The Object of Nada Yoga is Transforming the Ego

A new trend today are Wisdom Schools. These are schools consist of curricula based on learning to apply the Wisdom Traditions and basic understanding of civilizations that were more holistic in their thinking. Science, religion, and the art were intertwined in these schools so one received secret, esoteric knowledge that was not only packed into one's brain, but absorbed by the whole body, the whole self. Since the Enlightenment our base of knowledge has been becoming narrower. Material science has become all pervading to the point that some of us think that everything is made out of matter and can be explained that way.

Quantum Physics as well as theology, philosophy, and innate understanding tell us this is not true. The Wisdom School is different from the average institution today because it doesn't create people who can follow the curriculum, or follow the information they learned. They create people who can create new information and give new gifts to the world. I attended one of these Wisdom Schools that has been around for several decades. This school taught on the basis of Creation Spirituality.

It made an attempt to bring religion, science, and the arts back together again in something called the Spiritual Warrior, or the Warrior of Compassion. The Warrior of Compassion reclaimed her power to say yes or no, to make decision when given the correct information, and to create a community where it defined what was beautiful and desirable instead of outsiders. Part of the work that I do now, leading Sacred Union Ceremonies come as a result of attending this Wisdom School.

A big part of our ceremony consists of something called Nada Yoga, or the Yoga of Sound. Nada Yoga is a very ancient tradition that developed along side of all Yoga, including Hatha Yoga, for centuries. Through the use of the voice, musical ragas (scales and songs), and the manipulation of the breath combined with movement, Nada Yoga affects the nervous system. It brings about a feeling of peace and relaxation and opens one to an encounter with the Divine. It brings one to a place of peace and stillness where one can actually hear the sound of the universe which exists at the center of our beings.

The Hindu religion as well as Yogic belief systems, Christianity and the Abrahamic traditions always thought of the universe as sound, light, and vibration. Through correct chanting and movement, and wisdom, one can align oneself with the universe and hear the song of the universe and become one with it. One can become, in other words, one with the Word of God or the Logos.

Many people in the west don't know much about Nada Yoga. Some who consider themselves experts in Hatha Yoga don't pay too much attention to it because they haven't heard of it before. They think that all that Nada Yoga is is singing devotional music in Sanskrit. They often think of this ancient tradition as something insincere and New Agey, and because of their lack of spiritual development combined with a great deal of physical development because of doing Hatha Yoga, they cannot discern what is truly spiritual. The object of all Yoga is putting down the ego and awakening to the greater self. I think this idea has been forgotten by some of the people in the west because they have narrowed their view of Yoga to doing gymnastic feats, which can, if one is not careful, harden the ego instead of release it.

Nada Yoga is a reintroduction of another level yoga into our society. Hatha is only one branch yoga out of eight. Is it any surprise that we in the west would adopt the most physical branch as the only branch? There are still seven other branches and an infinite amount of forms mainly because Yoga means to link with God. That is the God within oneself and outside of oneself. If you want to go deeper into your practice you don't necessarily need to give up Hatha Yoga. It is powerful and very good a dissolving the ego when done the right way. What is necessary is that you begin to study more branches and types of yoga, especially Nada Yoga. It is simple and easy and it will, when done correctly, link you to your higher self so that you will be awake and free from the negativity and projections that often drag us down into depression, anger, anxiety and all of the other negatives that are often the fruit of our socialization in the west. According to statistics almost fifty percent of the citizens in the US are now on some type of medication for depression. This is a sign that something is very, very wrong.