Ask Parvati 23: The Voice - To Speak Or Be Silent? Part 2: Sounding It Raw And Real

PART 2: SOUNDING IT RAW AND REAL

(Continued from Part 1: Soul Confusion, Vocal Tension)

Think about how much our mouth alone moves during the day. Then think of all that is involved in making vocalized sounds: our pumping lungs and all that is involved in breathing; the opening and closing of our throat and all the mechanics in the mouth and through the vocal cords; the way we hear through the incredible world of the ear; and the way we feel and respond, our sense organs being like an immense woodwind instrument, responding to the winds of life that blow through us.

Singing for me is part of my spiritual path. I have said, since I was a child, that I felt most alive and connected when I sing. Through sound, I feel I touch something huge, beyond my active mind, beyond cerebral words.

I continue to explore, on my vocal journey, the extraordinary power of the voice that ranges from non-verbal expressions to melodic singing. For me, the process of giving voice is both humbling and powerful. But giving voice is by no means limited to singing, and making pretty sounds. The voice is capable of an extraordinary range of sounds from the guttural to the angelic.

As a therapeutic tool, the use of raw, unedited sound as a means of expression is a process that brings us quickly into the world of primal power and pre-verbal impulses. We tend to think verbally, yet sonic information does not only exist as words. Dancers know this experience when they feel an electrical impulse to express through their body.

In the same way, sound comes as a wave through our being that expresses the primordial. Sounding and freeform vocalizations can be a very powerful therapeutic tool to unlock experiences that get trapped by the desire to intellectually understand. Many people have had experience with years of psychotherapy, only to find that after a few sessions sounding, that they finally touch areas in their psyche they could not verbally access.

EXERCISE 2:

Find a quiet place where you can lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground. Begin to breathe naturally, deeply, but without forcing. Allow your body to relax and your awareness to deepen.

Sense or visualize that your body is a tube that runs from the crown of your head to your feet. Then begin to yawn, and sigh. Allow your self opening up, letting go. Keep yawning and sighing.

Then gently start to make subtle sounds, like you do at the end of a yawn. Nothing dramatic. Nothing big. Just easy does it. Allow the sounds to flow out of you, effortlessly. The less effort, the better.

Keep following those sounds without trying to make something of them. You are not singing, or even trying to make sounds. Sometimes, there may be no sound with the exhale. There may be just be breath. Focus your awareness inward and allow sound to arise. See what comes. Make room for the inner sounds to emerge, without judgment. Follow this exploration for some time. Keep your mouth, jaw and face easy and relaxed. When you have had enough, simply return to your normal breathing pattern and release the exercise. Take a few minutes to notice how you feel.

(Continued tomorrow with Part 3: Authentic Communication: From Goo to Grammar)