Sound Exercises & Activities
The voice is truly a healing instrument, especially when used with conscious intention. The idea is to allow self-expression of your emotions as they are present in your daily life. Sounds such as sighing, groaning, sobbing even screaming, are release sounds and cleanse the body. Humming, chanting and singing act to calm, soothe and promote health. Regenerative sounds that heal the body/mind are vowel sounds, overtones, toning and harmonics. The key is ‘sound’ awareness. These exercises can be done easily throughout the day, toning or singing while in the shower, screaming your frustrations while alone in the car. Humming while you work. Bathe yourself in healing ‘sound’ vibrations. Sounds created with clear heartfelt intentions will heal and uplift you.
“Sound is the vehicle which carries your consciousness. The key is to encode your Sound with meaning and intention.”
“The power of sound is your magic wand. carries your energy, your dynamics, your authority.”
“When you understand that everything is frequency, then life becomes a symphony”
We exist in a sea of sound, we live in a sonic environment. The entire planet vibrates to rhythms and sounds. SOUND IS EVERYWHERE!
“Sound touches us with an eloquent and universal language that speaks to our very cells.” Tom Kenyon, Brain States
“Your sound and your words go out as patterns. You are always impacting your reality and others with your sound vibrations.”
Sound Exercises and Activities
Free Sounds. This is an important daily sound tool. This is your opportunity to express any feeling, emotion or state of mind with sound. The process is quick and it is free. With your voice allow yourself to express any frustration, sadness, stress, anger or even fear. No judgment. It is an opportunity to reset. Once this becomes a habit you will use this powerful method regularly to clear your energy and bring balance and spaciousness to yourself. Peggy Black
Sounds for balancing the whole body say the vowels, A E I O U. Take a deep breath and make the sound while exhaling, Each sound many be repeated several times. This should be done daily for optimum results. They can be said in different tones, fast or slow, you can sing the vowels, play with this. Let yourself experiment and experience how sounding the vowels feels in your body. Notice the subtle changes that begin to happen, notice how you begin to feel. Deepak Chopra
Sound to release of tension in the jaws (migraine & tension headaches) YA YOU YAI…repeat often to relax that area. The second exercise is for the ears, say the letter N N N. Hold the sound and you will sense the tones inside your ear canal. This sound exercise is for the stomach (indigestion, heartburn, abnormal appetite). HUH HUH HUH…repeat this tone and visualize the vibrations resonating in the stomach area. – Deepak Chopra
These next four exercises are from Elisa Lodge, Humming Book she suggests humming as a tool to radiant health and boundless energy. Sound exercise to stay centered when you are stressed. In our rush and busyness let’s not forget the power of our voice and the use of sound to bring us back to our calm center. Remember, to release tension, make a sound. This sound does not have to be loud. So this is your opportunity to HUM throughout your day. Hum while you shop, hum while you drive, hum while you are preparing for your food. You can hum songs or just random tunes, allow yourself to play with this. You will notice that your stress and concerns fade as you mind relaxes. Elisa Lodge in her Humming Book by suggests humming as a tool to radiant health and boundless energy.
Another sound release process. You are invited to hum out confusion or stuckness make quick, sharp contractions. Push and pull the space around you, jab the air, punch and kick. The sound to make while you are jabbing punching and kicking is eah! eah! eah! eahh! EAHH! Next let’s release and hum out sadness and tears by melting, softening, sinking, making contracted gasping, moaning, groaning humming tones that dissolve all the dry hardened parts of you into heartfelt gratefulness. aaaahhh ahhh ahhh ahaa AAHHH AAHHH HHHHH!
Sounds that Heal from the Ancient Tao. These heart sounds can be used for a sore throat, cold sores, swollen gums, or tongue, jumpiness, moodiness, or heart disease. Sound the Heart Sound of Haaaaaaw or AH. Place fingertips of both hands between your breastbone and navel slightly to the left of center. Inhale. 2. Exhale and begin the sound the Haaaaaaw or AH and as you do stretch your hands above your head. Continue this sound and the stretching for as long as it feels good. Do this often and observe how your heart and emotions are feeling.
Toning exercise designed to ease pain:
• Sit or stand in a comfortable position, or if you are bedridden, position yourself so that your throat and neck are relaxed.
• Now close your eyes an locate the source of your physical discomfort.
• Make an ah or an ou sound (the most soothing) and visualize the pain in your body being released through your voice.
• The ou sound is pronounced like the ou in the word soup.
• If the pain is acute, you may want to make a high ee sound.
• The ee and ay sounds release sharp pains and can help you let go of inner anger and torment.
(Be sure to let anyone nearby that you are experimenting with sound and not to be alarmed.)
• It takes a few minutes of toning before the pain begins to change shape. Never strain the voice, and rest between each minute or two of sounding. This method can trigger an endorphin release that will mask the pain for a short time. Pain that has emotional origins may also be released, which will enable the body to heal more effectively. Excerpted from The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell.
The mechanics of overtone singing are easily learned but difficult to describe. Don Campbell teaches overtone singing using “an ancient mantra” for the great guru Old Mac Donald:
“Eee Eye Eee Eye Oh”
Chant that going as slowly as possible from one vowel to the next. Listen for the high flute-like overtones and you’ll quickly learn to produce them.
A Taoist practice, the combination of toning certain vowel sound and visualization of certain colors directed to the five major organs of the body eliminates the crystallization of negative energies and maintains healthy functioning. EH and the color RED toned into the heart: EE and Yellow toned into the stomach: OU and White toned into the lungs and large intestine: OH and BLUE toned into the kidneys and reproductive organs: AH and GREEN toned into the liver: Excerpted from Deborah Van Dyke, Traveling the Sacred Sound Current.
The creation of harmonics is based upon vowels sounds. the singing and elongation of these vowel sounds is found in most of the major chanting in the world, from Hindu and Tibetan mantras, to Sufi and Kaballistic practices. “Oooooommmm” and Aaaaameen” Aaaaallaaah” and “Yaaaah Waaaay” Through this form of ‘toning’ extraordinary resonance of the physical body and the brain occurs. When the reciter of these sound focuses an intention of becoming one with the sacred sound the results are extraordinary. Jonathan Goldman
The vibration of ‘HU’ can connect one directly to the source. Singing ‘HU’ imparts a spiritual vitality unmatched by any other mantra or heavenly word. ‘HU’ lights up every atom of the body by establishing a clear connection to Soul. The purpose of singing ‘HU’ is to reach into the heart of God, to connect with the highest state of consciousness, to be uplifted. One can sing ‘HU’ to lift the consciousness out of old patterns and conditions. By singing or chanting ‘HU’ daily, you can expand your awareness into your inner worlds. This state brings help and answers to the daily struggles and questions of life, as well as well-being for all aspects of self. This sound gift is from Ginny Katz book ‘Beyond the Light’.
Sound to benefit the lungs, sinuses, skull, you will tone HUM HUM HUM. Notice the vibrations and where you feel them. The next exercise is for the nasal passages, sinuses (sinus headaches) MA MA MA. Direct the tones as you chant them up into you nasal cavity. These are both simple yet powerful. – Deepak Chopra
Sound to cure pain. Sit or stand in a comfortable position, make sure your throat and neck are relaxed. Close your eyes and locate the source of your physical discomfort. Make an ah or and ou sound and visualize the pain in your body being released through your voice. The ou is pronounced like the ou in the word soup. If the pain is acute, you may want to make a high ee sound. The ee and ay sounds release sharp pains and help you let go of inner anger and torment. (Be sure to let others nearby know you are experimenting with sounds.) It takes a few minutes of toning before the pain begins to change shape. Never stain the voice, rest if needed. This method can trigger and endorphin release that will assist the pain. Pain that has emotional origins may also be released. This enables the body to heal. Begun to experience how simple sound and tones used with clear intentions will shift how you body feels. Anecdotal evidence suggests that toning self-generated vocal sounds may reduce stress, relieve insomnia, and counter the symptoms of tinnitus and migraines. The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell.
Shifting the density we carry in our body by using sound couple with movement. Elisa suggests that you start out ‘HUMMING’ while you vigorously shake out different body parts, hands , head, shoulders, back pelvis legs, feet, etc. So go for it, hum and shake out your body. Let yourself make all kinds of funny sound. This is a good exercise using sound to release emotions we have trapped in our body. The first exercise is a release of our anger. HUM out anger and frustration with vigorous large muscle shakes. While moving your body use the sound gggrrrrrrr, allow yourself to get into it, really express the emotion of anger. HUM out fears by encouraging your body to tremble and quiver all over. Let your humming tones sky rocket to the rafters. The sound to make while moving your body is eeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkk! Notice how you feel as you use these two powerful exercises with sound and movement funny movements. Have fun humming and hamming it up, allow as many natural impulses and creative rhythms as you can dream up.
Hum to express joy by making quivering excited micro-movements titillating, tickling, exploding all over your body with ecstatic joy. uhhh! uhhh! uuuuUHH! UHHHHHHH! This work is so powerful, you can reclaim your well-being through owning your suppressed emotions, giving them a voice and literally moving them out. Elisa Lodge
Sing ‘I AM LOVE’ for several minutes or so after which it became ‘YOU ARE LOVE’ feel the energy was getting higher and higher. Finally it morphs into ‘WE ARE LOVE’. So you are invited to make up a tune and sing all aspects of love. Allow your heart to feel open and receptive. Another one of my favorites, which I tone and sing often is ‘I FORGIVE AND I AM FORGIVEN’. Trust me on this one it is powerful. So I invited you to play with your voice, your sounds, and heal and receive. Peggy Black
These exercises will balance and clear each chakra. Each tone corresponds with a chakra as well as an element. The first tone is UH (low) this is for the base/root chakra ( base of the spine) and earth. The second tone is OOO for the 2nd chakra (reproductive area) and water. The third tone is OH for the solar Plexus (just under our breast bone) and fire. The forth tone is AH the heart chakra (heart area) and air. The fifth tone is AY for the throat chakra (throat area) and ether. The sixth tone is EEE for the Brow/third eye chakra (just above the brows) and thought and the final is the seventh tone EEE (high) for the crown chakra (top of head) and Light. Remember as you are toning these sounds allow you awareness to focus on each area of the body/chakra ( A chakra is called a wheel of Light, they are located along our spine, and open and close to energy much like a camera lens. These are suggested by Wayne Perry.
Tone Three Sounds to Clear Energy and Clear Space A powerful exercise to clear energy, clear space and balance This exercise can be done alone or in a group. Review your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects.
• Tone three sounds to release the physical body.
• Tone three sounds to release the mental body.
• Tone three sounds to release the emotional body.
Honor your spirit with sound.
• Tone three sounds to call your energy back.
• Tone three sounds to balance and harmonize all aspects.
Now breathe wind throughout your relationships
Now breathe wind throughout your home and family
Now breathe wind throughout your job and coworkers
Now breathe wind throughout your community
Now breathe wind throughout the globe