The Magic of Our Voice

Toning is one of the simplest things you can do to clear the energy fields around you and within you. Simply breathing deeply and then on the exhale making the sound of the five vowels, A, E, I, O, U refreshes our energies and removes blockages. Toning in a space can help clear the space.

One way of thinking of the vowel sounds is that they are the seed sounds in all mantras, chants or songs. It is the vowels that open up the channels of breath and energy. The vowels are the seeds of power in our vocal expressions.

When you feel your energy getting frazzled and frayed, tone the five vowels and notice how you feel afterwards. Tone in the morning when you wake up and see what a difference it makes in helping you get started.

There is a beauty and power in this simple tool, and best of all, this tool, your voice is something you always have with you. Are you aware of how you use your voice?

The Secret Power of Rhythm, Part 2

How do we experience the secret power of rhythm in our lives? Look at how we do our work. When someone has found a rhythm that masters the work, we become highly efficient. We get in the groove and achieve at a high level. Finding the rhythm is most important. Once we have it we become one with the task to be done, and we feel our strength, our certainty and the spirit of doing what needs to be done.

When athletes do this, they refer to it as getting into the zone. Achieving a smooth operating rhythm sharpens the focus, and the continuation of that rhythm enables the performer to repeatedly move in that efficient flow that leads to outstanding performance.

In relationships we are at our peak of connection when our rhythms are matched. When we are in sync with another person there is an ebb and flow to our actions. There is clear, nonverbal communication underlying whatever we say. We know instinctively what needs to be done and we are satisfied in our feelings and creatively enmeshed. Our joined rhythms can take us to places that our minds and words alone could not.

When things are going well for us, when we are efficient and happy with what we have done, we are in rhythm with our surroundings. When we pay attention to our gut instinct and use it for guidance, we are in rhythm with our life force.

When we are doing any activity, whether it is walking, swimming or anything else, when we feel our rhythm we are making smooth progress with that activity.

Being aware of what rhythm we are acting in we become aware of ourselves in relation to others and that helps us find the most effective ways to connect and communicate with others. If another person is acting very chaotic, we might be able to draw them into a more harmonious and productive interaction by coming from a very lyrical state where we embody joy and imagination, we can smooth down the rough edges and facilitate a smooth flow between us.

And that is not to state or imply that there is anything wrong with a chaotic rhythm in our lives at times. What is a party if not joyful chaos? Different people connecting in different ways, some eating, some drinking, some dancing, some laughing, and definitely not all in unison. We are also inviting people into chaos when we invite them to brainstorm with us. All ideas, no matter how silly or off the mark, are put on the table to consider so that we have a huge number of choices to sort out to serve our purposes, and it may be a combination of a silly, irreverent idea combined with a serious idea that finally does the trick.

When we are being in the rhythm of flowing together we might be singing or dancing with someone and we feel warmly connected. So there is no right or wrong rhythm just a greater awareness of how we are and what we are doing and all of this increases our joy about who we are because we are using one more tool in a very conscious way to facilitate our connections to others.

There are times when we are in a staccato state of movement, like when we have made a list of things to do and we are working our way down that list, getting those things done and checking them off. I think of it as imposed order. Certainly in being efficient sometimes we need that as an organizing principle.

The rhythm of stillness is what we experience when we take time to rest, to center ourselves, to let our mind quiet and peace to permeate our senses. And we all need some of that each day as well.

Rhythm is an ever present factor in our life, part of who we are and everything we do. Being aware of how it works and using it to our advantage is one of the secrets to getting more out of life.

The Secret Power of Rhythm

Ancient calendars consisted of 13 months, or moon cycles, in a year with a very even rhythm to them. A four week cycle when the moon goes from dark waxing to full to waning to dark again. Some people speculate that church changed the calendars to the Gregorian calendar in 1582 which gave us the uneven count that we have today with some months having 30 or 31 days and one having 28 except for leap year to interrupt the natural rhythms of our lives. When people are off balance, they are easier to control.

What other events in history used rhythm as a control device? When slaves were brought to this country from Africa, the slave masters took away their drums, because they knew that if the people could play their tribal music together, they would be more unified and strong. But those rhythms survived in the handclapping and foot stomping which they carried over into the church music, and that is why black church music sounds different than white church music.

When Indians were placed on reservations, they were forbidden to do their dances and songs and even speak their own language. One of the famous unintended consequences of this was the grassroots popularity of the ghost dance which led to the infamous uprisings of the late 1800s. Again, these rhythms gave groups of people strength and unity.

There are certain varieties of fundamentalist religious sects that forbid dancing. Why? It might raise the energy of people in a way that will make them harder to control.

How else can we see rhythm at work in our lives? Sympathetic vibrations, as I discussed in an earlier piece, shows the power of the Law of Attraction. Rhythms we send out have everything to do with what we get back.

What about rhythms of the spoken word? Listen to any of the people who are considered great public speakers, whether they are comedians, actors, singers, politicians, ministers, or teachers. Powerful speeches or entertainments have everything to do with timing and rhythm.

Cadence is everything in training people to work as a unit in the military. Think of all those chants that they all use when marching and drilling.

What about cheering your team on at a sporting event? Rhythm plays a huge part in working up energy in that context too.

Poetry readings. Listen to how much the rhythm of the words affect the delivery and impact of any poetry, whether it is classical or contemporary.

Think of how your life feels in or out of balance, based on how smoothly you get your work done, which has everything to do with having the proper timing to the beginning, middle and ending of a job or task. Think of how smooth things flow when you are cooking, and this ingredient is done in time to blend with that ingredient. Rhythm.

Why do you think that certain businesses choose certain types of music to play. Notice the difference between a place that does most of its business as a bar, and a place that is a more elegant restaurant. Think of the kind of music you hear in a bookstore, and the kind of music you hear in a coffee shop, the kind of music you hear in a grocery store or an oil change place. Why? Different rhythms create different moods, different appetites. Think about the different kinds of music you might choose for working out, cleaning house, making love or reading.

Think of the important influence rhythm plays in all aspects of life. Feel how this component we take for granted is invisible, but its effect is felt everywhere. And it makes all the difference in how effective we are at whatever we are doing.

Rhythm is one of the underlying building blocks of communication, which is so pervasive that we do not always recognize it because it is so embedded in our being. One of the best books on this topic is Gabrielle Roth's Maps to Ecstasy. To offer you one kernel of wisdom from her writing, consider this. When you notice the rhythm that a person is in, whether it is staccato or lyrical for example, can provide you with an important clue in having a breakthrough in communication with that person.

Think about the part that rhythm plays in nonverbal bonding with other people. This is one of the roots of the way that we develop closer feelings with a person just by walking with them in a park or dancing with them in a club or dance hall.

We all have rhythms and rituals in our lives although we might not be in the habit of thinking about them that way. For example, when I was younger, I could just jump out of bed in the morning, have a cup of coffee, get in the shower, then get in the car and go to work.

That rhythm does not work for me any more. Now I always set my alarm to allow two hours before I have to go somewhere or do something. That two hours is important for me to get my day off to a good start. I always begin by having coffee, writing notes to myself or jotting down dreams, reading something, perhaps pulling a card and meditating on that, and only after I have done those things do I fix something to eat and get cleaned up to go. Creating that rhythm to start my day is essential for me.

Each of us has our own rhythms, and they are just as ever present in our lives as our generation of thoughts and feelings. We each have our own rhythms and rituals, but we most certainly do have them.

Notice the terminology we use. When we are in the flow, or in the zone, what does that mean? When we are feeling creative, inspired, motivated, what does that mean?

It means we have found a smooth rhythm to operate in, and this enhances our productivity.

When we are doing work that we love, engaging in a hobby, activity or sport that we love, we are finding a rhythm that enhances what we do. And when we are acting in harmony with our passions, when we are engaged creatively, we are more closely connected to our spirit.

The secret power of rhythm is that it has everything to do with how we are and how we are, and the people who are aware of this factor can be more successful in every aspect of life.

Can you see how this works in your life? Can you feel it? Can you hear it? Can you smell it? Can you taste it?

This is the language we all speak, whether we know it or not.