We did an interesting exercise during the Transformative Arts program (in Italy) on sound and voice training. It went something like this: we all sat in a circle and everyone was to make whatever sound came to their mind, not necessarily trying to make it sound a certain way or harmonize it with the rest of the group, but more to enable everyone to open up in their own authentic way. We did this for about 5 minutes, and at some point into the exercise some people began to get very loud or make high pitch notes that were actually making me feel agitated. Interestingly though, in that moment, instead of getting annoyed, I decided to tune out all the seeming disharmony around me by making my own voice stronger. I tried to create my own harmony in this way. And I came out of the exercise feeling great and at peace with myself and untouched by all the experimental restless sounds around me!
Paramhansa Yogananda says “The more you depend upon conditions outside yourself for happiness, the less happiness you will experience.” There is an increasing awareness now in the understanding that our inner world and thoughts create our outer world. In this particular experience, I had to make my inner voice stronger than all the sounds around me. It is only when we can learn to strengthen our character and become responsible for our own peace and happiness, that we are able share it in our interactions with others. 🙂