Wani Yoga Lesson 11
I will now describe some simple exercises which will bring resonation and make your voice rich. But these exercises must be done consistently. And, you must remain relaxed while doing these exercises.
Sit comfortably on a chair or on the ground with crossed legs. Breathe in deeply and vocalize the following:
Exercise 1
Oo, Oo, Oo, ( Use your speech organs in an exaggerated manner while speaking these vowel sound.
Aw, Aw, Aw,
Ah, Ah, Ah,
Ay, Ay, Ay,
Ee, Ee, Ee
Oh, oh, oh
Repeat 3 to 5 times as can be comfortably done.
Exercise 2 : Taking a deep breath vocalize the following:
oo, oo, oo……mmmmmmm
(while humming the m sound should keep your upper and lower teeth apart. Let the lips touch each other)
Next, repeat with other vowel sounds:
Oh, oh, oh ………… mmmmmmmmm
Aw, Aw, Aw …………mmmmmmmmm
Ah, Ah, Ah ………….mmmmmmmm
Ay, Ay, Ay …………. mmmmmmmm
Ee, Ee, Ee ………….. mmmmmmmm
Exercise 3 :
Speak the following line on one note (do) or (sa)
Many military matters must not mount
Then, repeat the same in other notes of the octave
Sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa
OR
Do, re me, far, so, la, te, do
Some of the other singers known for their resonant voices are:
Some additional speakers with resonant voices are:
Disclaimer: The exercises recommended are harmless, however any person before undertaking my consult his / her physician. The blog owner will not accept any kind of direct or indirect responsibility.
Month: March 2013
'Wani Yoga' Lesson 10
Resonance
Resonance in your voice is a quality that adds richness. Here, I must say that Resonance is gender specific. It is a quality which makes male voice ‘Rich’. So far as female voice is concerned, sweetness of the voice is a sought after quality. Needless to say that clarity, confidence and poise in the voice are important both for females and males.
What is resonance? It is the echo effect. Resonance can be added by the sound engineer. But that is inorganic resonance. It may create a good effect in a song or even in a speech but it is not the resonance in the voice.
How do we achieve Resonance?
Is it a quality of the voice the person brings with birth? Or, can it be cultivated? Both questions have the same answer- ‘affirmative’. Each person is endowed with a unique voice box. Here, voice box comprises vocal cord, cavities in the mouth and nose. These are formed by the shape and muscles of the mouth nose, face and even the skull. To this extent the ‘resonance’ in the voice is an inborn quality. But resonance can also be cultivated by activating the muscles in the mouth, throat and nose.
Among male singers the voices of K.L. Sehgal, C.H. Atma and Kishore Kumar are more resonant as compared to other singers. But we must remember that resonance is one of the many qualities of a good singer.
It adds richness to the voice. The singer is able to enthrall the audience with the ease of his singing. Though C.H Atma and K.L. Sehgal have now become obscure, Kishor kumar’s songs are still very popular. Many times you have the possibility of listening to these on your favorite FM radio channel. Next time, you listen to his song, observe the resonance and consider the unique quality it renders to his songs.
K.L. Sehgal
C.H. Atma singing with his very resonant voice
Kishore Kumar the evergreen versatile singer
Resonance is a great quality of voice not only for singers but also to public speakers. The quality is abundantly evident in the speeches of the following distinguished leaders:
Martin Luther King addressing his followers
Bill Clinton former president of USA
Swami Vivekanand making his impact full speech
The speeches of these great leaders are available on ‘You Tube’ Videos
'Wani Yoga' – Lesson 9
In our last lesson 8, we had done an exercise which enables us to speak longer phrases in one breath. In other words it enhances the span of breath. While speaking when we pause and we breathe, the deeper the breath, the more the ability to vocalize more number of syllables in one breath.
Our balanced Ajna chakra enables to create the sentence easily in mind and we vocalize the same with our speech organs. The fully energized Throat chakra allows the words to be spoken with ease and clarity. Together these two chakras bring about the efficacy of our speech. The effective clear voice, spoken with ease, delineates the exact idea that we wants to communicate, is impressively received by our listeners.
At the same time visualizing the spatial calm of the space makes our mind stable. We are able to concentrate on the idea we have in mind.
In the next exercise we will use the seven musical notes to make our voice more attractive. It is also aimed to achieve poise in your voice, a quality for which swami Vivekananda in revered. In the world congress of religion in Chicago in the year……., the congregation was enthralled not only by the contents of his speech but also by the quality of ‘Poise’ in his voice which is rare to find.
As we know the seven musical notes
Do, re, me, far, so, la, te, do
Or
Sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa,
can make great music in when use with discretion after working the right combinations. Here, our objective is to develop our ability to chant a simple mantra like ‘Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti’ on different notes. It is important to chant the entire mantra on one note and then move on to the next one (note)
Sit on a quiet place. Think of the temple on the mountain hill. Silence and space surround you from all sides and then you start.
(Sa/Do) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
(Re/re) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
(Ga/ma) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
(ma/far) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
(Pa/sa) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
(dha/la) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
(nee/te) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
(Sa/Do) Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
A quiet place, calm in the mind and attentive listening to the sounds produced by chanting the mantra daily will make your voice very appealing and bring about the rare ‘poise’ in your voice. Further it will help stabilizing your mind.
Thanks for reading.
Wani Yoga Lesson 8
Lesson 8
In the last lesson (7) I had described an exercise which is helpful in balancing 3rd eye chakra. The 3rd eye chakra which is the command centre for your body.
Today I will give details step by step exercise which is very helpful in balancing the vishudh chakra which is the seat of communication. Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Relax for an minute concentrating your mind only on your breath. Once your mind is relaxed then treat the following lines as if each line is a sentence. You must breath in before each line.
I
I am
I am able
I am able to
I am able to climb
I am able to climb steep
I am able to climb steep steps
I am able to climb steep steps to
I am able to climb steep steps to reach
I am able to climb steep steps to reach the
I am able to climb steep steps to reach the temple
I am able to climb steep steps to reach the temple of
I am able to climb steep steps to reach the temple of Peace
Now imagine you have reached the top. You find a Small Shiva temple in the midst of a round platform guarded by a small parapet around it. You look around. You find that on two sides, a little more than a semicircle, you can see mountain ranges which are far off. Hardly visible.
On another side you can see a huge reservoir of water. Possibly it’s a man made dam. But there is no sound of water due to the distance. The vastness of the site and the silence of the atmosphere fills your minds with wonders of the special greatness of our universe
Wani Yoga – Lesson 7
In the last lesson (Lesson 6), we had seen how WaniYoga encompasses the necessaity to balance the third eye chakra or the Ajna. Physcially, Wani (Speech) may be produced by the breath, vocal chord and speech organs. It is enhanced and made more effective by your talent to modulate your voice. However, its origin is in the mind. You have to have a desire to speak. Then, you organize your thoughts and the process of speech starts.
Crystallizing the idea, and translating it into the language can be easy and quick with the ‘balanced third eye chakra’ However, if the chakra is not activated you will not have the focus to translate your ideas into language and present it the way you want. The Ajna chakra, or the third eye chakra is in fact the seat of wisdom. This gives you the ability to create an effective desired communication. Since the Ajna is also the command centre for your body, it manages your five senses, as well as your conscious and sub-conscious mind. The body language created while you speak also depends upon the activity of the third eye chakra.
When we are communicating, this Ajna Chakra makes it possible to see the bigger picture. This enables us to put things in the right perspective and we can negotiate with empathy and without being judgemental. Balancing, the chakra also enables you to hear your ego speak. You heart and mind come closer. They no longer tend to take you in different directions, so you speak with conviction and you become more convincing.
Herein below is an exercises which will help you balance the third eye chakra for better communication:
1. Visualize that it is a full moon night
2. You are sitting on the banks of a lake
3. Water in the lake is calm and still
4. You can see the reflection of the moon in the still water of the lake.
5. Concentrate on the image of the moon
6. Visualize light in your mind as if it was the moon in the still water of the lake
7. Continue to meditate on the light in your mind in terms of moon in the lake for 5 minutes. Gradually the time can be increased as much you comfortably can.
8. The best time to do this exercise is early in the morning. However, it can be done at any quiet place at any time with practice.
Disclaimer: The exercises recommended are harmless, however any person before undertaking my consult his / her physician. The blog owner will not accept any kind of direct or indirect responsibility.
Kolhapur
On 21st March, I was in Kolhapur. I wanted to visit Mahalaxmi Temple in Kolhapur. Believed to have been built in 700 AD, it continues to attract devotees and tourists from all over India and abroad.
I will relate three unconnected reflections about my visit. On 21st March and 21st September each year the rays of the setting sun adore the idol. The period is considered very auspicious. As cameras are not allowed inside the temple, all I could do was to take a couple of snaps of the entrance to the temple.
My second reflection is about Kolhapur railway station. It is a Terminus. The station reminded me of the Railway Station in Rome, Italy. I happened to visit Italy once. It so happened that due to excessive fog (quite common for Milan in the month of October) flights from Milan to Rome were cancelled. I took a train from Milan to Rome. That’s how I saw the railway station. The common thing that I found in both these stations was that the height of the platform is very low. While getting down from the train with my baggage I had slipped and hurt myself. A similar incident took place at Kolhapur not with me but with my fellow passenger. In the footsteps of the person who had helped me to reach the airport, I helped the one who fell to reach his hotel which in any case was not far off my own.
Why do railway authorities both in India and Italy allow such avoidable hurts to their customers, I reflected in my mind and cursed the apathetic authorities.
My third reflection is about the greatest singer of our country Lata Mangeshkar. She is from Kolhapur. I asked the driver of an auto rickshaw if I could see the place where she lived before moving to Mumbai. He told me that now there is now a Mangeshkar Nagar, an entire colony name after her. He could take me to Mangeshkar Nagar but he would not be able to identify the house where the singing queen once lived. Then he also told me that Lataji wants to take over the old Prabhat Studio in Kolhapur and re-develop it. But local people are against it. They feel it is a heritage structure and should be maintained as it is.
Suddenly I thought of the Pedder Road Flyover. Lataji stays in a building on Pedder Road. She has been all along opposing the development of the bridge as it would create noise and pollute the atmosphere for the people who stay on Pedder Road
I was not happy to think about the two controversies:
One: Lataji wants to develop the old studio but the heritage trust is against it;
Two: Authorities in Mumbai have been planning a Pedder Road flyover bridge for a long time but Lataji is against it.
Wani Yoga – Lesson 6
In the Lesson – 5, we had discussed the ways and means to balance ‘Throat Chakra.’ The simple exercises described can be carried out at any time and place can help you become more articulate and focused.
The importance of the ‘Throat Chakra’ encompasses thinking also. Because if you think clearly, only then you can give suitable commands to your vocal chords and the speech organs. Needless to say that you breathing pattern when you speak is critical. And, Wani Yoga helps you to develop an appropriate and effective breathing pattern.
Primarily though, this sixth chakra, that is the Third Eye Chakra concerns itself with vision. It is both the physical vision and the mental vision. When you look at anything, certain impressions are created on your mind. A closer and attentive look will bring about clarity. But if you are casual, and inattentive, the impression will be hazy and unclear. A series of hazy and unclear impressions are bound to make you mind also hazy and unclear. In the process, you tend to become indecisive. Procrastination prevails thereafter. In such a situation, you are unable to speak clearly and express your thoughts precisely. How can you succeed in influencing others? We all know that the most important quality of a good leader is that he/she should be able to express clearly and should also be able to influence others.
When you are talking to people or addressing them in a group, it is also necessary to understand their response. How do we do that? When they communicate through their body language, it is necessary for the speaker to listen to them with his/her third eye. You observe the body language through the physical eyes, but assimilating the information gathered, and using the same while speaking surely needs the adept ability of your ‘third eye.’ It is the third eye chakra which enables you to perceive things and simultaneously react accordingly. The intervention of your deeper vision through your third eye chakra takes you to a commanding position. Thus you influence people and develop your leadership quality.
In my next post I shall talk about the exercises the Wani Yoga exercises which balances and enhances this unique faculty that is ‘The Third Eye Chakra.’
Personal Productivity
A day well-spent is a day cherished. We always find some days in our life where we achieve much more; all that has been planned is easily taken care of. At the end of such a day, we actually feel refreshed. There is no sign of the fatigue that bogs us down on days where nothing much has been achieved. So what causes this seemingly strange paradox? The answer lies in our personal productivity.
Personal productivity is the output an individual can achieve given the time he has and the tasks he is supposed to perform. Personal productivity is very satisfying for the inner consciousness. It is a primary source of self-confidence for an individual and boosts his or her moral and raises the self-esteem. It is the very foundation of success. An individual who is highly productivity on a day-to-day basis achieves a lot at the end of the week, more in a month, much more in a year and so on.
So why do people suffer from lack of personal productivity and remain busy in unproductive activities that keep a person occupied and waste his time? There are several reasons for this idle state of mind. These can be summarized as follows:
- Lack of Focus: Many people do not proceed with any kind of focus or direction. Without any clarity on what is to be achieved; such people waste away their time waiting for things to happen rather than making them possible.
- No personal goals: Every individual must have personal goals. These include family goals, financial goals, spiritual goals, career goals etc. People with no goals often find themselves being self-satisfied with little or no achievements at the end of the day.
- Too many distractions: Anyone who wishes to achieve good results must give up this habit of ‘multi-tasking’ or trying to do various things simultaneously. Rather he/she must focus on doing one thing at a time quickly and efficiently before more on to the next thing.
- Not preparing a To-do list: People who do not actively plan for the work day – preparing an agenda of things to be carried out during the day handicap themselves by relying completely on their memory and working on an ad-hoc basis. It is always better to have list of things ready before starting work and planning the available time accordingly.
- No review: Even the best of plans may not always produce results. What is important is a continuous review of tasks to be achieved. This will enable unfinished tasks of the previous day to be completed on the day.
- Staying happy and cheerful: Enthusiasm and confidence go together. People who are generally cheerful energetically move about the days and quite easily accomplish much more than those who remain serious and self-restrained.
In conclusion, whatever we achieve in the long term ultimately is a sum total off all the small actions we take on a day to day basis. In everything we do, we must strive to improve our personal productivity so that we can live fuller, happier, and more accomplished lives.
Wani Yoga Lesson 4
Wani (your speech) is an index of your physical and mental health. What you speak (content), quality of your voice and how you speak, truly reflect your attitude, your control over your speech organs, your breath control and the coordination between the mind and the language you use to express your thoughts.
These are seven vital energy centres in the body known as the Seven Chakras. Throat Chakra pertains to your expression and communication. If the Throat Chakra is unbalanced, the individual finds him/her unable to express. Often there is a feeling of stagnation. You hesitate to express yourself in a group. Your self-esteem is hurt. You hold on to your anger within yourself. Such a situation affects your mental health which in turn also spoils your physical health. Other symptoms of an unbalanced Throat Chakra which is also known as the fifth chakra are:- excessive talking, timidity ,inability to express yourself in a focused fashion, shyness and being judgmental.
Following are the indications of a balanced Throat Chakra:
- Ability to effectively communicate verbally, in writing or through body language.
- Confidence in your beliefs and ability to express these.
- The capacity to listen to others and understand their viewpoint.
- You start respecting the power of language and develop an ability to leverage this unique power.
In my next post, I shall describe the yogic exercises that bring about balance in the Throat Chakra.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Wani Yoga Lesson 3
In my last post, I had talked about importance of Jaw and Lips for speaking clearly. Since the words are created by the five speech organs i.e. Jaw, Lips, Tongue, Teeth and Palate, today, I will explain the importance of the last three.
Tongue:
Tongue plays the most important role in creating various sounds which are recognized as words. How does it do it? By making different movements and adopting different shapes. Sometimes it rests and against the upper teeth; sometimes it clips to the lower ones. It curls horizontally and then vertical for articulating different letters of the alphabet or syllabus of the words. One thing remarkable about the tongue is that it heals very fast should it be hurt due to any reason. Your teeth may bite it. You may suddenly take a very hot drink etc. though it is rarely damaged, but it heals fast indeed. Let the wounds it can create on the minds of people whenever ill used do not heal in a lifetime. It always needs to be reined and used carefully.
Teeth:
Teeth also play a very important role in creating certain words. You may notice that when young children loose their upper teeth they are not able to speak certain words clearly at all. Because tongue does not find the correct resting place for producing those sounds.
Palate:
It is the outer layer of the upper dome in our mouth. It is importance in creating resonance in the voice and also is, instrumental in articulating certain sounds. You might have observed that whenever it is hurt due to talking very hot food or drink our voice is impaired and we are not able to speak certain words.
It is possible you may have found this post a bit too technical. Yet it extremely importance to recognize the role these speech organs play to make our ‘Wani’ sweet and attractive, so we must do all that we can to protect our speech organs and use them adeptly for making our speech effective.
