Using Sound to Heal

By Gopi Rao

We know that mantras are used to concentrate and heal, but we take the healing properties of sound for granted. Music and sound are a part of everyday life no matter where you are. From the background noise of a bustling downtown city to the music played throughout clothing stores, sounds and music contribute to form a unique atmosphere and experience.

Music has the power to alter moods for better or worse, to bring tears to a person’s eyes in an instant, and to turn complete strangers into friends for a period of time. Music has a noticeable impact in daily life and can cause many different emotions, but it can also physically heal the human mind and body, creating better balance and communication between them.

How Can Sound Heal?

Music and sound are able to heal the mind and body through a process called brainwave entrainment. This idea gained traction when it was discovered that the brain, when stimulated with a slightly altered tone in each ear, produced a separate tone that split the difference between the two original tones. The idea of brainwave entrainment is that the brain strives to keep both its hemispheres in sync, doing so by producing certain brain waves that vary depending on the stimulation.

The brain operates using four different types of waves: beta, alpha, theta, and delta. Each of these waves occurs at different mental states. Beta waves are associated with normal cognizance, alpha with a relaxed state, theta with meditation and day-dreaming, and delta during sleep. By providing the brain with specific sounds and tones, the internal tone generated by the brain can be controlled, causing the brain to exhibit certain wave lengths 

and effects.

How Does it Work?

By controlling the wavelengths that the brain produces and their frequencies, it is possible to attain different mental states to better deal with different medical conditions or other issues. A longer wavelength means that the frequency of the each wave will decrease. The body and mind enter into a more relaxed state when the frequency of brain waves decreases below the beta level, so sound therapy works by causing the brain’s electrical activity to slow down. The body can only heal itself in the alpha, theta, and delta states, so these states are induced during sound therapy.

Many different approaches can be taken during these treatments including the use of voices, various tones, sounds in nature, and certain musical instruments, like drums, tuning forks, and musical bowls. Certain rhythmic patterns can also cause different results during treatments, including trance-like effects.

What Are the Benefits of Sound Therapy?

One of the primary benefits of sound therapy is relaxation, which can be used to help with a variety of conditions, including chronic conditions, recovery after surgery or health issues, and with cancer treatments. Sound therapy’s relaxing effect can also help with sleep disorders and anxiety and stress-related conditions, such as gastrointestinal issues and depression, and can even help reduce headaches.

Tuning forks have also been shown to have specific health benefits in this type of therapy. Localized pain is experienced in the physical body, and tuning forks have been shown to reduce this pain, especially at low frequencies. Specifically tuned forks can be placed at certain pressure points on the body, resulting in muscle relaxation and decreased muscle spasms. Tuning forks can essentially provide a vibrational massage that can affect a person’s muscles, joints, and even bones.

The Healing Powers of Sound

Sound therapy, while not commonly known, is a powerful tool that can exhibit many healing effects on the human body when used correctly. This therapy can be administered with various techniques and through many different mediums and has been shown to have a positive effect on total body and mind relaxation, while aiding in a number of health issues and ailments.

© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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Powerful Affirmations and Mantras for Reducing Fear

By Sangeetha Saran

Living with fear can be debilitating and hindering on everyday lifestyles. Intense fear can manifest itself into confusion, rapid heartbeat, shaking, a feeling of impending doom, shortness of breath, and loss of control. Without self-control of these symptoms, health problems can arise. Living with intense fear may lead to very confined life resulting from avoiding possible triggers.

The focus of reciting mantras is to ride through the sensations of fear instead of forcefully pushing away from them. Mantras, words or phrases with spiritual significance can be recited during moments of intense fear. They can be used as a way to get through times that would otherwise seem impossible. There is not a right way to recite a mantra. It is a an individual practice and the person chanting is the only one who will know if it is right. It is the devotion and passion for the mantra that makes the difference. 

1.) Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
This mantra applies to any situation that limits us. Instead of avoiding the situation that fears us, we go at it "full speed." By reciting this mantra, we are no longer give fear the permission to halt the path we are taking.

2.) This Too Shall Pass
This phrase is very common in today's world. Think about it from an anxious and fearful point of view. Every anxiety attack ends; they do not last forever. The echo of this mantra in the back of the mind will help the body to ride through the sensations of fear no matter how awful the attack may seem.

3.) Everything Will be Okay
The confidence in this mantra speaks for itself. In order to be okay, we have to know that we will be okay. 

4.) Help Me Face My Fear
With fear and anxiety disorders, it is important to know that we are not alone. We are allowed to ask for help and confide in those we love. We may also be asking a spiritual guide for help in reducing intense symptoms of fear.

5.) I Liberate My Mind From Fear and Negativity
Allowing ourselves the permission to refuse the negative thoughts that can consume us, gives us a freeing feeling from weigh-downs. Think very hard about this mantra, and consciously try to lift the fear and negativity off of your shoulders.

6.) I Do Not Listen to Fear In My Mind
Ignoring the fear is not the answer, but not listening to fear is a way to overcome debilitating symptoms. Yes, the fear is there, but we cannot hear it. The fear is silent in my mind.

7.) I Embrace Hope, Love, and Optimism
Another way to say this is "think happy thoughts."

In addition to the above list, some mantra chants that can be said include:
*Akhan jor chupay na jor
*jor na mangan den na jor
*jor na jiwan maran na jor
*jor na raj mal man sor

This quote is to be recited daily when looking in the mirror at a person who will no longer allow fear to control their life...
“Trust that, when you are not holding yourself together so tightly, you will not fall apart. Trust that it is more important to fulfill your authentic desires than listen to your fears. Trust that your intuition is leading you somewhere. Trust that the flow of life contains you, is bigger than you, and will take care of you—if you let it.”~Vironika Tugaleva

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Postures for Zen Meditation Practice

By Jenny Park

There are many forms of meditation, each attempting to clear the mind, relax the body, and heal the soul. Most meditation practices are generally all equal in one aspect: posture. Posture is one of the most basic components of meditation practice, and helps to ensure the body opens up, allowing proper spine alignment and full breathing.

In Zen, or Zazen, meditation, there is a huge focus on posture, and there are six accepted postures that can be utilized depending on a student’s flexibility and comfort level with each position.

Full Lotus Position

Many of the utilized postures in meditation involve sitting cross-legged. The full lotus position is the most advanced and most stable of all the positions and takes a large amount of flexibility and practice to achieve comfort. This position is completely symmetrical and involves crossing the legs, while placing each foot on the opposite thigh.

Half Lotus Position

This position is similar to the full lotus; however, when sitting cross-legged, instead of placing both feet on the opposite thighs, keep one foot on the ground, folded under the opposite knee. Since only one foot is raised in this position, it is important to ensure your spine is aligned straight during the exercise and to alternate legs when beginning each session.

Quarter Lotus Position

To attain the quarter lotus position, sit with your legs crossed, but keep both feet on the ground and tucked under the opposite knees. This is the easiest of the lotus positions to attain and is a stable position.

Burmese Position

In this position, it is easy to keep the body straight and upright, encouraging proper breathing and posture. The Burmese position involves sitting with knees bent out to the sides and both feet, legs, and ankles on the floor with your feet and ankles overlapped in front of you. It can be difficult to drop the knees all the way to the floor, but this might be achieved with consistent stretching and practice.

Seiza Position

The seiza position is performed while kneeling and has three variations. The first is simply kneeling on the ground and sitting on your ankles to form a cushion. If this places too much pressure on the feet, you can place a pillow on top of your ankles to sit on. The third method involves utilizing a seiza bench, which places no weight on the feet to alleviate any discomfort.

Chair Position

The final and easiest position used to practice Zazen is seated in a chair. Be sure to keep your feet on the floor and to sit away from the back of the chair, staying upright without slouching.

Settling Into the Exercise

In all six poses, sitting on a small pillow, called a zafu, is common and helps to increase comfort and allows the knees to rest firmly on the ground, resulting in a tripod-like stability. Imagine lifting the top of your head to the ceiling to extend the spine, then relax your muscles and rest your hands in your lap.

Slightly tuck the chin, ensuring a comfortable position and a straight spine, and relax the jaw, while keeping the mouth closed. In Zen meditation, the eyes are often kept open to maintain an alert state, and they should be relaxed and unfocused, set on the floor a few feet in front of you or at the wall if facing it.

There are many positions to choose from, and the correct one should be selected based on flexibility and comfort. The most important part of Zen meditation is the meditation itself and an individual’s state of the mind during the exercise. Finding the proper position is a critical part of Zazen meditation, and doing so will help to encourage a more wholesome and positive experience.

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