Within the context of Whole Body Breathing, vibration and humming are used in order to both induce more sensation and proprioception within the body, as well as to take advantage of the bone growth, healing, and adjustment possibilities that come from the vibration.
If you haven’t felt your internal body and 7 diaphragms, this video will get you started:
In Whole Body Breathing, there are seven diaphragms of the body and a Fascia which connects everything together. When the diaphragms fully expand, and the tensegrity of the fascial network is restored, this looks like proper format function.
This proper form and function can only be restored by you. practitioners can (and do) help the process significantly, but to prevent relapse and to get (an order of magnitude) more amazing results than the practitioner can provide alone, you need to work within your own body and allow it to release and strengthen using your own awareness.
The vibration from humming can be central to this. The are are many methods, ancient and new, but the Beej Mantras from Yogic understanding provide a comprehensive framework to begin this sort of work. Skull restriction, chest restriction, pelvic restriction, tightness anywhere in the body can be detected and then melted away through awareness. Oftentimes, we are not even aware that parts of our body have gone numb or hardened, but using humming we can easily contrast what parts of the body we can feel moving easily and see which parts are either not moving or are not providing any feedback.
How to do it?
Firstly, I recommend watching this video to see how to feel the main respiratory diaphragm. You can feel that there is all sorts of “stuff” in your body that you aren’t usually aware of - and to fix it, you need to be aware. Often, awareness is enough to improve.
Once you have a feel for doing this, now
- Use your thumbs to press your ears closed.
- Lay your fingers lightly across your face. Close your eyes.
- Hum, making the sound of a bee. This is the yogic Beej mantra. MMMMMMMM
When you hum, see if you can feel the inside of your head vibrate. Your skull bones. Your jaw. The back of your head. Your teeth. Where can you feel? Where can’t you feel?
Then, switch to making the sound OOOOOOO, and see if you can feel it in your chest and ribs.
Then, switch to making the sound AAAA and see if you can feel it closer to the belly and hips.
What CAN you feel? What can’t you feel? Is one area tighter than another? Investigate while Whole Body Breathing. Doing this over time will lead to releases, increased proprioception, and deep insight. Physiological trauma/constrictions will also be released alongside the physical release.
Don’t imagine, confirm.
Then, you can move onto the 7 mantras from the Yogic understanding:
The seven Beej Mantras from Yogic understanding are sacred sound vibrations that have profound effects on the human body and consciousness. These mantras are as follows:
- Lam: This is the Beej mantra for Muladhara, the root chakra. It's associated with grounding, stability, and physical health.
- Vam: This mantra is associated with Svadhisthana, the sacral chakra. It helps to promote creativity, emotional balance, and sexual vitality.
- Ram: This is the Beej mantra for Manipura, the solar plexus chakra. It's linked with personal power, self-confidence, and determination.
- Yam: This mantra relates to Anahata, the heart chakra. It fosters love, compassion, and emotional healing.
- Ham: This is the Beej mantra for Vishuddha, the throat chakra. It promotes clear communication, self-expression, and truth.
- Om: This mantra is associated with Ajna, the third eye chakra. It helps with intuition, insight, and spiritual awareness.
- Silence or Aum: This is related to Sahasrara, the crown chakra. It represents spiritual enlightenment and cosmic consciousness.
Chanting these mantras while focusing on the respective chakras helps to energize and balance them, promoting overall well-being and spiritual growth.