Is the Yoga of Sound Relevant for Today's World?
Between pandemic-related uncertainty, the deep unraveling of the racist patriarchal status quo through the #BLM and #metoo movements, the rise of "conspirituality" dividing the global wellness community, and more... we're in an unprecedented opportunity to cultivate a musical response.
Holding an empathetic space of deep listening in the midst of life's dissonant tension points might just be the superpower of the decade!
At a time when most of us are undergoing profound change, our Heart of Sound family is applying the sound-based yoga skills right where they count most; our own fears and blind spots, our close relationships, and the reverberation into our larger sphere of influence.
We’re committed to staying in our lane and focusing on the benefits of sound as a self-regulation practice. The potential outcome is renewal and resilience; to be able to stay grounded, clear, discerning… and ultimately fuel the creativity necessary to pivot in grounded service within a changing world.
If you're yearning for a global community of kindred souls to lean into a nourishing, embodied loving space with, we're here.
If your life purpose comes alive at the vision of confidently offering transformative, healing chant experiences for your community, you're in the right place.
Let's navigate this challenging time together and create havens of harmony, rhythm, and right action. Here are our commitments, from several different angles:
Medical & Public Health
Sound-based practices like chanting mantra and vocal toning can provide important health benefits (see blog post), but are not a replacement for professional medical advice.
Sound-based yoga can help boost resiliency through nervous system self-regulation on an individual basis.
We gladly follow all public health guidelines when chanting together in person. As with COVID-19, where the virus is moving and mutating faster than scientific research can process, we’ll err on the side of caution. We’re committed to not conflate public health strategies with a loss of civil liberty.
We recognize that medical research and reliable data are different from subjective emotional and spiritual experience and do not attempt to conflate the two.
We are committed to staying within the scope of the practice and its observable effects. We share testimonials from participants’ lives when they’ve experienced useful real-life transformation as a side benefit, but we do not make promises or claims that the metaphysical practices replace material responsibility.
Social Justice
We recognize that boutique wellness products exacerbate social inequality. To mitigate that, we provide access to teacher training scholarships for people seeking to serve underrepresented communities (i.e. refugees, BIPOC, LGBTQ, differently abled, etc.)
The basis of the training itself is rooted in respect for the source culture. One of the prime inspirations to create the curriculum was to educate chant lovers on the epidemic of cultural appropriation and provide an alternative, reverential approach that benefits the great tradition both in its homeland of India and around the globe.
For those of us born into any type of (white/male/upper caste/economic/cisgender/ableist/other) privilege, we are committed to the ongoing unlearning process. We hope our efforts will help make the practices feel equally safe and accessible to all.
Healthy Teacher-Student Relationships
We’re committed to an inclusive teaching model that embraces our humanity, including the students, teaching team, and founder equally. We are actively exploring alternatives to the “traditional” hierarchical guru models that place the nexus of knowledge, truth, enlightenment, and bliss in an idealized person (guru), rather than in the practitioner’s own innermost Self.
Trauma-Informed Approach
We’re continually educating ourselves on how sound practices might assist in trauma recovery. Working with the voice, developing a sense of agency and empowerment, embodying the breath in all 3 diaphragms, nervous system self-regulation, and increasing vagal tone through singing, are just a few of the areas that may assist those with mild trauma to experience a new way of being in the world.
However, the practices are not recommended (without supervision) for those with serious trauma, nor are they a replacement for medical or psychiatric treatment. We will refer students when necessary to a professional.
We’re committed to providing an environment of gentle acceptance, embodied integrity, and personal empowerment so that our approach to the practice itself is not re-traumatizing.
Furthermore, our teacher-student relational model seeks to avoid the development of trauma bonds which are common in spiritual organizations with charismatic, high-demand leaders.
Gender and Sexuality
We gladly embrace all expressions of gender and sexuality. If Life’s creative expression is unlimited (and to a Tantrik, it is), then yours isn’t limited either.
We celebrate aliveness in the dance between lover and Beloved, allowing it to fuel our devotional communion with Self. Our approach to sound practice is rooted in Tantrik philosophy, but the environments we create in our retreats and trainings are not sexual. We encourage active students in our training programs to stay focused inward (on the sound practices) for the duration of their training.
There's more to say about all of this, for sure... if you would like further clarity on anything, please contact us. Big love to you!
