Happy Beltane! It’s the official beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere according to Celtic custom, a lovely positive energy worthy of celebration.
In my corner of the world, I’ve become enamoured with humming. Yes, humming!
There is a very old Yogic practice of humming breath called brahmari, inspired by a type of female black bee. It’s simple, and I invite you to try it yourself, especially if you have a noisy and easily distracted mind.
First, notice the quality of your mind and thoughts in this moment. Not to judge or to “fix”, but to simply register a base line.
With a relaxed and lengthened spine, make a humming sound as you exhale. See if you can get your lips and skull to vibrate. Inhale through your nose in a natural way, and hum again as you exhale.
If you want to get fancy, you can play with pitch (high and low notes) to calibrate a pleasant resonance for yourself. You can also explore humming quietly and with more volume. Give yourself permission to play!
Try about five rounds, where one round includes an inhale plus an exhale. Afterwards, sit quietly and breathe naturally for about a minute. Or longer if you like.
Ask yourself this: what is the quality of your mind after your experiment? Is it quieter, smoother, emptier? Do you feel more stillness or peace? Do you feel more like yourself, and not so much pushed and pulled around by outside forces?
This pranayama technique is very effective in quieting the mind. It is also very helpful in preparing the way for meditation. My teacher always said that meditation can’t be taught, but conditions can be created for it to arise spontaneously. This is one of those ways.
I’ve also been doing some research recently on the vagus nerve, which is getting quite a bit of media mention these days. This set of nerves comes from the brain and meanders through the vocal cords, back of throat, heart, lungs, breathing diaphragm and weaves through all the other organs. When these nerves are toned, they initiate our relaxation response. This parasympathetic nervous system response supports resilient immune function, good digestion and optimal reproductive health. It also lowers blood pressure and reduces stress. Isn’t this wonderful news?
Humming is such a simple way to attune our vagus nerve. We don’t need any fancy equipment, and we can do it any time we like. Singing and chanting also work. In addition, the positive vibration of these practices pushes out any negative impressions in the mind.
So hum away! You have a pharmacy within you, and this is a simple and elegant medicine you can use at any time.
May we hum (or sing) our way to inner harmony!