Yoga Nadopasana
What is Nadopasana?
Nadopasana is a conscious voice practice from South India.
Literally translating as devotion to/attention to/worship through (upasana) sound (nada), the basic exercises form a core daily practice in Carnatic music. Carnatic music is the sacred classical music of South India, which for many centuries was performed exclusively in temples as part of devotional ritual.
In Western terms, Nadopasana can be seen as a practice for embodied music: a conscious placing and moving of the voice inside the body. As such, it can be extremely useful for musicians, actors and dancers who use their bodies to create. It can also be highly effective for anyone who is looking to calm an overactive mind, and create a deep feeling of relaxation through every part of the body.
Why Is The Voice So Important?
Of all the five senses, arguably the most fundamental are touch and hearing. This is not true for all living creatures, but it is certainly true for human beings, who spend the first nine months of our lives inside the womb, suspended in warm fluid. The senses of sight, smell and taste that we use to thrive outside the womb are not yet required. Hearing, however, is present, but at this stage it is a function of touch: the amniotic fluid transmits vibrations, through our our skin and bones, to our developing brain. After birth, second only to the warmth from her body, our mother’s voice is our primary source of calm. Although our hearing now also processes vibrations in the air, skin and bone conduction hearing remains active and important throughout our lives. From hearing a lullaby cradled on your mother’s chest, to a cathedral hymn played on a deep, resonant church organ, to a nightclub tune at a rave on huge subwoofers: experiencing sound physically, through the body, has strong associations with feelings of love, security and happiness.
As we grow, as the sound that we hear more than any other, our own voice becomes a key part of our sense of self. In teenage and young adult years, however, the power of this essential part of our identity is often supressed: many of us become conditioned to be quiet, ‘nice’ and ‘not make too much of a noise’.
The importance to health and wellbeing of healthy breathing, and by extension, an unrestricted voice, has been observed in many studies, and shallow breathing and vocal constriction is prevalent amongst patients with terminal illnesses. Breath, and its vibratory counterpart, voice, are core natural tools that we all have to strengthen, heal and look after ourselves.
Yoga Nadopasana is a practice that strengthens lung power, vibrates the entire body and creates a deep sense of wellness.
How Will I Feel?
It is relatively common to feel emotional during this practice, either euphoric or even moved to tears . We are literally vibrating our bodies with the power of our own voice, massaging ourselves, looking after our own wellbeing. It is an intense act of self-care using sound.
What Is The Idea of This Site?
Practising Yoga Nadopasana is a way to create a feeling of euphoria and oneness in at little as twenty minutes, and the more you practice, the deeper it becomes. Some students have reported that this feeling of wellbeing comes to them more reliably with Nadopasana than in other forms of yoga. The idea of this site is to provide resources and background materials for anyone who wants to practice at home, or to join an online group to practice together. I was lucky enough to be taught by the most generous teachers, and I hope that this site will help you to develop your own.