When I did yoga teacher training in India, the Mantras chanting took me by surprise. Chanting has deepened and broadened my meditation practice and led me on a rediscovery of singing and music.
Scepticism of false idols
I’m not a religious person. I was brought up in a Christian household but I am not religious myself. At that time in India, I was certainly religion sceptical, so I kept asking myself questions like, “What am I saying? Who am I saying it to? What do these words mean?” I didn’t want to be praying to a God, or be associated with a religion
Pretty quickly I thought to myself, “I am in India to learn about yoga… This is part of the practice… let’s experiment.” I also thought that I was steadfast enough in my views on religion and god to avoid becoming Hindu overnight. So, I surrendered to the practice
Powerful meditation technique
What I discovered is that there is a powerful connection between the mind, the breath, the voice, the ears, hearing, and that singing allows one to bring these senses into union with each other.
If you have memorised the words of a mantra and become comfortable with the pronunciation and rhythm, It’s possible to sing without thinking. The actual words don’t matter. The rhythm and pronunciation engage the vocal cords, deepening the practice. In fact, I can find that the meaning can be a distraction. I prefer to focus entirely on the feelings within the body, physically and emotionally
Singing without thinking creates freedom which allows you to feel the feeling in the belly, in the chest, in the heart, in the voice, and simultaneously hear those vibrations in the ear. That is a powerful meditation.
It can short-circuit the thinking mind which could be caught up in worry, anger or fear. Short-circuiting these powerful emotions is incredibly powerful, stress-relieving, and calming. It allows me to unlock feelings I have struggled to be aware of.
Religions sing for a Reason
Reconnecting with singing reminded me that I loved singing at church as a child. There was a point in my teenage years where I started to get self-conscious about it.
Navigating my thoughts on religion, Christianity and God caused me to ask similar questions to what I asked myself in India about whether I believed what I was saying. Obviously, singing has a clear intent at Church and attendees are encouraged to believe X, Y or Z. I started to become uncomfortable with my intentions and perceptions, which curtailed the singing.
We are all singers
People joke with each other, particularly teenagers. Seeing someone belt out a hymm at church could certainly be cause for teasing, “Do you think you are Frank Sinatra or something?”
I’m sure many people have been dissuaded from singing because their voice is not perfect or they sing out of tune and they make mistakes. This is a real shame! Sure, they might not be Frank Sinatra or Mariah Carey, but that doesn’t matter. Singing brings joy to their lives.
Think about it… Can you be in a bad mood when you are singing? And even if you are singing expletives, the energy is being transmuted into voice rather than at someone.
Obviously there is a spectrum of singing talent but I genuinely believe that everyone can sing beautifully. If you are singing from the heart, connecting with your body, breath, voice and how you are feeling, I genuinely think that the honesty is beautiful. You might not put it on the radio, but it might bring you to tears.
Digesting Self Doubt
Part of the process of chanting or singing is digesting the self-doubt related to how one sounds, and whether someone can hear us. Being comfortable with, and letting go of those thoughts, is a powerful practice that is useful every day. We are social creatures but many people care far too much about what other people think.
Experiencing and Affirming Through the Greats
Reconnecting with singing has encouraged me to play a song whenever it comes to mind. I use that moment of memory, recollection, and inspiration to dig a little deeper. Maybe there’s something in the subconscious there that is pointing to something important that’s going on.
Musicians are powerful creatives and the songs that really hit the mark tend to be ones where they are deeply channeling an important experience in their lives. Those songs could contain significant wisdom.
While I love singing mantras because the words don’t need to mean anything, there can also be an affirmation element of songs with lyrics. I went to karaoke with my parents a few years, and we sang “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. Vocalizing his powerful words allowed me to embody those ideas. It’s like partaking in an active affirmation. There was something deeply therapeutic and confidence-building about that experience.
Singing is therapeutic. It allows me to navigate emotions more effectively. I strongly believe that management of one’s emotions is one of the most important things. It allows us to live a happy and fulfilling life, free(r) for contraction and comparison.
Finding One’s Voice
In closing, I would like to leave you with this passage from Tommy’s Orange’s book “There There”. I love the last line, “Voice can take a long time to come all the way out, brother. Be patient.”
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