Positive Health Online

by Vicki McKenna BA Lic Ac.

Vibrating Cells

Recently, at the ripe old age of seventy three, I realized I needed hearing aids, too often I was missing chunks of conversations in busy environments and my family were getting fed up with having to repeat themselves endlessly. It was a joy, once I put the aids on, to be able to hear clearly again and I experienced the profound and positive effect sound can have on wellbeing.

 It seems that sound, which is essentially vibration that can be transmitted through our environment – through air, earth or water, has a powerful effect on the body, mind and spirit. In human physiology sound can be defined as the reception of vibrations and their perception by the brain but vibrations can also be perceived outside of our hearing by other parts of the body and by other cell types. Since the beginning of this century several studies suggest that cell types other than auditory hair cells can also directly react to audible sound. For example, it has been shown that sound waves make significant changes to protein structure of tobacco cells.[1]

And it seems that brains of coma patients can react to sounds. EEGs of patients who were deeply unconscious and could not perceive what was happening around them show that their brains are reacting to sound.[2] So it appears that sounds can have a potent  effect on matter.

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/sound-waves-geometric-art-7409203/

Sound Waves, Geometric Art, Nature

Photo Credit to Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay

The idea of sound affecting matter is not a new one --  interestingly we can see research into this four hundred years ago with Galileo Galilei in his 1632 writings -- Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems where he describes how he witnessed sound affecting matter whilst  scraping a brass plate

“As I was scraping a brass plate with a sharp iron chisel in order to remove some spots from it and was running the chisel rather rapidly over it, I once or twice, during many strokes, heard the plate emit a rather strong and clear whistling sound: on looking at the plate more carefully, I noticed a long row of fine streaks parallel and equidistant from one another.
Scraping with the chisel over and over again, I noticed that it was only when the plate emitted this hissing noise that any marks were left upon it; when the scraping was not accompanied by this sibilant note there was not the least trace of such marks.”[3]

Much more recently Hans Jenny (1904 - 1992) was a physician who coined the term “cymatics” to explain the acoustic impacts of sound wave phenomena. Cymatics reveal that specific sound waves can have an effect on various mediums, including water (which of course makes up a large portion of the human body), creating intricate geometric patterns.  So it seems that sound frequencies certainly affect matter and thus can have a huge impact on the human body, mind and spirit – something that shamans and healers through the ages have long known as they healed the sick using sound through singing and with musical instruments. 

Daoists have also long understood the association between sound and healing teaching that each healthy organ of the body is associated with a particular sound and these vibrations can be used to bring about balance and harmony in body mind and spirit.

The Dao of Sound

There are five yin organs of Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Liver and Spleen and all have associated emotional states. When the five yin organs are in a state of harmony we feel joy with our Heart, grief with our Lungs, fear with our Kidneys, anger with our Liver and anxiety with our Spleen. However, if these emotional states are prolonged we can overburden, inflame and weaken our five internal organs. This inner state of weakening and inflammation can also arise through environmental pollution, poor diet, accidents and injuries – even exercising too strenuously can overburden, overheat and weaken the organs. This then blocks Chi energy --the vibration, the sound frequency of the organs and ill health arises. To restore harmony and balance to the organs and to their associated meridians we can use the sound that is the natural vibration of that organ.

Inflammation, blockage, in the organs is released by quietly vocalising the Daoist Six Healing Sounds to disperse blockage, cool and heal the body -- harmonize and balance the Chi. Practise the sounds daily and learn to free up the energy and heal the body/mind.

The Six Healing Sounds

This exercise can be done sitting or lying down.  The aim of the exercise is to restore balance and harmony to the body and mind by making certain sounds.  These sounds cause a vibration in their associated organs where there is a blockage of Chi.  When we make the sound appertaining to that organ we release the blocked energy, damp down the inflammation and so allow the organ to function freely.  This exercise can be done daily.  Each sound is made whilst sitting or lying and is repeated 6, 9, 12 or 24 times.  Inhale through the nose with the out breath always long and drawn out through the mouth.

1. The Sound For The Lungs: Place your tongue behind your teeth and breath in through the nose.  Now exhale making a 'SSSSSS' sound as in ‘hiss’. As you exhale imagine the overheated stagnant energy being released from your lungs so that your lungs are filled with clean, vital, inspiring energy.  Imagine letting go of grief which is the emotion associated with the lungs and being filled with the courage to go on.
2. The Sound For The Kidneys: Breathe in through the nose, then blow the air gently out through the mouth with your lips in an ‘O’ .The sound here is 'FOOO'. Visualise the old energy as a cloud of fear being released from the Kidneys and being replaced by a calm gentle flow of Chi.
3. The Sound For The Liver: Breathe in through the nose and exhale making the sound 'SHHH ‘ as in ‘shoe’ .Feel the blocked energy and heat as anger draining out of the Liver and being replaced by assertiveness and healing.
4. The Sound For The Heart: Breathe in through the nose, then exhale with the sound ‘HAW’ (as in hawk.)  This is the sound for the Heart and is made whilst exhaling feelings of sadness and emptiness to be replaced by feelings of love and joy.
5. The Sound For The Spleen:Breathe in through the nose whilst placing your tongue against the palate and exhale with the sound 'HOOO'.  Imagine anxiety and weakness draining from the Spleen as you make this sound and feelings of strength and compassion filling this organ.
6. The Sound For The Triple Heater: Although not an organ, the Triple Heater serves a purpose by maintaining the body’s thermostat. It is associated withthe three areas of the torso - the upper part containing the Heart and Lungs, the middle containing the Liver, Kidneys, Spleen, the lower part containing the Intestines, Bladder and Sex organs.  Once more breathe in through the nose and then exhale with the sound 'HEEE' which is made whilst visualizing all the stagnant, weakened energy being transformed from all those three areas and their organs into Chi that is balanced and flowing, bringing health and healing. 

All life on earth is simply Chi, energy, vibration resonating at various frequencies manifesting and affecting matter. Use each of the six sounds daily to create the associated vibration in each of your organs. Once you become familiar with the practise you can simplify it by affirming your connection with universal Chi then make each of the six sounds twice whilst visualising its associated organ and Chi will flow to clear the imbalance.

Sources

1. Exposure to Music Alters Cell Viability and Cell Motility of Human Nonauditory Cells in CultureLestard and Capella Epub 2016 Jul 12.
2. https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2019.00019
3. https://geometrymatters.com/hans-jenny-and-the-science-of-sound-cymatics/