Take a moment to think of someone who softens your heart and brings a smile to your face simply by hearing the sound of their voice. Wanting to be seen and listened to, as well as to be the receiver of loving thoughts, is a human condition that at times is under-appreciated. The theme this week is to become an observer of the loving voice and how often it comes to you, from you, and within you.
On the opposite end of the spectrum to a loving voice, is the sound one hears when turning on the evening news. If you feel agitated, angry, depressed, or anxious, notice if you’re someone who gives a fair whack of energy to staying up-to-date with news and current affairs and if you’re balancing that energy by connecting to those offering a loving voice as well. If you find an imbalance it may be pointing you in the direction to go on a news fast and hang out with people who lift you up.
An incredible amount of information comes at us on a daily basis and this week the intention is to notice the type of voice that we’re receiving. One of the most powerful voices is our own inner narrative which can be critically brutal, shameful and relentless. We tend to have habitual thought patterns and they can begin first thing in the morning. I was recently listening to a podcast that was saying that it only takes 17 seconds to link into a different thought pathway…yep…easy peasy, a meager 17 seconds to go from focusing on what we don’t like about ourselves to what is good, whole, and awesome about ourselves. I heard that and thought, “Wow! I can do that…I only need to notice when my loving voice isn’t speaking, welcome her in and let ‘er rip for 17 seconds!”
As a therapeutic yoga teacher, I check in with students on a regular basis and encourage a shift of inner dialogue when they describe a part of their body as “bad”. The conversation often sounds something like this: Jayne: “What do you need today?” to which the student replies: “I have a bad back, knee, shoulder, hip…fill in the blank”. I find this to be the perfect opportunity to try to re-frame our inner and often habitual response of my “bad” part to nothing in us is “bad” but simply letting us know that something needs a bit more TLC. Over time, when I ask more experienced students the same question, they’ll reply “My hip needs some loving today” or “I’m taking care of my shoulder and need to find some kindness”. In some ways, it can feel pedantic but it begins to deepen the groove of an inner loving voice, which invites a sense of union and harmony rather than a feeling of wanting to disembody a particular part of our physical selves.
To me, it says “Hey body, I’m listening. I hear you and I promise to do my best to look after you.”
Another element to creating a loving inner voice is by addressing the energy of the throat or fifth chakra. This center is the residence of communication and creativity, the place where we share and speak our truth. Over the years, I’ve done a lot of work on this particular part of my being as it had been blocked and shut down for many years. I used to feel silenced, that what I had to say wasn’t worth hearing, and I had no courage to strongly vocalize. It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that at one point I was getting laryngitis at least twice a year, completely losing my voice altogether.
The return to empowering my center of communication and creativity began with speech therapy and lots of humming (no singing). I began to learn how to use my voice more effectively and when yoga, mantra, meditation, and chanting began to come into my life, I had found a powerful method for really learning how to express myself and to understand that I needed to do so in order to fulfill my purpose in being in this body in this lifetime. My path is strongly devoted to sharing what I know in as many forms as possible. In order to do this, my throat energy is vital and over the years I’ve have spent time writing, singing, doing mantra repetition, humming, and sitting in silence. It is said that creativity arises out of stillness and in order for us to be authentic communicators, we need to not only have clarity of thought but to be able to listen without jumping ahead to how we will be responding.
The sum total of the message this week is to pay attention to not only your voice but to all the voices that come to you and to notice if they have a sensibility of loving kindness. And if you can, surround yourself with people whose voices lift you up rather than drag you down. Participating in group singing whether it be at a yoga-inspired Kirtan, in a choir, or sitting in a drumming circle is one supportive way to open the energy of the voice and let the love flow!
