Tuning In: Types of vibration - Aahat & Anahat Naad

In Naad Yoga, always the internal and external worlds are seen as one and the same. Our internal resonance frequency is what will carry us through life and determine our experiences.

A simple way to think of this is as follows. If we take a particular thought - such as “I’m not enough” and then go out in the world, our interactions will be colored by this thought. We are less likely to present ourselves in a confident way - thereby limiting the opportunities that come to us. We attract others in a similar energy because they feel familiar to our internal energy state. It is the reason why when we start changing our internal energy currents, we end up finding changes in our lives.

If we instead hold the thought “I am enough”, we walk around, we carry ourselves more confidently, are more likely to resonate with others who carry this thought current, and as a result our reality changes.

Given the mind-body connection, if our mind holds a thought, it will affect our physicality in subtle ways. This in turn, will affect how prana flows through the body. This will affect how our naad is able to flow through our bodies.

Our sound resonance then becomes a powerful tool to test our inner naad currents.

Let’s look more closely at both internal unstruck vibrations, and externalized vibrations.

Anahata Naad - refers to the unstruck vibration that exists universally animating all creation, including in us internally. The deepest level of our being, the transcendental state of consciousness is where we can find the frequency of universal consciousness, or Brahman, within us. This is none other than the sound Aum. This is the source vibration of all of creation.

How can we attune to this frequency, and live in harmony with it?

We work from the outside in. The idea is the build awareness from the gross aspects of our existence to the subtle aspects harmonizing each layer so that there is no extra noise. After a certain point, then we start listening and work layer by layer until we reach the sound of Brahman. Deep listening practices are described in the Naad Bindu Upanishad and Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Naad Bindu Upanishad on the process of meditation on Anahata Naad which will be discussed in later blog posts.

As we tap into different aspects of our consciousness, we harmonize our vibration with the frequency of the energy state we are accessing, and emit this level of awareness in our actions and existence.

Aahat Naad - refers to struck, physically manifest vibrations. This refers to vibrations that are generated and experienced in the physical world.

There are two types of Aahat naadas that we generate - internal, and external.

Internally, this refers to our conscious thoughts, feelings, nervous impulses, energy currents, our subconscious energies, and unconscious energies. These are affected by our physical body, breath patterns, mind currents, and spiritual orientation.

Externally, this refers to the quality of sound of the human voice, or instrumental tone from sound generated from one’s intentional energy.

Why do we need Aahat Naad if we can do internal meditation to hear and bring awareness to our inner energies?

Aahat Naad is the most accessible way for us to experience the feelings of a particular energy state. It is an external way to test where we are - much like taking the temperature of our Naad. This tells us if we are carrying blockages in our body, breath, mind, or spirit. By working on our Aahat Naad, we can free these blockages and create a channel for deeper energy states to express through us externally, giving us the experience of these states.

As we raise our vibrational awareness, we can start to synchronize our energetic state with Brahman itself, and express this externally through sound. This gives us the experience of the state of Brahman. By going through this process, we then develop an awareness of what this energy state feels like, and then even without external sound, can tune to this frequency within us. This is the reason why we use Aahat Naad practices to help us tune our Naad.

Aahat Naad can express any energy state - and will reflect whatever energy state we are experiencing. Depending on our level of awareness, our potency and impact of communication changes.

For instance, if we identify ourselves with every feeling we have, it can feel very out of control. We will live in a state of wanting to control every feeling. We will be swayed deeply by every feeling, identify ourselves as the feeling itself, and will be controlled by that feeling. Music made from this energy will reflect this state of consciousness.

If we can identify ourselves as the feeler, we have a little more control - we understand that our feelings aren’t us, and don’t feel as attached to each feeling - and therefore don’t try to control our environments as much to manufacture desired feelings. We are able to better welcome a range of emotions. Music made from this energy will reflect this state of consciousness.

If we can go beyond this and actually see the feeler in us, and see that we are actually bigger than the feeler, we gain another level of detachment. From this place, we can enjoy every experience that life has to offer us knowing we aren’t the feeling, or the feeler. While the feelings still come up, we aren’t as swayed by them. We gain an ability to respond rather than react, and even enjoy the experience of every feeling passing through as a celebration of life itself. Music made from this energy, will reflect this state of consciousness.

One level further is to see that you are the seer, the feeler, and the feeling itself - all of it is you. At this point, when you can find oneness, you find peace, stillness, bliss, and divinity. Life becomes a different experience altogether - it is like you are out of the matrix of Maya. Music made from this place then will reflect pure divine consciousness.

There are 4 main practices to engage in this as a yogic practice with the intention of spiritual upliftment:

Aum Practice - One of the most fundamental practices of Aahat Naad, is the practice of Aum. As the source sound of all of creation, Aum practice can be used as a complete Naad Yoga practice. Without ever touching anything else, if one engages in Aum practice with intention and guidance, one can experience the fruits of Naad Yoga.

Mantra - Sanskrit language mantras are built as sonic representations of specific energies. When practiced correctly with the right Shiksha pronunciation, listening or chanting mantras creates a specific energy field through sound to help us orient ourselves towards a specific energy. This is an extremely useful practice to awaken specific desired energies within.

Raaga - Raaga music systems were designed as a yoga with pure sound. Like mantra practice, Raagas too embody energies. They create energy fields. However, unlike mantras, they also carry emotions and moods. What is perhaps most unique about Raaga music systems is that they are engineered as a system of Asanas through pure sound to help move the listener or practitioner through identifying with the feelings or moods themselves to integrating them, then transcending them to orient to the experience of pure universal consciousness. This is specifically designed through ancient classical music systems - the most ancient of which being Hindustani Dhrupad music.

While other forms of music also use Raaga, it is important to distinguish this from classical music - as it is the only system engineered as a sonic Asana practice. Because the concepts used lay down a deep degree of complexity into the field of music itself, many musical concepts from Raaga systems are borrowed or integrated into popular music styles meant to entertain rather than enlighten.

Bhakti Naadopasana - This is also known as Devotional Musical Meditation. Groups of people at large have utilized the power of Aahat Naad practice in aligning spiritually to their deity of choice to evoke the experience of divinity. While Kirtan and Bhajan are powerful Raaga based practices found in India, the concept of this is universal to many faiths across the world. The concept is to utilize the energies invoked through Naad with the collective consciousness energy oriented towards a divine energy in order to experience that energy with intensity. Gospel, Choral hymnals, Qawwali, and other forms of devotional music are some examples of this.

Because we carry all energies in our being, it is important to address Naad created in various aspects of our being. Maintaining our body’s health and well being, harnessing our life force through our breath as the link between mind and body, optimizing the mind to orient thoughts and feelings in the most desired ways, and orienting the spirit to ground us in our truth all play a role in our Anahat Naad patterns.