What is Nada Healing?
After over 20 years of training in yoga, meditation and body work in India and southeast Asia, I found healing techniques—such as sound therapy—that were hidden from most of the modern world.
The sounds of ancient prayers being chanted in the temples of Asia transformed my understanding of healing. Grace led me to the Buddhist temples in northern Thailand, the ancient Hindu Temples of south India, the Monasteries of the Himalayas, and the older churches in Switzerland. One common thread that wove throughout these journeys was how the vibrations of the chants and prayers radically transformed my body, mind and spirit within minutes. This divine sound, known as nada in India, is said to be the cosmic flow of energy that arises from the heart. The sounds of the ancient prayers, whether they were Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, had a massive impact on me. In all of the healing modalities I offer, sacred sound is always flowing through me, either silently in my heart and mind or out load as a mantra. Nada, this sound that originates from the heart, is the energy that guides my mind and hands whenever I work with my patients.
“Swami Stitchananda”
My first nada yoga teacher in India was a very humble tailor, whom I lovingly nicknamed Swami Stitch-ananda; ananda means bliss and he was a blissful tailer. He ran a small, local temple in a hut. He met with me every day, during the very early hours of the morning. He chanted verses from the Bhagavad Gita while I listened quietly. His sweet calm voice warmed my heart and calmed my mind. Little did I know, he was actually healing the emotional wounds within my heart. Everything was from his heart, from his stitching to his chanting, and even the way he looked at someone was filled with compassion. I felt nurtured just being around him. The greatest pearl of wisdom he ever gave me was, “On the spiritual path, first we must purify the heart, then everything else comes naturally.” His life was a song that he sung from his heart to others…this is nada yoga.