Yogic Traditions and Sacred Sound Practices

This presentation begins with a brief analysis of three distinct constructions of Vedic mantras: the epistemology of cognition of the Vedic mantras in the Ṛg-Veda Saṃhitā; the cosmogonic function of the Vedic mantras in the Brāhmaṇas’ discourse of sacrifice; and the soteriological function of root mantras such as Om in the Upaniṣads’ discourse of knowledge. I will then turn to a consideration of Purāṇic traditions and will focus more specifically on constructions of mantra and nāman in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the consummate textual monument to Kṛṣṇa bhakti. Finally, I will discuss the ontology of the divine name and the practice of nāma-saṃkīrtana within the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava discourse of bhakti, and in the associated regimen of sādhana-bhakti that defines the distinctive tradition of the Gauḍīya community of devotees inspired by the Bengali leader Caitanya in the sixteenth century.

This presentation examines the concept of nāda, or divine sound, in Sanskrit sources, specifically focusing on the literature of the early Śaiva Tantras and systematic works on music (saṅgītaśāstra), noting how this semantically “resonant” term is indexed to discussions of metaphysics, linguistics, cosmogony, and yogic practice. Adopting the methodological approach of conceptual and intellectual history, I chart the usages of nāda, or Resonance, as it is deployed across Śaiva metaphysics and music theory, focusing particularly on its role as a value-laden concept in the cosmogonies and metaphysical frameworks of both disciplines. This will lead to a consideration of how this term illuminates certain “adjacencies” and cross-pollinations between religious speculation and classical Indian performing arts in pre-modern India.  

This presentation examines the liminal space between music, vibration, and Naad Yog, an ancient yogic practice of using the entire body as a vibratory soundboard. Naad Yog begins with the audible, external sound followed by discerning and familiarizing oneself with internal sounds. The rationale is that the mind rules the senses, and the breath is in charge of the mind. Concentration rules the breath, and concentration, in turn, depends on the sound. Thus, Naad Yog uses breath, concentration, and sound-based exercises to prepare the mind to enter a state conducive to meditation. The discussion will unfold in three parts, beginning with Indian sound concepts that relate to and elucidate the practice of Naad Yog, followed by a detailed description of the practices and exercises within the Naad Yog tradition.

Gurani Anjali (1935-2001) arrived in the United States in the 1950s before the major influx of immigration from India that would follow in the 1960s. She eventually established Yoga Anand Ashram in Amityville on Long Island, New York, where she taught Sāṃkhya-Yoga philosophy within the context of the United States’ countercultural and post-countercultural periods. Central to Anjali's repertoire of yoga techniques were music and mantra practices. This presentation shows how Anjali's universal ideas about Sāṃkhya-Yoga became entangled in this new sonic environment as her yogic lyrics merged with her students’ acoustic folk ensemble, but also how Anjali intended for her music and lyrics to lead students toward a transcendent experience of yoga’s higher Self, puruṣa, thus transcending their social environment altogether.