One of the most stunning features of the human body is its remarkable ability to heal itself under the right circumstances. Your immune system battles viruses and disease; your skin and bones can repair themselves after injury, and even your brain can create new neural pathways to work around damaged tissue.

And your voice – the sounds and vibrations you can produce at will, at any time you choose – also has the power to contribute to healing all levels of your being. Used correctly, your voice can be a powerful force in transforming physical and emotional issues, especially as part of a meditation and chant practice.

How you can use your voice to experience healing

When it comes to using your voice for sound-related healing, two important aspects to consider are relaxation and vibration – and how both of those contribute to healing.

Voice healers often refer to the practices of “toning” and “chant.” Toning is the sounding of any long tone for health. It’s an ancient healing method that’s been long used to resonate various parts of our bodies and bring them into balance. When toning, we sound long notes on various vowels and pitches. Chant is the practice of vocalizing on a single note or a limited range of notes, or a series of syllables. Chant has been used through the ages in various spiritual and religious traditions. You may have heard people speak about chanting mantra.

If you try out some manner of basic toning – vocalizing the syllable “OM”, or holding out vowel sounds (“AH”, “OH”, “OOH”, “EE” and “EH”), you may experience a steady, calming vibration throughout your body and begin to feel more relaxed and grounded.

Greater relaxation – especially over a stretch of time – slows down the body and frees up energy and internal resources that can be devoted to healing. For many people, the only time they’re calmed down enough to “recover” from stress and injury is when they’re asleep.

Other vocalizations such as humming or the use of bija mantras (or “seed sounds”) can also aid relaxation, or send vibrations to a specific place in the body that needs it.

Vocalization can also help to increase “somatic awareness” – tuning in with your senses to help you be more grounded and aware of your body, inside and out. This can be practiced through the focus on specific senses while you’re toning – visual, auditory, kinesthetic (touch) and even olfactory (your sense of smell). This goes a long way toward helping you become not only more physically settled, but more emotionally grounded as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about how toning and chant can help you, please click here to get in touch. I’d be happy to talk to you about how to use sound healing to support transformation of physical and emotional issues in your life.