Sound Healing Yoga: 2 Main Branches of Nada and Mantra
Our global community of mantra and chanting lovers delves deeply into traditional Indian yogic techniques that employ sound as the therapeutic tool. If you're keen to study sound healing in a precise, nuanced, culturally reverent way, this article may help you get started!
There are two main branches of sound healing, otherwise known as sound yoga, in the Indian tradition.
- One is through the subtle science of Sanskrit mantra training, and its 50 letters that correspond with the 50 petals on the chakras and the elements of creation.
(SPOILER ALERT: Most people teaching sound healing and Sanskrit mantra at sound baths and kirtans are not pronouncing the sounds accurately, so they're not getting the precise vibrational healing sound effects they intend to!)
- The other branch is discovered through Nada yoga training, the nuanced, subtle sound science of the musical scales called rāgas. They are matched to different seasons, and times of the day, they bring to life, moods and soundscapes of mystical and almost unimaginable, heavenscapes of musical, harmonious, rhythmic sound. Indian classical musicians spend entire lifetimes refining their communion through the musical notes, but there are some simpler practices for novice musicians to delve into, too.
About the terminology: This more musical branch is usually referred to as Nāda Yoga, though it would be fair to say that Nāda Yoga in its broader sense encompasses both mantra and musical branches.
Both of these branches of sound healing, or the yoga of sound, are worthy of lifetimes of study.
Interestingly, in India, most people specialize in one area or the other.
- Often people who have deeply studied Sanskrit (grammar, philosophical texts written in Sanskrit, academic pursuits) don't have much musical training.
- And the same is true of most Indian classical musicians that I met over my 7 years of study in New Delhi with my music Guruji Pandit Baldev Raj Verma. A nāda yogī professional musician may be a mind-blowing expert in rāga, but posses only basic, common knowledge of Sanskrit or mantra science.
I truly feel that embracing the rich traditional Indian sound yoga techniques - both the mantra AND music branches - should be high on any sound healer or sound bath practitioner's agenda! Over my 25+ years of study and immersion in India (both in the field of Sanskrit mantra and Indian classical music), I was interested in the heart of sound... the mystical penetration into the essence that goes beyond form and technique, and into the realms of communion.
And, as I also learned from first-hand experience, is an incredible tool for nervous system self-regulation and resiliency from trauma and PTSD. Sound yoga is indeed an incredible therapy, music and mantra for the soul!
That's why I created a series of sound healing yoga training programs that cover both main branches of mantra yoga and nāda yoga. It's very difficult to find comprehensive information and quality training in these subjects, and I sure wish I had been able to study in a more effective manner myself! I had to roam around India, spending tens of thousands of dollars and years of my time being disappointed with the lack of depth and clarity, and frustrating teaching methods. In the courses I consolidate the best of the best, to save you the effort I painstakingly made! And, you don't even have to leave your home, since it's all online!
The many professional sound healers who have taken our Heart of Sound mantra and nada yoga training courses agree, that our sound healing yoga certification trainings start where most sound healing courses end, entering the realm of the mystics through chant.
Mantra branch of Nada Yoga ~ Sound Healing Therapy
We've developed a comprehensive Sacred Sanskrit Sounds course (as well as Sanskrit Mantra 101 intro and Sanskrit Training for Trainers designed to integrate into other trainers' courses) to meet the needs of sound lovers who wish to dive into the anatomy of mantra and embody the Sanskrit alphabet vibrations. It's the key to unleashing a mantra's full transformative power!
Music branch of Nada Yoga ~ Sound Healing Therapy
For those wishing to cultivate their voice as a healing instrument, for themselves and/or others, and understand the musical tones and scales from an Indian sound healing perspective, our Nada yoga training is indispensible!
We've separated the two main branches of nāda yoga into music and mantra in order to study them effectively, as they require a slightly different mindset, method of practice, and support materials, instruments and background sound, etc.
However, both branches are equal in our comprehensive sound healing yoga immersion, 200 hours or 500 hours level teacher training! The full course includes both the Sanskrit mantra training and the Nada yoga training, with an emphasis on personal transformation through sound-based yoga practices, and chant leadership techniques for those wishing to lead sound baths, kīrtan, mantra meditation, or chant experiences!
We'd love to hear about YOUR interest! Contact us to schedule a FREE 15-minute chat.
