Toning for Peace

By Lifestyle Contributor Jen Vertz

As we settle into the first month of a new year, especially after what was a scary, violence-filled 2015, many of us are focused on the concept of peace. Regardless of where we live or who we are, peace is something that each of us can ultimately always use more of. Collective consciousness refers to the shared beliefs and moral attitudes that can operate as a unifying force within a society. In other words, the more people get behind a specified way, the more likely it is to materialize. Group positive thinking can change the world for the good. Bad news can depress us, especially when we're bombarded by the media, but we can create balance when we collectively make a daily commitment for peace. The more often a group shares this commitment, the better it works.

As early as the 1960's, studies have validated a prediction by Maharishi Mahesh, the yogi who developed transcendental meditation, that if only 1% of a given population had taken up the practice of meditation involving the use of intention, or repeating a mantra, there would be a substantial improvement to the quality of life in that whole society.

Ok, did you get that? If only 1% of us repeat the positive mantras in our community or even globally, we can change the world for the better! There are so many studies on this, but you can find one of my favorites showing proof here and more recently here.

Sound has been utilized in various cultures for thousands of years as a tool for healing, ceremony, and celebration. Modern Western medicine now uses different frequencies to break up kidney and gallstones in the body and focused ultrasound (HIFU) is now used in some hospitals to treat certain types of cancer. The human body is a dynamic energy system that has a natural frequency (or frequencies) that can become upset or imbalanced. Precise combinations of frequencies associated with healthy tissue and organ systems can help normalize imbalances and synchronize the cell's frequency back to its natural healthy state. For example, the frequency 111Hz is what behavioral scientists say relates to mood, empathy, social behavior and cell regeneration. We can recreate that frequency with our own voices for healing.

Energy is the common medium of the body. It is patterns of vibration or frequency, which have the ability to to heal or harm you. There have been numerous studies validating that intention-based sound meditation creates an increase of peace and allows us to function in a more balanced and harmonious way. Toning with your voice is a powerful tool for self-healing as well as healing others. The vibration of the human voice combined with intention creates a powerful duo. You can tone in a quiet relaxing place, in the shower, driving, or anywhere you feel comfortable doing it. We are focusing on creating a healthy frequency vocally combined with the intention for more compassion and peace in the world. The best part about a sound practice is you can do it anytime! No more rushing to get to that yoga class or scrounging up hundreds of dollars for a retreat. Cooking dinner? Make some sound while you are mashing those potatoes. Better yet, hold the intention of health and well-being for all who eat those potatoes while you tone!

HOW TO TONE
1. Be mindful of healthy posture and deep, full breathing. Mentally state your intention (in this case our intention is for peace)
2. Relax, especially the tongue and jaw.
3. Your inhale should be long and as slow as possible. Your exhale slow allowing your tones to come out for as long as you can.
4. Maintain a comfortable and moderate loudness, don't force your voice.
5. Do not strain your voice. Stop whenever you need to. Seduce the voice out.
6. If you feel tension or discomfort in your mouth or throat, stop for a few moments, breathe, stretch, yawn and resume. Sip water.
7. Let your hands help you.
8. Tone daily for a few minutes rather than tone infrequently for longer periods.
9. The sounds you make don't have to be pretty. The point of toning is not the quality of sound, but rather your experience of the vibration and its results.
10. There is no wrong way to tone. End gratefully accepting the fulfillment of what you have toned for.

Reality is created by the observer. If you can see peace or experience peace, it is real to you. In order for it to be real anywhere, we must make ourselves available to perceive it. Or be it. A vocal tune-up on our Chakras, our focal energy points of the body, is a great way to start.

We start with the heart chakra, toning using the "AH" sound with a comfortable pitch in the center of your vocal range. (You can visualize the color associated with the energy point, in this case, green.) Repeat the "AH" sound between 2 and 6 times, and when you are comfortable with that, smile while you tone to add an additional healing frequency.

My friend Tami and I put together a special toning for you guys, which you can access below. Press play, follow the guide, and tone along with Tami as she clears the chakras from the heart down to the root, back upwards to the crown then back to the heart. The sound created by toning combined with the intention of peace in this form of compassionate meditation is our focus. Clear your body's energy and create tranquility within, so you can send that harmony out to the universe. The way to create a more peaceful world is within each and every one of us, so start with us today!



I worked on this project with Tami Gosnell, musician, sound healing professional, and all around amazing person. Check out her music right here, or check in with her on her KOWS.fm radio show titled The New Paradigm, which is live on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month from 3-5 PM. For questions or if you'd like to book a personalized sound healing session with Tami, email her at [email protected]. - Jen

Image sources from top: Chloe Si, Corina Ardeleanu, Unsplash, myself

This is such a different type of post than what we normally share here, which is exactly why I was so excited about it. I can't think of a better way to enter a new year than by focusing on a collective consciousness centered on the concept of peace. Thank you for putting this together Jen and Tami! In addition to sharing her DIY, design, and food posts here on Bubby and Bean, Jen is a talented designer (for some pretty impressive companies like Whole Foods) and social marketer. You can read more about her here, and also find her on her website, Instagram, and Twitter.   

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