sound. It is said by the ancients, whatever we focus upon, we finally become. For this reason, it is extremely important to have soft, light music and positive sounds for meditation.
