We are all on a path of self-discovery and healing. We are always looking for ways to manage the stress of daily life, or searching for that quiet place within us where we can access our divine potential, or wanting to express emotions in a healthy way, or desiring more inspiration and creativity. We are all seeking balance.
There is one resource that is often overlooked, underused, and underestimated. Yet, it is always available, always reliable, and always comes free of charge. It is the power of your own voice.
We live in a culture that encourages suppression of our self-expression. From an early age, we are told to be quiet. When crying as an infant, we are given a pacifier. When frustrated as an adult, we silently fume. When laughing out loud for no apparent reason, we are viewed a suspect.
Emotions are meant to be audible. It is their very nature. But our culture itself, doesn’t’ want to hear any of it. It’s in its nature. And so, we suppress. We repress, and the pent up emotional energy gets stored in our bodies until our cells replicate uncontrollably, or our bodies armor themselves with hypertonic muscle tissue, or we pop pills to cope, or drink, or use drugs. These things our culture seems to support, these financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually costly solutions.
But there is another radical solution to reclaim that emotional expression through sound. It’s called “toning.” Simply put, toning can be defined as producing a sustained sound for the duration of an exhalation. I.e. when you breath out, make a consistent noise. Simple enough, yes? It doesn’t have to be pretty. It doesn’t have to be profound. In fact, in many instances, the uglier the better.
Say you are sad. Maybe your pet died. You need to grieve, but you don’t know how to. You can swallow your grief, or you can make a sound to express it. What would that sound sound like? A songbird, or a heart-wrenching wail? Exactly.
What if you feel heavy, depressed, unable to focus. Perhaps you don’t know the reason. Try this technique to overcome this challenging emotional state: make sounds of suffering. Moan, yell, scream. The sounds you produce do not need to be genuine for them to work. You will still be releasing the pent up, intangible energy.
Sound is indiscriminate. It creates a pathway for the blocked, repressed energy to escape your body. That is all it takes.
This may seem like common sense, that you will feel better afterward. So why then, do so few people use this simple technique? I would venture the guess that people feel too self-conscious. Or that they tend to judge the sounds they are creating. Just let them be, and they will do you justice. Guaranteed.
I invite you to find a place where you can go where any sounds you make will not be disruptive to anyone else. The #1 place on my list, is my car. Oftentimes, I turn my radio off and just tone sounds. My commute becomes a meditation. Getting into this habit becomes a matter of wellbeing maintenance. Instead of waiting until reaching the breaking point, it’s like taking your throat chakra and aura to the gym. The physical vibrations that you create in your body when toning literally clean your energyfield of psychic debris. Your voice can power-wash your soul. Your voice can change your life.
Don’t take my word for it. Discover it for yourself. Then tell me what you find.