CONSCIOUSNESS IS SOUND

The Universe as Sound

Nada Yoga interprets the cosmos through the medium of sound. But here, ‘sound’ means far more than what we might ordinarily think – it represents consciousness itself. This idea is captured in the Sanskrit phrase from the Oxford Encylopaedia of the Music of India – Nada Brahma: consciousness is sound.

This understanding has deep roots in the ancient Vedic texts, particularly the Upanishads, which point to sound as both the beginning and essence of the universe.We find similar concepts elsewhere: the Bible’s declaration that “In the beginning was the Word”, and the ancient Egyptian belief that the universe sprang from the voice of God. Such parallels unite ancient wisdom with modern scientific understanding.

In Indian music, Nada refers to the very essence of musical vibration. Since Pythagoras established the connection between musical notes and mathematical ratios, it is not fanciful to recognise music everywhere in the universe – from the tiniest atoms to the movement of planets, and within our own bodies. Musical proportions are literally written into our DNA, making our physical form a supreme musical instrument.

The entire fabric of the universe vibrates and Nada Yoga explores this fundamental vibration. Though our hearing is limited, Nada extends beyond audible sound to embrace wider concepts of harmony, balance and rhythm.

The Practice and Its Effects

Nada Yoga techniques gradually refine our perception. The resonance of vocal sound can energise body and mind while heightening awareness of the chakras, the body’s energy centres. A simple practice is to focus on each chakra while chanting its bija mantra (seed sound) on a musical scale. These single-syllable mantras hold an entire teaching within them; when voiced, the vibration of the sound is said to awaken and embody the meaning it contains. This can be very effective at sensitising the chakras, calming the mind, and helping pull our attention away from outside distractions.

Recent research supports these ancient claims. A study at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, India, investigated Nada Yoga’s immediate effects on energy levels and chakra alignment in healthy volunteers. Using electro-photonic imaging (EPI), researchers found significant increases in energy levels at various chakra locations after just 45 minutes of Nada Yoga meditation.*

The Inner Journey

Nada Yoga practices are designed to create Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) and guide us smoothly inward toward Dharana (concentration) and Dhyana (meditation). The practice starts with making audible sound – ahata nada – but changes into anahata nada, an inner vibration with no outside source. Importantly, the heart chakra itself is called the anahata chakra, making it the doorway to our inner world. As the practice gets deeper, the heart becomes the main focus as we are naturally pulled inward.

As we practise, we learn to appreciate the fundamental role of rhythm. It binds us and the cosmos together through synchronicity – different individual parts beating with the same pulse, where individuals become part of a greater whole. We experience this in orchestras, in the murmuration of starlings or when we chant together. By letting go of our individuality, we become part of something larger. This phenomenon, called entrainment, can draw us into a deep meditative state.

Though our journey may begin with audible sound such as mantra and song, it must lead us to deeper realms of being, just as chanting the mantra Om, the perfect symbol of Nada or sound, is followed by the silence from which the manifest universe emanates.

The Wisdom of Om

The true nature of the mantra Om is revealed in the Mandukya Upanishad, one of humanity’s great philosophical gems. In just twelve verses, it condenses the entire wisdom of the Upanishads, expressing profound ideas about consciousness through the lens of the mantra Om. The great teacher, Adi Shankaracharya, declared that seekers of liberation need no other text.

The first verse boldly states: “sarvam Omkara eva” – Everything is Om! The very essence of the cosmos is revealed through this mantra. Upanishadic wisdom makes no distinction between cosmic and human consciousness – consciousness is one, expressed as many. This creates a pathway to contemplating absolute consciousness through understanding our own human awareness.

The sound of OM is made up of three vowel sounds: A, U and M. The Mandukya considers consciousness in four parts corresponding to the vowel sounds of AUM plus the silence that follows. The first three states – waking, dreaming and deep sleep – are what we experience daily. The fourth state, called Turiya, flows through all three and represents pure, complete awareness.

Think of it like this: if the first three states are individual notes, Turiya is the entire symphony playing through them.

A = Waking State Consciousness (Jagritsthana) This is our everyday physical world. When we wake up, everything around us comes alive too – our thoughts, what we see and hear, our relationships and feelings. In today’s digital world, this gets much bigger. We can access endless information instantly, and we’re connected to everyone else’s thoughts and ideas online. This includes everything we experience in time and space, but there’s a deeper, unlimited consciousness that sits beneath all of this everyday awareness.

U = Dream State Consciousness (Swapnasthana) This is the subtle realm of the mental plane, including dreams, imagination and creative thinking – what yogis call Chid-akasha or the space of consciousness. In this state, we can go beyond the normal rules of the physical world and tap into pure creativity.

Think of Einstein imagining himself riding alongside a beam of light – this mental experiment led him to discover groundbreaking truths about physics.

The dream state gives us access to this
same creative power, where thoughts
and images can reveal deep insights.

Like the waking state, this is still just
one glimpse of complete consciousness,
but it’s an incredibly valuable one.

“AUM in its sounding is the manifest universe; in its silence, it is the Absolute.”

M = Deep-Sleep State Consciousness (Sushuptasthana) In this subtlest realm, our experience of consciousness is inferred rather than direct. The ego switches off, the body completely relaxes, and consciousness transcends both dream and waking states. The Upanishad describes this as “a mass of consciousness” (prajnan ghanam), – ever-blissful yet totally unaware. Meditative practices can awaken awareness in this realm, leading toward Turiya.

Silence = Turiya – The Fourth

Transcending the three everyday states is Turiya, the Absolute. The Mandukya describes it as adrishtam (unseen), avyavaharam (unlike anything), agrhanam (ungraspable), alakshanam (un-inferable), achintam (unthinkable), avyapadesham (undefinable), ekatmaprataya saram (one with the Self). All phenomena cease – there’s no ‘you’ separate from everything else. It’s described as eternal, blissful and completely whole.

The final verse describes the fourth state as amatra – “without measure or metre” – unlike the three sounds A, U, and M, which have rhythm and sound-wave qualities. Thus, Turiya is pure silence.

AUM in its sounding is the manifest universe; in its silence, it is the Absolute. Just as sound originates from underlying silence, absolute consciousness is the foundation of all manifestation.

We use the sound form of the mantra Om as a symbol of absolute consciousness. AUM represents our true nature at every level of being.

The Yoga Sutras emphasise the importance of meditating on Om: “The word which expresses Brahma is OM. This word must be repeated with reflection upon its meaning. Hence comes knowledge of the Atman and removal of ignorance.”– Yoga Sutra 1.27 – 1.29

Learn more Experience this practice firsthand when Rajesh David leads a Nada Yoga session at the SOAS BWY summit on 1 November at the Brunei Gallery, University of London. The summit brings together yoga experts and scholars to discuss and experience how yoga and ayurveda can support modern minds in the age of overload. Tickets: £75 in-person; £45 online Book here: https://portal.bwy.org. uk/user/events/996

Rajesh David is a certified yoga teacher who trained at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai, India. As a composer and singer with training in Indian classical music, he brings a rich musical background to his yoga teaching. He spent four years as a resident at Mandala Yoga Ashram in Wales, where he led kirtan and chanting sessions, gave concerts and taught Nada Yoga courses. He now teaches internationally and serves as a guest tutor for the BWY. https://rajeshdavid.com/