Exploring Gong Yoga
Sound of Silence
Anahata means "unstruck." Anahata is Sanskrit, and it is the name of the fourth (heart) chakra. Interestingly, this chakra has the subtle sound of a deep gong bell, which one learns to hear via the AUM Technique, the second in Yogananda's sequence of meditation techniques.
Ancient teachings and modern science agree all living things in existence are made up at their most essential level of vibrating, pulsing energy. For millennia, mystics have recounted their experience of this energy, which is said to manifest in our hearing awareness as a humming vibration around and within everything else.
In the Sanskrit tradition, this sound is called "Anahata Nada," the "Unstruck Sound." Literally, this means "the sound that is not made by two things striking together." The point of this particular distinction is that all ordinary audible sounds are made by at least two elements: bow and string; drum and stick; two vocal cords; two lips against the mouthpiece of the trumpet; the double reed of the oboe; waves against the shore; wind against the leaves. All sounds within our range of hearing are created by things visible or invisible, striking each other or vibrating together, creating pulsing waves of air molecules which our ears and brain interpret as sound. So, sound that is not made of two things striking together is the sound of primal energy, the sound of the universe itself. Joseph Campbell likens this unstruck vibration to the humming of an electrical transformer, or the (to our ears) unheard hummings of atoms and molecules. And the ancients say that the audible sound which most resembles this unstruck sound is the syllable OM. Tradition has it that this ancient mantra is composed of four elements: the first three are vocal sounds: A, U, and M. The fourth sound, unheard, is the silence which begins and ends the audible sound, the silence which surrounds it.
The Yoga of Aum
It might be said that the ultimate aim of Yoga is to enter this third dreamless realm while awake. Yoga means "yoke" or "join." Through yoga we "join" our waking consciousness to its "source" in the world of pure, qualities unconsciousness.
Which brings us to the fourth sound of AUM, the primal "unstruck" sound within the silence at the end of the sacred syllable. In fact, the word "silence" itself can be understood only in reference to "sound." We hear this silence best when listening to sound, any sound at all, without interpreting or judging the sound. Listening fully, openly, without preconceptions or expectations. The sound of music, the sound of the city, the sound of the wind in the forest. All can give us the opportunity to follow the path of sound into the awareness of the sound behind the sound.
When one really "listens" to this silent sound, this unstruck vibration, one comes inevitably to stillness, to pure and open existence. The poet Gerhart Hauptmann says the aim of all poetry is "to let the Word be heard resounding behind words." The sound behind the sound. And, in making the sound of AUM, we hear this unstruck sound most clearly in the instant when the last humming vibrations of the "M" fade away. At that moment, that instant separating audible sound and silence, the veil is thinnest, and our listening awareness is most expansive.
Neptune
Neptune represents oneness, unity, unlimited boundaries, and the element of water.Neptune is the last of the gas giants in our solar system. According to astrology, Neptune rules all that lies below the surface—and the watery flow of creativity. At nearly 2.8 billion miles away from the Sun, we need a telescope just to get a glimpse of Neptune. Like its neighbors Uranus and Pluto, it governs invisible aspects of the personality—particularly the subconscious mind: dreams, fantasies and even delusions.
In Roman lore, Neptune is the god of the seas. The esoteric and spiritual realms are also Neptune’s domain. With its perpetual storms and active climate, Neptune is known for whipping up drama and confusion. It can have a disorienting effect, making it hard to stay in touch with what’s “real.” Neptune personalities are not exactly known for their stellar logical. But compassion? Absolutely! People with a strongly placed Neptune in their chart make great therapists, shamans and healers.
Because of its distance from the Sun, Neptune has a huge orbit to make—it takes 165 years to circle el Sol. Thus, Neptune will linger in a single sign for an average of fifteen years, shaping generations. Divinely inspired creativity comes from Neptune (with some help from Venus). Here is where we tap into the right brain, releasing logic and letting pure creative impulse flow through us.
Looking at the music of a generation can also be a fun way to track this celestial influence. From 1998-2012 Neptune toured Aquarius, the sign that governs electricity. During this phase, we saw a rise in EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and deejay culture. Early music sharing websites like Napster were also born while sites like MySpace gave independent artists a forum to share their tracks without requiring a record deal.
Neptune is also the planet the dissolves boundaries. Not surprisingly, the free love movement of the 1960s erupted while Neptune was in sexy Scorpio from 1956-70. Like a cosmic acid trip, Neptune brings a sense of oneness consciousness, blurring the lines between “me” and “we.” Compassion runs deep with Neptune—but it can also turn into codependence and martyrdom if we aren’t careful.
How we relate to mind-altering substances is determined by Neptune. Neptune can dissolve the ego—but this loss of “self” can also provoke a crisis. Hospitals and institutions fall under Neptune’s watch—little surprise since following Neptune’s compass without paying heed to other planets like sensible Saturn or the self-focused Sun might just get one strapped to the gurney. Like the other outer planets, Neptune goes retrograde annually, for about five months. These periods can be deeply introspective times—but ones that require extra reality checks!
Gong Yoga
A gong meditation is not really merely “listened to” with our ears as such, but rather “felt”. It is in a way, a sensation, whereby the gong frequencies are experienced with our physical body and our feelings / sensations, (and not so much with emotions), as much as our energy body.
Gong Yoga is a relatively new form of yoga. It is not recognized as a classical form of yoga, except in that it is an essential element of Kundalini Yoga. The Vibratory sound of the gong offers a form of meditation that is more stimulating than the traditional sitting form of meditation. The sound of the gong reaches the body on a cellular level, encouraging integrated healing of body, mind, and spirit. The gong-sound is felt on an energetic visceral level more so than merely being listened to, and thus it is perceived by the body-mind as a physical & sometimes an astounding energetic and/or visual experience —> clearly a multidimensional sound.
The effects of the Gong-Sound are varied & unlimited:
Induced Meditative State
Enchantment, excitement, exhilaration & wonder at the ethereal off-world-like overtones – the signature of the Paiste Gong (a blending & interplay of up to 12 distinct frequencies).
Profound Peace
Sensations of Activated Energy Centers / Chakras
Spiritual Awakening
Promotes Healing, (energetically, emotionally, & physically – but no guarantees)
Visions
Gong Yoga as a Sound Therapy, is testimony to its healing & transformative properties —> affecting our physical, mental, emotional & energetic well-being and enabling us to feel & function better, and facilitating our Spiritual Growth.
Gong Yoga for Empowerment, exemplifies that our earthly experience is about living as “spiritual beings having a physical experience”, although for many, having the spiritual experience of Gong Yoga can serve as the awakening to this larger part of ourselves, and demonstrates that these aspects of our selves can now be bridged in the Gong Yoga experience. Effectively, the gong-sound is thusly capable of revealing a facet of our own being and a dimension to life that was previously unknown to us.
Experience Gong Yoga as a Spiritual Activation through meditation and the vibratory sound of the Gong. The gong-sounds contain “awakening codes” that activate or trigger new levels of consciousness & DNA for the purpose of assisting us to move beyond the old paradigm of 3D consciousness to the place of 5D (heart-centered) consciousness & beyond —> where we shift from “survival” to “thriving” & wellbeing, co-operation, compassion, and harmony.
Additional Benefits of Sound Healing:
Relieves neck pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, muscle pain, and improves joint flexibility and range of motion
Creates deep relaxation and clears the mind
Immediate reduction of stress and anxiety
Stimulates the glandular system and improves function
Stimulates circulation
Organizes emotional energy
Aids in breaking addictive behavior
Regenerates neurons and their interconnections
Regenerates the nervous system
Clears the aura
Opens and aligns the chakras
Clears the sub conscious mind from negative thought patterns
Strengthens the parasympathetic nervous system
Helps repair damage to the nervous system caused by stimulants (i.e. coffee) and stress
