Tea Gong Academy
日本語

Chapter 6

Tuning Body and Mind with Sound

Tune the voice before you brew

Why talk about sound in a place given over to tea and qigong? Because the sound of the voice comes before every movement, inward and outward. A sound made with intent calls up the qi that answers to it, and settled qi reaches the body, the emotions and the senses.

This chapter treats mantra not as something mystical but as a particular vibration that acts on body and mind. We look at sound as an observable physical phenomenon, learn a way of chanting that takes breathing and the autonomic nervous system into account, and work on the most basic sound of all, OM. Tuning the voice in the moments before you brew is preparation for receiving the flavour of the leaf more fully.

Please note that what is offered here is a wellness practice. It is not medical treatment and is not intended to diagnose or cure anything. If you have any concerns about your health, speak to your doctor before you begin.

Lessons in this chapter (4)

  1. 01 Tuning Body and Mind with Sound From the OM of the Upanishads to dhikr, shingon, the Six Healing Sounds and the sacred songs of the Ryukyus. Why sound belongs in a place devoted to tea, and what to know before practising safely.
  2. 02 Beginning with Mantra Treating mantra not as mysticism but as a particular vibration acting on body and mind. The seed syllables of the seven chakras, and where A, U, I and M resonate in the body.
  3. 03 Practising Mantra Slowly and at length, and quietly. The basics of chanting comfortably and effectively, taking in the out-breath, the parasympathetic nervous system and heart rate variability.
  4. 04 Mastering OM, the Most Basic Mantra OM is AUM: A resonating vertically, U spreading laterally, M converging inward. How to join the three and sound them smoothly.