Nada Yoga, a branch of Kriya Yoga (the yoga of Technique), works on the premise that we, and the Universe around us, are made up of nada, or sound vibrations. Nada Yoga divides music into two categories: inner music or anahata and outer music or ahata. While outer music is heard through the ear, the inner music owes its reception to the subtle heart-chakra, also known as anahata chakra, which is not a sensory organ.
Anahata is private, exclusive to its ‘possessor’. One can make use of it with commitment and patience to achieve inner harmony and self-realization, the goals for those who undertake meditation, How can you search out your own music? First select a place where you are least likely to be disturbed and sit down comfortably with your spine erect. Start breathing in and out slowly. Then, focus your awareness to the sound that emanates when you breathe out. Give your total attention to the vibrations you feel when the breath leaves your system. Initially, you should be able to hold your concentration for two or three minutes and over a period—say one month— you will be able to focus for at least five to 10 minutes at a stretch. This relieves all tensions from the mind and helps you control your mind, the first step towards the expansion of your consciousness.
Unlike anahata, outer music is not esoteric or hidden. The ‘first reaction’ to a musical form— irrespective of its origin or region, Western classical, Carnatic or Hindustani—is one and the same, even for a mixed audience. The subsequent reaction to a melody is influenced by the listener’s cultural upbringing, his tastes and preferences, likes and dislikes. There are tremendous possibilities for musical achievement offered by myriad rhythmic vibrations. Composer Igor Stravinsky once remarked: “I know that 12 notes on each octave and the varieties of rhythms offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust.”
Outer music with its infinite varieties affects our moods and minds in various ways. It can agitate or relax us. Meditative music does not require elaborate orchestration or voice-culture. Simple sounds that we close to nature and its elements, like wind, fire, Water, earth and ether, are found to be the most effective in uplifting one’s level of consciousness to greater heights.
Tunes found in bhajan and kirtan-like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Govind Bolo Gopal Bolo, Buddham Sharanam Gachchami-are called ‘sticky’ because of their almost endless repetitions of melodies. They have been welcome assets for enhancing meditation. Professor James Kellaris of the University of Cincinnati, after questioning 1,000 people in 2003 about tunes that they could not get out of their heads, observed that a combination of simplicity and repetition can turn an ordinary sequence of notes into something unforgettable. According to him, these elements produce “mental mosquito bites” creating a “cognitive itch” that can be scratched only by replaying a tune again and again. Melodically and lyrically simple and repetitive, these tunes over time can bring about changes in the brainwave pattern converting beta waves (which govern our alert mental status) to alpha and theta levels. This change is believed to be an ‘ideal state for meditation and relaxation where our creative and intuitive potential peaks.
Saying, that simple tunes are enough for meditation in no way intends to undermine Western classical Music. For instance, by overlapping melodies as in his fugues, Johann Sebastian Bach had mastered the art of arresting the minds of his listeners. In fact, all the great symphonies can be used as a tool in mind control programmes. Whether it’s the engulfing flames you can almost touch when you listen to Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, or the majesty in Richard Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz, your consciousness wafts to new levels.
This article appeared in ‘Harmony April 2005’.
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, March 30, 2021