Oh, sounds in yoga

I have ordered all the available books on Tibetan Singing bowls and reading them up (that is when I am not doing the rest of all the vata stuff that drives me nuts and keeps me unyogically rajasic:) and reading a fascinating connection between sounds and spiritual movements.

One of the books talks of Ernest Chladni -- and no he was not talking about spiritual stuff. He was a hands on physicist who found that sounds create vibrations that create definitive patterns. Each musical piece or each sound has a nodal pattern which is belongs only to that. Somewhat like a formula decides the structure of a chemical.

The book says that the sound om creates the nodal pattern that replicates the Sri Yantra:)! Wow..

Which makes me wonder that why we in Mumbai are always so tired --- so much noise pollution:(


Any case, the thing here is that if u see the images I produce here, that some of the geometric patterns he saw created by specific sounds, they have such a universal connection. U will find these patterns in Islamic architecture, in yogic/Indian yantras. Some of the patterns look so much like the kolam (the south Indian floor patterns that look like the colourful rangoli in the north and west of India). And it is a wonder that all ancient cultures believe that their language they use -- be it Aramaic/Arabic, Sanskrit, Pali, Hebrew -- are sacred? Of course they impact our souls -- just the sounds. and how much more special when we understand the meanings.

So, yes, the sounds we say in prayers are impacting us, even where we do not understand the words:)
And yes, all the vibrations we hear are also working on us (which may explain why Bandraites are the laziest of my students because Bandra is the most noise-polluted in the whole of Mumbai and so we Bandra students are too tired by this incessant sound blast that we cannot wake up or stir up for yoga:)

I feel I must change the way I speak.. and spend time with more sounds I like and that I need to encourage around me to talk gently andthough I need to shout in class to wake up the lazy muscles and minds , I would feel stressed if my students could follow me without me having to give too much detailed instructions and that I did not have to raise my voice to be heard and that basically, I talk less!!!