Writing — Josh Brill

Nada Brahma (Mysticism of Sound and Music)

The world in which we live in is a world within worlds within worlds. Varying in scale, the universe is a system of systems of vibration. Waves upon waves of vibration, movement the only constant. Within us are worlds of vibration as well, differing in degree of scale and function. From the infinite large external universe to the infinite small internal universe we can observe that vibration is the continuum between the two polarities of infinity. Creation itself is the vibration of the universe. The creator itself, is the creation and the creation the creator. The vibration of the unmanifest into the manifest. From no-thing to something. From the unconditioned to the conditioned. From Silence to Sound. From the formless to form.

The ancients recognized the complex simplicity of the universe as sound, the nature of sound, and thus the creator as sound itself. Understanding the creator as sound itself birthed a spiritual science for connection with the creator: sound and music.

Nada, (the sanskrit word for vibration/current/flow) and Brahma (the vedic name for the creator aspect of divinity) together actually mean the act of creation as/through sound. This ancient recognition of the vibrational aspect of creation is a thread through many of our spiritual traditions and reveals including: Vedic, Hebrew, Christian, Sufi, Tantra, Native American, shamanistic ritual, and Chinese medicine to name a few.
The incorporation of sound practice in religious rituals and experiences can be traced as far back as our history allows and continues to this day in many forms that don’t have the label or tradition of ‘religion.’ Music in its various forms such as dance and singing has been the thread of uniting the tribe into a harmonic connection. It has been used to change our state of being, as a means for cultivating energy, connection, heightened experience and sensory acuity. It is not a far leap of metaphor to even look at the way we deify our ‘rock/pop stars’ as they seem to intoxicate us with their music and bring us to a place that weren’t able to seemingly reach on our own.
As we connect in with the study and practice of Nada Brahma, realizing that the creator and creation is sound, we recognize that we are sound and thus we are both the creation and creator. With this recognition of our divine vibration, we can use our means of awareness to deepen this connection to our source; sound. As we connect in with sound, we connect in with music. As we connect in with music, we are tuning to the harmony of the cosmos. As we are more in tune/tuned in with the universal harmony, we are more aligned, more balanced, and ultimately better equipped on our path of the transformational arts and practices.

Nada Yoga (Metaphysics of Sound and Music)

The word ‘Yoga’ can be read both as a state and as a process. As it is written, Nada Yoga can be defined as the balanced or harmonized state of Nada, the sound current. Where as Yoga Nada would be the process of using the sound current to establish a state of harmony, balance, and unity. According to Christopher Wallis "Yoga as process means joining oneself firmly to a spiritual discipline, the central element of which is the gentle entrainment of all the energies of the body, mind, and senses: bringing them to a single point of tranquil focus."

For our understanding we can approach Nada Yoga as the metaphysics of Sound or Nada, the singular universal sound current. In contrast to the mysticism of Nada Brahma, Nada Yoga is our understanding of the physical qualities of Nada, and how we may experience and participate in the universal sound as an action of inner alignment of our energetic system governed through our singular and divided awareness of consciousness.

Yoga, the union, the harmony, the state of Nada (sound current/vibration) is our aim. With this as an aim, how do we get there? We get there with our recognition of the harmony of our inner and outer workings which are part of the universal vibratory system itself. In our recognition of vibration and the fractal manifestations of the universal sound, we can attune to this Yoga of Nada using our volitional attention engaged. Recognizing our system of vibrations, we cultivate the energy using specific alignments that correspond to how the universe comes into resonance with harmony. With the energy cultivated, we move it up and down to engage with our own center of our unstruck sound, our inner silence.

When we begin to explore the principles of resonance, vibration, sound, and motion we begin to understand the universe as a dynamic system of polarity; shiva/shakti. The back and forth vibration, like a guitar string creates the involution and evolution of consciousness: spanda. We exist at the connection point of the external infinity that we are a part of and the internal infinity that we have within. By becoming fluid with the interchange of the out and in with our breath, body, and mind, we begin to harmonize with the true fluid nature of existence. This allows for the natural flow of energy or prana to become infinity abundant and accessible.

When we harmonize with harmony, we experience the unity consciousness that is our divine birthright.

Our aim in the practice of Nada Yoga is to call in and align to the sacred technology of harmonized and shaped vibration of prana. By accepting that there is an objective reality to the universe and that we are a micro cosmos of that reality, we can begin to align to the nature and motion of shakti into pure consciousness.