Naad Yoga

Music is considered as one of the ancient arts which is existing since the 'Satayuga'. In all the sacred epics - Rig, sam, purans upnishads, etc.,  It has been surveyed that people having interest in music has a kind of different attitude and behavior, which includes satisfaction, tranquility, and other positive vibes. In almost all the countries, music has been the source of worship,  as it expresses and connects you to your own religion or GOD. In India, we have our Gods holding Damroo (percussion instrument) and Goddess Saraswati holding Veena (string Instrument) which symbolizes that Music had always been a sacred means of Worship and relaxation or meditation. Worship, meditation,Yoga - all these nomenclatures can be taken as similar as all of these implies soulful, calm mind, full of optimism, knowledge, and enlightenment.

The most important element in Music is 'Naad' i.e., Sound. Naad is basically a Musical sound which involves melodic or asthetical sound. Sound or Naad is the basic substance of which the entire universe of music and expressive utterance has emerged.  Discussing the excessive suitability of Naad as a means for Mukti or liberation from materialism, Sharangdev in 'Sangeet-Ratnakar' extols the relative greatness and facility of Ahata Naad (produced by striking or friction.  

Science of voice culture or Acoustics or Naad-Brahma is a different wider field for discussion, so I would like to give a brief viewpoint just for coming to the introduction of my topic.  The ears are designed to carry the exact pattern and frequency of sound vibration which is funneled through the outer ear and strikes the eardrum, creating a perfect replica of that vibratory rate and frequency. A human ear can bear sound up to 20-20,000 ht z. It means 20 htz is the lowest sound we can hear and 20,000 htz is the maximum sound we can bear. In the aura of this sound limit, there are thousands and even more sounds which may be good or bad. From this sound limit, the ancient musicians selected 22 fine sounds which we could consider calm and melodic to listen. These 22 sounds are called Shrutis. These Shrutis are meant especially for music. Among these 22 Shrutis, musicians further selected seven most melodic sounds which are known as notes or Swaras. So these seven swaras are basically the most important part of music which denote the expressions of sound in music.

When we talk about music and Yoga, it involves Naad. In other words, Yoga through music can be  known as Naad-Yoga as involves sound. Naad Yoga means 'union through sound'. Meditating Sound or naad is a type of that develops a focus, concentration, and calm-composed attitude in us. Naad-Yoga comprises of the most important component - rendering of OM.

In Indian Tradition, ॐ or Om is considered as the supreme power or super-natural power which evolves in our own mind and soul in order to generate power and energy within us. Om is above all the Gods. Mythologically, Om can be denoted as Lord Shiva but we are free to perceive Om in either terms. In Indian Music, rendering of Om is a great source of Yoga- meditaion, music as well as worship. It depends on how we perceive. It's surely not necessary to assume Om as GOD or almighty. According to me, its my intrinsic voice which creates energy and power within me and inculcates placidity. 

Rendering  Om in a proper way results in developing great focus, breath-control, voice-sustainability, improving the quality of sound, nullifies aggressiveness, and stabilizing peaceful and soothing attitude within us. It not only strengthens our body but convalesces our tonal quality (voice-texture). In the context of music, the most effective way of vocalizing Om is through the stomach or middle abdomen. There are three ways through which a voice is produced, through head, throat, and stomach. Voice produced through stomach is considered to be most accurate style for the improvement of ones tonal quality, as the voice automatically becomes full-throat-ed and non-exhaustible. The  interplay of the tongue on the meridian points of the upper palate and the action of the lips, nose, throat, and the air passages of the body are directly linked to chemical and hormonal secretions in the brain and glandular system. Gradually Om through stomach develops a resonance and reverberation not only in our voice but within our whole body. After a certain levels of Om meditation, one can easily realize a sensitivity proceeding throughout the body. 

For me, Meditation Through Om is a great path for attaining focus especially while meditating. Throughout the whole rendition, I keep checking my production of voice regarding voice-texture, volume, inner vibration, sustenance, resonance and at last  end up realizing less mind distractions on the whole. The feeling is quiet satisfactory and motivating.

Delving deeper into the dimensions of music, one can also understand music as comprising of three basic components, the melodic, the harmonic, and the rhythmic component. The melodic component of music comprises of notes sequenced as scales, and ragas. Each scale has a unique influence on the mind of the listener. In Indian Music, there are thousands of ragas, each one designed for a particular season or a specific mood, such as devotion or celebration or romance or contemplation. The harmonic component, comprising of several notes played simultaneously, can strongly influence the emotional center of the body. Instruments like didgeridoo and tanpura create harmonious vibrations that can be very effectively used in healing. The rhythmic component, more related to the tempo or speed of music, is found to relate to the body pulse, and the breath pattern.