Four Ways to Use Sound for Healing

Dear friends,

Welcome to the weekly blog!

There’s a sweet embrace in the change of seasons both within and without. Welcome to Summer!

The potential for newness and rebirth is palpable and is demonstrated in nature both in color and sound. Isn’t this why we naturally gravitate toward the beach? To listen to the ocean waves, or to the sounds of seagulls or hike mountains to find waterfalls and hear the birds? or to a summer concert outdoors where sound permeates into the vast sky?
Yes, sound falls under the umbrella of “vibrational” medicine when it comes to our health and well being.

” In our everyday lives, consciously or not, we comfort ourselves with sound. Children often sing when they play. Some adults whistle or hum while they work. Teens may blast loud music to rouse themselves awake. There’s nothing New Age about using sound for healing; it’s as old as the pyramids.” ( Excerpt from Gedalia’s Book ” Enough Drugs! I am a Woman and Can Heal Naturally- a practical guide to feeling your best.”

How can sound be used? Here are four ways sound can be used for healing:

1. Studies show that even a short bout of singing can increase immunoglobulin A, an antibody. Try singing in the shower or humming when you walk. Your own voice may prove to be the most powerful healing tool.

2. Sound causes shifts in something called brain wave entrainment- a frequency which our brain waves attune to. One modality to achieve this is ” sound baths”. Many yoga studios are incorporating sound baths into their events as sound affects both the physical and subtle body and helps to open energetic pathways.

3. In my Ayurvedic Marma therapy sessions with women, I use a ” tuning fork’, a two-pronged fork when struck increases energy flow and grounds the breath. Healers use them to relieve stress, anxiety, reduce inflammation, increase oxygen and energy flow. Research by Dr. Johan Beaulieu on sound healing found that tuning forks also have the ability to release nitric oxide in the body, a pain-modulating substance that can reduce inflammation, improve digestion, vascular health, and immune function reducing stress and depression.
You may also use a tuning fork at home. To learn more on “how”, read the Vibrational chapter in my book, ” Enough Drugs”.( Amazon) Link below to order tuning fork.

4. My favorite form of sound healing is through chanting. “Kirtan” which is an ancient call and response form of chanting connects our hearts to the divine. Various religious and spiritual groups provide “chanting” as a way to connect with the community and within oneself. I find it quiets my mind and prepares me for meditation. Siddha Yoga Meditation Center of Atlanta (SYMCA)  provides weekly chanting groups with live music.

So next time you are on a walk or sitting on your deck pay attention to the sounds of the frogs, or the geese flying by, or a bird brustling into the leaves, or the wind before it rains. Allow these sounds to soothe your heart and bring you joy!!

In gratitude to you,
Gedalia

Some links to get started with sound healing:
Tools for Wellness  
Keys to the Heart Meditation
Toning the Chakras 
SYMCA