The Embodiment of Sound

Nervous System & New Moon in Cancer

"The purpose of all major religious traditions is not to construct temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts."

— His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Enjoy the replay of our session above and two awesome playlists below.

Session 6 Explorations

Inner Listening & Nervous System Reset

🌿 Listen Before You Act

Several times throughout your day, pause for a moment before responding, speaking, or making a decision.

Place a hand on your heart or belly and ask:

✨ What is my body communicating to me right now?

✨ What do I need in this moment?

✨ What would feel most nourishing?

Notice what changes when you allow your inner listening to lead before your thinking mind.

🌊 Expansion & Contraction

Throughout the week, gently observe your own rhythms.

Without judgment, simply notice:

✨ When do I feel open, spacious, and connected?

✨ When do I notice myself contracting or becoming protective?

✨ What helps me soften back into presence?

Remember that contraction is not failure. It is simply information from your nervous system. Meet each moment with curiosity and compassion.

🎶 Your Nervous System as an Instrument

Imagine your nervous system as a beautifully tuned instrument.

Ask yourself:

✨ What helps me feel more resonant?

✨ What people, places, sounds, or experiences bring me into coherence?

✨ What creates dissonance or pulls me away from myself?

Rather than trying to "fix" anything, explore how you might gently return to resonance throughout the day.

🍃 The Practice of Enough

Notice moments when you begin pushing, striving, or forcing.

Pause and ask:

✨ What would happen if I trusted that enough is enough for this moment?

✨ Can I soften instead of striving?

✨ What changes when I meet this moment with kindness rather than pressure?

Allow your nervous system to discover that safety can arise through gentleness.

🌎 Co-Regulation in Nature

Spend time outside without headphones or distractions.

Simply listen.

Notice:

✨ The rhythm of the wind

✨ Birds, insects, or flowing water

✨ The subtle sounds that often go unnoticed

Let the natural world remind your nervous system that you belong within a much larger living field of relationship.

Reflection

At the end of each day, take a few quiet moments to ask:

✨ What helped me feel most alive today?

✨ When did I experience a sense of ease or coherence?

✨ What am I learning about the language of my own nervous system?

There is nothing to fix.

Only a deeper relationship waiting to unfold.

Remember that your nervous system is always listening. Each breath, each hum, each moment of presence is an invitation to return home to yourself.

Sound and the Vagus Nerve

1. This is one reason humming, chanting, toning, singing, and long exhalations are so powerful.

   They gently stimulate branches of the vagus nerve through:

   • vocalization

   • breath regulation

   • vibration in the throat, chest, and face

   • listening

   • co-regulation with others

   You're not "fixing" the nervous system.

   You're offering it evidence that it may be safe enough to soften.

   I love that distinction because it removes the pressure to force relaxation.

Love, Love, Love!!

1. Continue to integrate the sound practices of Humming and/or Auming every day! Don’t underestimate the power of sound to move matter and transform your life!

1. Hum in general or focus your humming into the areas of your body that are stressed, in pain, numb, or stuck

2. Listen to the Sounds and Symbols of the world around you — what is the world revealing to you?

3. Practice 4, 7, 8 Breathing

   1. Inhale through your nose for 4 counts.

   2. Hold your breath for 7 counts.

   3. Exhale through your mouth for 8 counts.

      • As you learn this technique and learn to breathe more slowly, you may initially experience a little bit of lightheadedness or shortness of breath. Keep practicing!