NADA YOGA FOR CHILDREN

A Nada Yoga, or Sound Yoga, practice brings peace and instills meditation. Nada Yoga with singing bowls creates a healing vibration that connects with children on a level that surpasses language.

As Kahlil Gibran states, “music is the language of the spirit.” As the sound vibration soothes their energy, a stillness ignites, where they experience relaxation and connection to Divine energy. It leads them to experience their authentic selves through a quieted mind.

Children are “sponges” in that they can absorb negativity in their surroundings and the collective –societies “ills.” I believe that children see the world in its truest, most hopeful form. Children see the finest qualities in people, exhibit hearty trust and value the emotions of empathy and compassion.

With any level of observation, you can see this for yourself.

The problems and obstacles children face in today’s society include bullying, peer rejection, social stress, and coping skills, and addiction to technology. Since the COVID lockdown, there has been an increase in childhood depression.

Addressing these issues is many-fold, and one approach to addressing these issues is through the practice of Nada Yoga, sound healing and meditation. If we can reach children who have emotional pain and those with physical pain with the sacred sound of the singing bowls, we can help them build a foundation for positive mental and spiritual health.

The similarities between Nada Yoga and Music Therapy are significant. Just as music therapy creates stronger socialisation skills, so does sound healing; it also enhances awareness, memory, emotional balance and creativity.

Why is sound healing and a Nada Yoga practice good for children? Just as music therapy is a healthy modality for treatment of anxiety, socialisation and health issues, so does the experience of sound healing and Nada Yoga with singing bowls. The vibration of the singing bowls activates and soothes the nervous system. As children become relaxed, anxiety and insecurities are abated. A sense of calm and stillness replaces these feelings. As a relaxation practice, it induces a meditative response. This helps children’s wellbeing, cognitive function, happiness and physical health. Sound healing and Nada Yoga helps the immune system by reducing stress hormones and positively influencing the body’s ability to fight infections.

As some children are active and kinetic learners, an interactive practice of Nada Yoga, allows for full expression.

As they absorb the vibration of the singing bowls in a very encompassing way, their active and unrestrained imagination is peaked and the sound of the singing bowls transcends them from their immediate space to a lighter, freer, etheric plane to experience the magic of colour and light and geometric imagery.

Their world of wonder and curiosity coupled with their enthusiasm and imagination is nurtured through the exploration of sound. Sound breaks all barriers of language and vocabulary, as well as the interpretation and judgement with the world of words.

Ahkilanka, a Master sound healer and Nada Yogi using ancient Tibetan singing bowls, introduced this sound healing therapy to Indian children, years ago as an elementary school art teacher.

Since then, he has volunteered his time in orphanages and schools for the blind in his hometown, Mysore, India. In his travels to the United States, he has shared Nada Yoga with singing bowls and sound meditation with schools in Florida and Wisconsin.

The response from children was quite remarkable! “Thank you so much for coming in and showing us the singing bowls. I loved the sounds of the bowls. It is amazing what sound can do to people and animals. I saw the colors, orange and yellow and it made me really calm and I almost fell asleep…” “…I felt so relaxed during the singing bowls. It was one of the most relaxing things I have listened to in my whole life!” …” When we were half way through, I was so relaxed I was about to fall asleep. The bowls sounded so beautiful.”

Akhilanka says of his Nada Yoga experience with school children, “ Children also teach us. Working with children requires patience. Since Patience is a spiritual quality, here, easily I can practice patience working with children. I connect with my innocence and spontaneity.” He goes on to describe their influence on us, “Children are bubbling with energy. As we age, our molecules run down. They uplift you. In our serious adult lives, they bring us playfulness and joy! Children inspire us, if we take the time to see. Children are needed for us to reflect on our own innocence and playfulness. Children are affected by our modern society. Children are having the “mobile” mind.” These were observations Akhilanka noted in his travels to different countries and his own country of India. He has concerns about the future innocence and creativity of children due to modern times. His hope is that Nada Yoga and sound healing can play a bigger role in schools and help support children’s development and well- being.

What an amazing opportunity awaits us in our educational systems! As more children in schools are benefiting with the practice of meditation, we are investing in the future of compassionate individuals who are our future leaders and creative thinkers. Sound healing is not a practice that is religious in nature and doesn’t have the dogma of controversy that religion may have on different belief systems. Just as language can be a barrier to understanding, sound is beyond the constructs of political or religious beliefs as well as educational backgrounds. Sound is all inclusive.

Laura Haberstroh is certified in Nada Yoga from the Temple of Singing Bowls in Mysore, India. As a retired Massage Therapist, she continues her healing work spreading the word of the benefits of sound to children and adults in her home state, Wisconsin, in the United States. Her business is named Touch of Light Sound Healing and can be found on Facebook and Instagram.