Tuning In: What is Naad Yoga?

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

―Nikola Tesla

All matter is energy in vibration at its core. It has a wavelength and frequency, and resonance. This includes the atoms and cells in the human body. From modern physics, to ancient spirituality, this is a topic that has been explored extensively in various contexts - and yet has so much more we have yet to understand.

Everything in the universe carries a particular vibration. Naad Yoga is the practice of tuning our vibration to the cosmic universal frequency, termed Brahman. This state of oneness where the resonance of our individual consciousness is unified with the resonance of universal consciousness is also called a state of Samadhi (this concept is spoken about in the Yoga sutras of Patanjali in his 51 sutras in the Samadhi pada opening his discourse on yoga).

What does “Naad” even mean?

Naad/Nāda (नाद् / नाद​) comes from the Sanskrit beeja or seed syllables Nā + da. Nā represents PrāNa, our air or breath, which is our life force - while da represents Agni, our fire, which is our life energy. In other words, when our air and fire meet, an energized current of vibration is generated. The lifecycle of this vibration is referred to as our Nāda.

This is specified in Matanga Muni’s text Brihaddesi as follows:

नकारः प्राण इत्याहुर्दकारश्चानलो मतः ।

नादस्य द्विपदार्थोऽयं समीचीनो मयोदितः ॥

The letter ‘na’ is spoken of as Prana (air), and the letter ‘da’ is known as fire; this is spoken of by me as the meaning of dual verbal component (pada) of nada.

We can energize vibration currents that we breathe our life force into. We can breathe our life force into energies that create vibration currents.

Nāda refers to any energized vibration current. This can be a physical signal of our nervous system say from our muscle movements or body posture, feedback signals from our breath, thought currents and emotional signals from our mind, or even deep currents coming from our unconscious energy reflective of the state of our overall spirit.

Naad and Sound

Naad Yoga is most heavily associated with sound. This is because sound is a materialized form of naad. The most direct way to access the concept of an energized vibration current is through the practice of generating intentional sound vibrations. Therefore, through sound based practices, we can access the experience of harmonizing and attuning to specific energy frequencies. Sound is a powerful tool that is central to this practice.

Naad Yoga is therefore often thought of as a sonic yoga. Its roots come from the Vedic systems of Aum practice, mantra chanting, Raaga based music, and sound based meditation practices.

Using the human voice to generate tones is a way to test your resonance. Expert practitioners can find blockages by listening to the quality of resonance of their Naad that they generate with their voice. Anything that is blocked in the body affects how sound is produced, anything in the mind that generates a specific emotion can be felt by a listener, breath control and flow is easily discernible, and our spirit colors the intent of our expression. It is therefore the most powerful way to tap into vibrational awareness.