Nada Yoga consists of two words. The Word Yoga means Union with the Divine Source of All Life. As the Divine is living within All things, so it is that there are many Pathways to the Divine. The major ones are named Siva Yoga, Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Mantra Yoga, whilst we also find many, many others including both Agni Yoga and Nada Yoga. In a sense Nada Yoga could be seen as a branch of Mantra Yoga as both are concerned with Sound. From the views of both the Hindu metaphysics of sound (which teaches that sound has a fourfold process) and the inclusive Tantric perspective, Nada Yoga could be said to incorporate and include all forms of Sound or Music. However, in practice the Nada Yogi places his or her focus upon what is termed the anahata nada or the inaudible (or a more literal translation: 'unstruck') sound. That is to say a sound that is not made as a result of two or more objects striking one another. It is, in fact, a sound not coming to the human ear from outside of the body but, rather, from within. Like many other kinds of yoga, one does not need to be a devotee of this path in order to have the experience. Just as one needn't be a Bhakti before experiencing union heart-to-heart with the Supreme Being. Because such experiences are rooted in Absolute reality, they are ever-present aspects of That Reality that can appear at any instant to any individual found to be providing the correct conditions suitable for receiving the experience.

There are three traditional forms of chanting in Nada Yoga: mantras, kirtans, and bhajans. These divisions are not to be confused - as they often are in workshops. Because these have generally been composed by yogis or saints, they are considered to carry a pure energy and to have a harmonising effect upon the physical body, astral body and mind. Mantra derives from two Hindu words Manas and Tra - manas meaning mind and tra meaning protection. How do we protect our minds? This refers to assisting our mind to stop its aimless wandering whilst trying to meditate. Via mantra - the repetition of certain sacred sounds - the mind attempting to meditate is prevented from its aimless wanderings and is given a focus to aid its concentration. Once we can find the quiet mind, it becomes possible to hear this inner sound that lies beneath, behind, and within all sounds. Mantra is, therefore, concerned with the power of sound to transform our consciousness/being. Likewise, Nada Yoga too concerns itself with Self-Realisation through the transforming power of sound; only of inaudible sound - which is not to be confused with supersonics (which is still a vibration that can be measured with scientific instruments); the sounding of the Inner Being - Divine Sound. Mantra or the making of sacred music are thus considered as outer expressions of Nada Yoga and if scientists can demonstrate that machines can utilise mechanically-produced sound vibrations for healing, then imagine what using our own Voice can do!

Therefore, Nada Yoga is the Path of Union with the Divine through Sound or Music. "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God." So begins St. John's Gospel. Many other great religions also state that the origin of Life is Sound or Vibration. Once we are able to reach that place of great stillness and silence deep within our hearts, we are able to hear this 'Music of the Spheres'; we are able to approach the Source of our being through this gateway of Vibration - via this Path of Sound. The yogi mystics of India speak of outer sound, then of hearing ten inner sounds and finally hearing the One Sound - Divine Sound. This is a path of spiritual practice - attuning to this inaudible sound and thereby hearing the Voice of the inner Teacher - the Word of the Supreme Transcendent Oneness. Samadhi, or union with the Atman, or totality, can be entered into through Nada Yoga. At one and the same time incorporating the Transcendent and the Divine Imminent. After attuning to this quiet inner 'voice' deep within, it eventually becomes possible for us to find that inner stillness and silence at any time in our lives and most especially during times of crisis, stress, or misfortune and so enable ourselves to face such difficulties (and also to transform and evolve the inner elements of our being) with the supreme strength of the Transcendent Sound of Absolute Oneness and so receive the Great Love of the Divine Comforter. Becoming at-one with this Divine Sound-current opens us up to resonating with that Stream of Universal Love consciousness that flows throughout the entire body of Nature throughout all the galaxies and entire universe. I reach this conclusion also because the term Anahata is given to the Heart Chakra and it is likewise stated that one cannot hear this inner sound until one has progressed along the spiritual pathway to the level of the Heart Chakra and has, therefore, been born again within the Heart of the Divine Being.

http://www.frankperry.co.uk/nada_yoga.htm

During the practice of Nada Yoga, one first tries training the ear(s) - to expand its hearing capacities - by fully concentrating the power of mind on this organ. By regular practice, the otherwise unused (sub) conscious power of the brain also awakens during this process and stimulates the subtle functional centers for extraordinary potentials of hearing. The ears can be trained to 'hear' the ultra, infra and even subtler and cosmic levels of sound during the advanced stages of these sadhanas. The karña pishacini sadhana of the Tantra Science enables the masters of this sadhana to perceive the sounds from any desired place in this universe. Clairaudience is also a natural manifestation of spiritual sadhanas of Nada Yoga.

The methods of awakening the subtle power of supernormal hearing are based on the above principle of fine perception of pure sound. This practice gradually leads to the perception and recognition of subtler levels of sound. Through the immense power of their mental concentration such sadhakas can easily access the energy centers in the cosmos and 'sense' the signals of Nada emanating from there.

Simple Training for Nada Yoga

The perceptions of sound (shabda), vision (rupa), taste (rasa), smell (gandha) and touch (sparsha) are manifested in the five sense organs via the five basic elements of Nature. Thus, every entity perceived by the sense organs basically arises from a subliminal, non-physical form (existing in cetan). In the Nada Yoga, one gradually perceives the physical, non-physical, sublime, supernatural forms of sound.

All the sadhanas aimed at gaining control over different tanmatras (powers of perception) progress well in the sadhakas who possess strong will power, sound mental concentration and emotional depth and stability. For instance, in the sadhanas of gandha, the sadhaka first practices to smell the odors that inspire sacred emotions. He does so by physically smelling (through the nose) the substances like camphor, sandalwood or some flowers... etc for a few seconds and then closes the nose and tries to feel the same odor through mental concentration. Similar experiments are done on tasting with and without tongue during the rasa sadhanas.

Our ears hear the sound of the syllables pronounced by our tongue. One may concentrate upon only the sound without attempting to recognize the syllable (or the word) and practice to differentiate between all variations in the type and tuning of such 'spoken' sounds to analyze the association of their patterns with the meaning conveyed by the corresponding 'speech'. After continuing this practice with increasing focus and efficacy, he could develop the power to sense the finest level of variations in all kinds of 'sounds' and to grasp the 'message' (meaning) contained therein. The Yogis can understand any language and even the voices of the animals and the birds through such sadhanas of 'hearing' the sonic vibrations.

There are several methods of conditioning the mind for the Nada Yoga Sadhanas (of the shabda tanmatra). One such method, experimented at Shantikunj, Hardwar is so simple that anybody can easily adopt it. In the regular training programmes of spiritual refinement organized at Shantikunj, Hardwar, the trainees are given exposure to the Nada Yoga every evening from 6 p.m to 6:15 p.m. During this practice, the students are supposed to sit in sukhasana in a calm and and cheerful mood. A special kind of music (resembling a superb combination of KrishÌña's flute, Shiva's damaru and Saraswati's Viña or Sitara) is played in this time-period. The divine music flows across the serene atmosphere of the ashram. The sadhakas (students) are given instructions to let their minds get immersed in the divine music through deep mental and emotional absorption. As the snakes are attracted by the typical sound of a lyre (bina) and begin to dance in the tune of its music, similarly, during the above practice, the sadhakas' thoughts and emotions begin to flow with the melodious currents of the special musical manifestation of Nada.

Those endowed with the piety of character and are emotionally soft or have strong control over the mental power of imagination, usually get rapid success in linking their consciousness with the subtle form of Nada. Others, who do not have such qualities, should not feel depressed because the above-mentioned practice is based on the principle of the inherent relationship between divine music and the human consciousness and therefore brings fruits in every case. If they were honestly trying in their day-to-day life to inculcate purity and strength of character, they would also be able to illuminate their mental and emotional levels and train themselves for Nada Yoga</B> by this simple 'exercise' of listening to the special composition of spiritually sonorous music. The sadhanas of Bindu Yoga also help increase mental concentration.

The simplest kind of Bindu Yoga Sadhanas begins with trataka - concentration on the tip of the flame of a lamp or a candle for a few seconds then to 'visualize' its illumination in the central part of the forehead (little above the middle of the eyebrows) with closed eyes; again open the eyes to focus at the flame's tip and repeat the same cycle several times. In a similar manner, the ears and the mind together could also be trained to listen to the divine music. The elementary steps of Nada Yoga consist of - meditating upon the internal sounds of the body by closing the ears and keeping the other sense organs in a relaxed condition under properly controlled, silent surroundings. One gradually begins to perceive clearly the sound of gaseous flows, heartbeats, the flute-like sound of the breath, subtle sound of fluidic flows inside the body, etc. With deeper concentration, the lab-Aab sound of heartbeats begins to sound louder like a Aamaru. Successively one hears the sounds that resemble that of tinkling of bells, blow of a conch shell at a long distance, etc.

Those who find it difficult to concentrate upon the internal sounds of the body should take support of external sound of soothing music. After playing musical instruments like sitara or ikatara or flute etc, or, after listening to their soft, soothing music with the help of a tape recorder for about 10 to 15 minutes in a quiet room, the sadhaka should close his ears and attempt mental perception of the echo of the same musical sound. He should repeat this cycle several times every day for gradually longer durations (not more than an hour). He should keep the mind stress-free. Slowly and steadily, the mind would get trained to naturally 'play or listen' this music internally without the help of any external devices.

The Pacific Ocean remains calm because of lighter pressure of air and more concentration of salt as compared to the Atlantic Ocean, where the currents of water usually rise very high and are prone to storms. The hard-hearted people are like the Pacific Ocean; their emotions remain dull in spite of mental inspirations. The soft and compassionate ones are just the opposite. Like the waves in the Atlantic Ocean, their emotional currents are easily activated and rise high by the force of divine inspirations. The emotional piety and mental determination together lend extraordinary support in the sadhanas of different tanmatras.

The sadhakas who have aggressive mentality or who are emotionally rude, often find it difficult to perform the sadhanas of mastery over the tanmatras. The training with the help of music that is specifically designed for the Nada Yoga Sadhanas (of the shabdatanmatra), however, works wonderfully on such sadhakas too. It is said that the poisonous 'snake' of the vicious, agile mind also begins to 'dance' in the tune of the bina of holy Nada and comes under proper control by musical practices of Nada Yoga. This is because sonorous, soft music generates a soothing impact on the sentimental core of the listener. The simple exercises associated with the practice of Nada Yoga indeed offer peace and stability to the sadhaka's mind and help in enlightening his intrinsic emotional and mental qualities necessary for higher-level sadhanas.

During the initial stages of success in this practice, one hears varieties of sounds ranging from the physiological tremors to those of the types of thunderbolts to the divine music of a viña or a sitara inside the body. By further training and meditation, the mind begins to identify and remember these sounds. It is at this stage that one can analyze the types and durations of the physiological tremors to 'know' the condition of the body exactly like the doctors do by analyzing the sonic patterns heard with the help of a stethoscope or an echocardiogram.

At the higher stages of the sadhanas of Nada Yoga, the specific sounds experienced during meditation could be correlated with the state of mind and sentiments. At further advanced stages, the subliminal sounds of the etheric vibrations are heard from within and recognized. A spiritually elevated mind can grasp the divine messages (if any) hidden in such occult sounds. An accomplished yogi of the Nada Yoga can activate the subliminal communication links of his inner self with the divine energies. Eventually, comes the ultimate realization of the omnipresent, eternal sound of Om.