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Wani Yoga & Throat Chakra

Study and practice of Yoga is incomplete without understanding the importance of the 7 Chakras. These chakras are the real energy centers. Wani Yoga particularly impressive the practices involved in balancing Throat Chakra and the Third Eye Chakra. Today I will talk about the importance of Throat Chakra in Wani Yoga.
It may be necessary to give a brief introduction of these 7 Chakras in order to appreciate their importance in the life. The 7 Chakras are described as under.

Root Chakra is concerned about the safety of the human being.
Sacral Chakra refers to the relationships and creativity of the person concerned.
Navel Solar Plexus Chakra describes the personality and will power of the person concerned.
Heart Chakra Heart Chakra indicates the love and compassion that the person practices in his/her life.
Throat Chakra is responsible for expression and communication of the individual.
Third Eye Chakra shows the development of the individual to have good gut feeling or intuition
Crown Chakra is the ultimate destination of the individual. This chakra concerned his/her spiritual development.

Talking about the Throat Chakra if there is any imbalance the person will be effective with lack of expression. He/she will suffer from the inability to express himself/herself. A feeling of stagnation will be the next problem suffered by the individual. The person might become habituated to holding on to unexpressed angle in tern the attitude will turn negative.

The imbalance of Throat Chakra will also bring a feeling of despondency in the individual – helplessness to make them heard. Further the person made be afraid of speaking. Speaking to a group of person effectively is not at all possible for a person who’s Throat Chakra is not balanced. Besides, the person will suffer from failure to find the right words while speaking.

Wani Yoga ensures that regular simple speech exercises along with breathing techniques are helpful in bringing back the balance of the Throat Chakra. The exercise prescribed in this module are simple to understand and easy to practice. Speech is an extremely important aspect of the human personality. It is therefore necessary that whenever any individual suffers from the blemishes described above, the effects of same may be mitigated by practicing Wani Yoga.

In my next posting I’ll talk about the problems suffered due to imbalance of the Third Eye Chakra. I’ll also describe how the Wani Yoga can help in bringing back the balance.
Thanks for reading.
Wani Yoga is gradually being recognized as one of the most important facet of Yoga.
The posting is repeat of one appeared on 18/10/2015.

Wani Yoga & Throat Chakra

Root Chakra is concerned about the safety of the human being.
Sacral Chakra refers to the relationships and creativity of the person concerned.
Navel Solar Plexus Chakra describes the personality and will power of the person concerned.
Heart Chakra Heart Chakra indicates the love and compassion that the person practices in his/her life.
Throat Chakra is responsible for expression and communication of the individual.
Third Eye Chakra shows the development of the individual to have good gut feeling or intuition
Crown Chakra is the ultimate destination of the individual. This chakra concerned his/her spiritual development.

Wani Yoga – Lesson 14

Speak to express not to impress

You must always speak to express yourself. Any effort to impress others while speaking does not bring about the necessary result. In fact, it may even alienate your listener/ listeners. People expect you to express an honest opinion; no-body wants to be influenced by artificial means.

When you try to impress others, your body language, your voice and the very language used, make it apparent to a discerning listener that you are cooking up a story. No one is the interested in that.

Whenever you try to feign a style just to show off; it puts people off. So the best thing is to be your natural self. Develop a style by all means. But it should be your own natural style.

Your speech must be preceded by your desire to express yourself.

In the circumstances, I consider, Wani Yoga is a discipline which can be best practiced in our old Gura-Shishya tradition. Guru is always his own real self. He is keen that his disciples receive the maximum advantage of his training. His happiness lies in his disciples; in helping them achieve their goals. Wani Yoga enables you to have total control of your mind, body, body language and the language used by you in communication. The trainer or the coach can monitor your progress only if he or she follows this Guru-Shishiya tradition in the true sense.

I am informed by a friend of mine that today happens to be birthday of Adi Shankaracharya who was one of the greatest gurus propagating Guru-Shishiya Parampara.

Wani Yoga – Lesson 13

In my last post (Lesson 12) I had described how resonance comprises a great quality in male voice. It is true for public speakers as well as singers.

So far as female voice is concern, somehow we do not have many world famous female public speakers. That is because traditionally not many ladies have been great political leaders or others who have motivated people with their Public Speaking Skills.

At the same time I would say that the possibility of ladies leading the society can be as much as that of man. The problem lies only in the opportunity. We did have great females leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi and Golda Meir all three of them were great leaders, but only Margaret Thatcher was a great Public Speaker. Indira Gandhi’s speeches were undoubtedly motivation she spoke with conviction. But as she generally spoke on higher pitch, whenever she wanted to put more emphases her voice became strained.

Margret Thatcher on the other hand spoke with great ease. She had spontaneity and conviction. Besides her voice was very resonant. It a pleasure to listen to her speeches some of which are available on the YouTube. Golda Meir of Israel was another great leader but an average speaker.

When we look at the present time I find Mrs. Michelle Obama is a remarkable Public Speaker her articulation is exquisite her modulation is commendable and her control over language is appreciable.

In our own country Sushma Swaraj the leader of the opposition in parliament is a public speaker of a caliber. She is articulate and her control over Voice too is reasonably good.

Since more and more ladies are becoming corporate trainer in develop countries and also in our country. We can hope to see a whole breed of excellent ladies’ Public Speakers. Here, I am not talking of great female leaders But female leaders But female Public Speakers.

The quality is which they need to develop our; one zone personal natural style, speaking Sentences and bring about Modulation during the Speech.

I may repeat here that modulation is one’s ability to bring variance in pace, pause, pitch, emphasis on the keyword and the tone.

The good thing is that more and more people including ladies we realizing the importance of clear speech, presentation Skills and Public Speaking.

Thank you………

Wani Yoga – Lesson 12 : Part 3

Wani Yoga – Lesson 12 Part 3

Today, I’ll talk to you about another very important female playback singer I.e,. Asha Bhosle. The younger sister of Lata Mangeshker, Asha could not get any worthwhile opportunity for a long time. She had to settle for singing in B & C grade films. Music for these films was composed by lesser known music composers. So, there was no development so far her singing is concerned.

It was music director O.P. Nayar who gave h

er a big break. Besides, Nayar’s music became very popular. So, she had plenty of opportunities to sing. Her voice was recognized to be aesthetically sensuous. Many films during 60s & 70s would have cabaret dance sequences. While Helen was the choice performer, Asha would invariably sing those songs. Therefore, the opportunities for her increased. It was during this time that rivalry between the two singing sisters started. Nayar once said that Lata and Asha stayed on the same floor of the building on Pedder Road and they had one common maid. Whenever the maid informed Asha that Lataji had a wonderful recording, it would be enough reason for Asha to lose the poise of her vocal chord.

Starting with extremely popular songs in CID in 1956, Asha’s associations with OP Nayar continued till the middle of the 70’s. During this period Asha sang many unforgettable numbers. Her duets with Mohamad Rafi like “Maang ke saath tumhara maine maang liya sansar”, “Sathi hath barhana sathi re” created history in popularity.

: Dilip Kumar & Vaijanti Mala singing Maang Ke Saath Tumara

Working constantly with music compare of substance results in great development of the singer. The music director is able to secure the best out of the singer and the process results in bringing excellence in the singing quality. Her association with Nayar lasted till the mid 70’s. by then, she had established her name as an aesthetically sensuous and also versatile singer. Music composers like SD Burman, Ravi and R D Burman engaged her to sing their songs. During this period her songs – ” aaja aaja tu hai payar mera, alha alha ikrar mera”, “oh haseena zulfu wali jane jahan, dhonti hai kis ke nishan…, piya tu abh to aaja” brought her an immense popularity.

Asha Bhonsle's famous song — Shammi Kapoor Helen and Asha Parekh – Song: O hasina Zulfon wali

In spite of that she was stereotyped. It was music director Khayam who realized that if Asha could sing at a scale half a note lower she would do be able to sing Ghazals. He ensured that Asha reduced her scale by half a note.

Rekha in Umraon Jan : Ghazal Sung by Asha Bhonsle

With the reduction of the pitch by about half a note a new Asha the ghazal singer came to life. Ghazals comprise a totally different genre of singing. Now, Asha could sing these very well. The Rekha starrer Umrao Jaan is the best example.

What method Khayam adopted is not known. But in practice of ‘Wani Yoga’ we have various exercises and procedures by which we can achieve this objective of lowering the normal pitch on which a person speaks as well as that of singer. In the same manner some other exercises when carried out consistently can help in raising the normal pitch of a person.
Human voice is dynamic. Big changes can be brought about in it. You don’t have to think that this is a God given gift and therefore you have to live with it. Often times we have executives complaining that their voice sounds that of a lady and vice a versa. These attributes of human voice can be all together altered with wani yoga.
Asha has sung more songs than any other singer in the world. She is featured in the Guineas book of work records. She has also received many awards – both from the music field and national recognition. She has earned Padma Vibhushan among others.
Thanks for your time.

Wani Yoga Lesson 12 – Part 2

Regarding Wani Yoga , in my last post, I talked about the talent and development of Lataji’s great singing. The other famous female singers of the same era are many. Today, we’ll go forward talk about Geeta Dutt. There Asha Bhosle, Suraiya, Runa Laila and Anuradha Podwal. Each of them has her own voice personality. They have learnt classical Indian Music from well-Known Gurus. Some of these singers could have also achieved excellence on their own and working with great music composers like Naushad, op Nayar, Shanker Jaikrishan, C. Ramchander, Madan Mohan and others. Their achievements have been are driven by the unsuitable hunger for some immortal songs. And all of them have worked real hard.

You might ask, if the singers have gone through structured or unstructured with rigorous training, then how does Wani Yoga come into the picture?

Any form of yoga requires consistent and constant. Riyaaz or ‘abhiyaas’.

What is Abhiyaas?

Abhiyaas is practice with devotion with a passion to learn. Following any passion, be it concerning art or science needs years of ‘Abhiyaas’ to culminate to its full bloom. Only then it leaves an indelible mark in the society. And, Abhiyaas about singing is ‘Wani Yoga’. Your own active listening improves the quality of your voice. Your own passion for music creates unforgettable combinations of ‘Sur and Taal’ of songs that haunt millions of followers.

Geeta Dutt:

An enchanting singer – her songs put the listeners under a strange spell. Even prosaic messages of her simple songs keep on ringing in your ears:

Babuji dheer chalna, pyaar mein zara sambhalna…..or

Aayee Meherbaan, Bhaithiye jaane jana; Shauk se lijiyeji, Ishq ke inttiyaan……or

Mera Sunder Sapna beet gaya……or

Aye Dil mujhe bata de, tu kispe aa gaya hai, Who kaun he jo aakar, khabon mein cha gaya hai…

And list in endless.

‘Wani Yoga’ Lesson 12

In the last lesson (11) I had described some exercises which are helpful for enhancing resonance in the voice. But resonance is primarily a quality the male voice. What about the female Voice? What are the types of female voices?
For western classical singers the female voice can be classified as:

Soprano: This voice type represents the highest vocal range ability
Mezzo soprano or “half soprano”: vocal range that lies between soprano and the contralto voice type.
Contralto: the voice range which is the lowest female voice type.

Jane Eaglen, famous soprano singer

Patricia O’Callaghan well known for ‘half soprano’ singing

Karneus Katarina – famed contralto singer

However, when we look at the scene in India, famous female singers are known for their unique voice quality. The composers choose the singer as per the demand of the situation in the film. I am talking about female playback singers and not classical singers because they are better known to the people at large. Nevertheless, the importance and greatness of the classical female singers cannot be exaggerated.
While there is no doubt each one of them was endowed with unmatched talent, the development of the voice varies remarkably. This happened due to their learning process and the way music composers worked with them to achieve the desired result in singing.
Lata Mangeshkar
It may be surprising, to many, to know that Lata Mangeshkar was rejected by many composers. They felt that her voice was very thin. In fact if we listen to her songs in very old movies, we will find that her voice was really thin. But it possessed a unique quality of a child’s innocence. However as the years passed, her voice matured. It is unrivaled even to this day. To me it appears that her singing grew as Lata Ji is seen in the following 2 pictures.
Lata Mangeshkar in her younger days
Lata Mangeshkar- her voice matured retaining its malady till date
Her songs truly reflect her versatility. She sings any type of song with unique ease. Invariably, her songs please the listeners immensely. The range of her voice and the poise in her songs are remarkable indeed. Her voice is very sweet and very attractive. Besides it has stood the test of time. If anything it has grown better and better.
As I like to talk about a number of well known female singers, this lesson no 12 will have many parts.
Thanks for visiting my blog.

Wani Yoga – Lesson 11

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.

'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 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.