ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
oṃ saha nāvavatu |
saha nau bhunaktu |
saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai |
tejasvi nāvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai ||
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Accept us both together. Protect us both together. May our knowledge and strength increase. May we not resent one another. Peace, Peace, Peace
“Do you hear that?” Your friend asks.
“Hear what?” You reply.
“Shhh, listen!” They say
“Ah yes! What is that?” You inquire
They confess: “I don’t know, I thought I could hear something and wasn’t sure if it was just me.”
More than likely you have found yourself in a version of this conversation at some stage in your life. It might have been at home, at work, whilst travelling or even at yoga.
It’s said that hearing describes a passive state, something that isn’t really controlled but is what you experience by being in the world. I hear the noise of the city or the sound of nature, I hear people talking and the sounds associated with movement.
Listening describes an active participation in the process of sound. I’m listening for sounds in the city that notify me of safety or security. The noise of when to cross the road or emergency services needing to get by. I’m listening for the specific sounds in nature such as a bird call amongst the cicadas or a river flowing off in the distance. I want to really listen to my friend when they are speaking to me and not the conversation that’s happening behind us.
Yoga is very interested in sound, vibration and tuning ourselves to what is peaceful, positive and everlasting.
All sound comes from vibration, from two or more things coming together to produce sound that can be loud or quiet, harsh or soft, even inside or outside the body.
The sound of Om is debated and discussed as the sound of the universe, the sound of God and the appropriate sound of which to tune ourselves to. Mantra forms a valuable part of yoga practice that comes from different traditions with different goals and outcomes. Some traditions claim specific mantras as ‘theirs’ and some aren’t focused on where the mantras come from but the specific way in which they are recited.
There can be English mantras or mantras from non Indian traditions. Almost all indigenous traditions and cultures use sound in ways to share teachings, stories, histories and practices. The idea of mantras and sounds that claim to be of ancient origins is that they were listened to and repeated through generations – not simply heard once and quickly forgotten.
Yoga wants us to move from hearing and into listening. Yoga wants to move from being passive to being active. This starts in your yoga classes. If you simply hear what the teacher is saying you’ll miss out on why or when you need to act. We’re all guilty of making mistakes in class (teachers included) of stepping the opposite foot forward or turning left when everyone else is turning right. It is a common sign that we are not paying attention, that when we get distracted, even for the briefest of moments, it shows that we are not or were not listening. When we are not listening to the teacher our practice suffers or becomes disjointed.
Hopefully we are all practicing yoga to be better. The idea of being better can be interpreted by you but it can be physically better in the body and nervous system. It can be more patient and mindful. It can be a way to be a better friend, partner, parent, sibling or employee. Yoga practices might not usually seem like they build better communication skills but actively listening would be a major factor in keeping communication clear and open. When we cut out unnecessary distractions – like the sounds of the city that we hear constantly – we’re able to listen actively to what we are engaged in or thinking about. We’ve all either said or been told; “you’re not listening to me.” This phrase is the perfect signal of flawed communication. To rectify this flaw perhaps we stop what we are doing, be still, focus on what’s being said or the person speaking and try again to listen.
This is not too different from the yoga practice or meditation, usually though you are not being told that you are not listening, you realize yourself that you are not listening. When the mind is busy, the movement is disjointed and you find yourself out of sync.
Listening takes effort. The yoga practice takes effort. Yoga is asking us to put in the effort in areas where we are a little complacent or looking to be better. If it’s not in externally listening to the teacher or the instructions, maybe the effort is required for the internal listening to your thoughts and noticing the patterns and reoccurring thinking that carries the mind away from the present moment or task at hand.
Being a good listener takes effort but we know that the effort will be worth it. Being a regular and competent yoga student takes effort and we know that effort will be worth it, eventually.
The chanting of mantras can be a yoga practice itself. Listening and reciting mantras not only calms the nervous system but can have meaning and association that is unique for you. When you next find yourself trying to move from hearing to listening – even if its prompted by someone else – try to remember that it is a skill that you are working at improving. This doesn’t mean that losing your hearing as you age makes you less skilled but instead can encourage more focus and effort on the things you really want to listen to amongst the sounds of the world that you are constantly hearing.
In a world full of vibration and manifested sound, what are the most subtle things you can hear and do you want to listen to them? Filtering the sounds of the city or nature to specifically listen to exact things might be a challenge at first, but so was the first time you practiced yoga. Being a good communicator or sincere listener to others also takes time and practice, even if it is informal and a constant learning through life.
Hopefully Yoga helps in some ways to move from hearing and into listening and so the next time you find yourself distracted, disjointed or someone asks “are you even listening to me?” you’ll be able to correct yourself without judgement and move into a state of being that is in oneness or connection.
– Doug Whittaker