Music
Therapy
Sound
travels in the form of wave motions, transmitting energy and vibrating the
medium it travels in. It is this transfer of energy which can be utilised in
therapy. To gain an understanding of the potential usefulness of such a system
we have to remember what a big part it plays in our lives and the effects it
has on our being. We all know, for example, how we feel in noisy, heavy city
traffic as compared to a quiet, peaceful country setting. Apart from these
gross external sounds there also exist subtle inner sounds, from the heart
beat, to the sound of air in the lungs, to the sounds in the mind, and beyond.
Thus to know how to manipulate the sounds of our environment in such a way as
to promote healing, requires a specialised and deep understanding of nada yoga,
the science of sound.
The power
of sound
Sound has
the power to affect the body, emotions and mind. What affects one aspect has
ramifications on the others. This is because the universe is a manifestation of
sound. Yogic texts talk of the power of aum manifesting the universe, having
pierced through bindu, the infinite point or centre of creation. If we can
understand the science and power of sound we can master ourselves and the
universe. This is that aspect of the science and art of tantra called mantra,
and can be studied in many old texts (shastras).
The power
of sound to affect matter was developed by the great singer Caruso who could
shatter a glass. To do this he would strike the glass to discover its resonant
frequency. Then standing in another part of the room would powerfully intone
the note so that it would resonate the glass, causing it to shatter.
Music is an
important aspect of sound in our lives. Used properly it can be a powerful
means to promote health, but used unwisely it can lead to dissipation of mind,
unhinging of the passions and degeneration in the body. It can also kill if
certain very low frequencies are utilised. To understand how the power of music
can be utilised to enhance growth we can read in the ancient texts how Lord
Krishna's flute playing promoted the bewitching verdure in the forests and
gardens of Vrindavan. Mian Tan Sen, one of the nine sages in the court of the
Moghul emperor Akbar, could make plants blossom as though spring had arrived,
just by intoning devotional songs (ragas) to them. He could also make rain fall
and light oil lamps in the same way. Tan Sen cured many diseases with his
singing. He took the disease onto himself, then another singer would take the
disease from him, and so on, until it had been passed around, shared, and
thereby dissipated of its negative, disharmonic force.
Many modern
day researchers have shown that sound affects growth. P. Tomkins and G. Bird in
their book The Secret Life of Plants report on experiments conducted by Mrs.
Dorothy Rettalack of USA. She set up three sets of plants listening to 'rock
and roll', classical western music and classical eastern music. Loud pop music
caused the plants to lean away from the sound. Western classical, Bach organ
preludes, caused the plants to lean 35 degrees towards the music. The sitar
playing of Ravi Shankar, however, caused the plants to strain towards the sound
at angles of more than 60 degrees, "the nearest one almost embracing the
loudspeaker".
Music has a
hypnotic effect, subduing not only man and plants, but also the most vicious
and irrational brute in the animal kingdom as well. For example, snake charmers
are famous for their flute-entranced cobras. The rhinoceros, camel, elephant
and horse have also been tamed by instruments such as the stringed veena and
the pungi (trumpet). Birds, of course, are music lovers and adept musicians in
their own right.
Ragas
Ragas are
pieces of classical Indian music. Compositions (gita) of pleasing sounds
(swara) convey definite sentiments and possess the power to create pleasant
impressions in the mind, calm the emotions, and therefore, affect the body. Listening
to these most beautiful, intricate and powerful pieces, has a great deal of
practical application in the field of therapy.
Much
information on Indian classical music is to be found in the ancient ayurvedic
medical books such as Sushruta, Charaka, and so on, which date back to the
second millenia BC, and beyond. Ragas were used to ease and erase conflicting
mental disturbances. They were also used in physical disease in combination
with other therapy. One great physician, Dhanvantari of Ujjaini, during the
reign of King Vikkramadittya said that musical sounds pleasing to the ear
should be used as therapy for mental ailments.
Ayurvedic
philosophy is based on the concept of the three doshas - vata, pitta, and kapha
- which have been literally translated as wind, bile and phlegm respectively.
These elements are found in every part of the body in the combination
appropriate to that part. Imbalance in these combinations leads to disease, and
the ragas act by altering and regulating the balance of these three elements.
However, there is more to them than their literal meaning. For example, the
Charaka Samhita states the following:
"Vata
is the source of both structure and function. It is that which is represented
by the five forms of body energy: prana, udana, samana, vyana, and apana... the
controller and guiding force of consciousness; the stimulant of the senses; the
companion of sensations; the organiser of the elements of the body; the
principle of synthesis; the storage battery of speech; the cause of feelings
and perceptions..." (1, 12 : 8)
"Kapha
is the nectar. It is the fertile water for the play of life; it is living
fluid, the protoplasm which sustains all life processes." (1, 12: 12)
"The
normal function of pitta causes : power of cognition, fire of digestion, fresh
complexion, clarity of thought, body temperature, hunger and thirst, and
nimbleness of mind." (1, 18 : 50)
Any healing
which can affect, and thereby regulate the balance of these three elements
deserves investigation to establish its practical value in the healing
sciences. For example, it is said that raga Bhairava controls ailments arising
from dominance of kapha (phlegm) such as fever, constipation, etc. Malhar,
Sorat, Jayajayavanti ragas are said to increase body energy, calm the mind and
subdue anger. Asawari tranquillises all afflictions arising from blood, semen,
phlegm, and the iris. Bhairavi stimulates the mind and helps regeneration,
especially in respiratory illness, colds, flu, bronchitis, pleurisy, TB, and so
on. Gurjari, Vageeswari and Malkaunsa clear diseases of phlegm such as asthma.
Saranga eliminates pitta disorders such as headaches, bilious fevers, etc.
Palasi, Multani, Pata-deepak and Pata-manjari clear eye problems. Darbari
alleviates heart pain and rheumatism. Hindola is for disorders of the spleen
and Pancham is for gastric troubles.
The ragas
are also associated with different times of day, different plants, animals, and
the four elements of earth, water, fire and air. Thereby the elements
themselves can be influenced when ragas are performed according to certain
rules. They do this by coming into harmony with the outer world and the cosmos.
The
vibrations of kundalini
The
knowledge of Indian music extends into the field of kundalini yoga. The basic
scale (bilaval) balances the three elements when it is sung. It does this
through vibration of the body at the point where mind and the neuro-endocrine
system intersect at chakra points on the sushumna nadi, within the spinal cord.
Resonance of the chakra stimulates it into action, and therefore different
chakras can be stimulated according to need. For example, kirtan (chanting) of
the name Ram will help people with peptic ulcer, constipation, and other digestive
disorders as it stimulates the manipura chakra.
We can
demonstrate this phenomenon for ourselves by singing the scale and
concentrating at each chakra as we ascend and descend. The vibrations felt
during this exercise stimulate the nerve plexuses and endocrine glands
throughout the body, calming the nervous system, and bringing harmony to the
whole body.
In the
yogic tradition, the science of vibration and sound has been developed into an
exact science called taan. The practitioner has the ability to control the rate
and location of sound vibrations in his body. The voice is synchronised with
complex rapid note changes, and sound vibrations can be directed so that they
emanate from the mouth, nose, skull and spine.
One master
of taan is Swami Nadabrahmananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda. After
initiation into sannyas and seven years of practice, he accomplished the most
difficult of all aspects, kundalini taan, in which vibrations are made to
vibrate the mooladhara chakra. This, he states, keeps him in good health and
full of energy, even at the age of 82 years. Swami Nadabrahmananda has the
ability to suspend his breath completely and not blink his eyes while playing
tabla for half an hour. At the end of this time, while playing the last note he
directs energy to the top of his head and makes a coin that has been resting
there since the beginning of the session, jump into the air. The state of
consciousness he has achieved through these techniques has been studied by
Elmer Green, Ph. D., of the Menninger Foundation, USA, who reported:
"While
wired up to our portable psychophysiology lab, he demonstrated an important
kind of nervous system control (evidenced by the production and maintenance of
alpha and theta brain waves) normally associated with a state of quiet reverie,
while he was performing a complex and demanding raga, a musical
performance".
Ottawa
University tests have shown that he does not dream, and he has shown his
ability to control the autonomic nervous system by consciously raising his
blood pressure to 240 millimetres of mercury, thereby demonstrating the power
of nada yoga to expand conscious awareness.
In modern
life
Though very
few of us can ever become masters of music, we can all enjoy and appreciate the
effects of music in our lives. If we utilise mantra with music, as in kirtan,
chanting of spiritual songs, We have a powerful means to affect and calm the
mind, emotions and nervous system, releasing pent up, stored, stale and
stagnant energy, and thus experiencing a 'release' or 'catharsis'.
At a purely
therapeutic level the effects of music could be easily used in hospitals to
help the convalescing and those who are ill to relax and thereby speed up the
healing process. Doctors could help anxious and nervous parents to relax and
music could even be prescribed instead of valium and other tranquillisers.
Mental hospitals could only benefit by the introduction of kirtan and other
forms of music' therapy.
Bring
spiritual music into your home and you will find that it can have an amazing
effect on your whole personality and inter relationships. This occurs
especially when music is sung by the whole family as one unit. Growth of
children is enhanced and their minds are made positive and dynamic. By creating
harmonious vibrations we begin to resonate more and more in harmony with the
cosmos, opening up to prana, the life giving energy. Our understanding and
wisdom increase and knowledge of life is gained.
As our spiritual master, Swami Satyananda Saraswati has said :
As our spiritual master, Swami Satyananda Saraswati has said :
"Kirtan
is like incense on the astral plane."
