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The Yoga of Sound: Healing and Enlightenment through the Sacred Practice of Mantra
The eye dominates the world, calculating and evaluating through the visual. Yet sound and music are the essential carrier waves of consciousness. For thousands of years, Hindu spirituality has understood the profound effect that sound has on human well-being. Largely unknown in the West, yet developing alongside the popular form of hatha yoga that has swept the world, the yoga of sound is a 3,500-year-old spiritual system for reducing stress and maintaining health. In this inspiring book and accompanying CD, renowned musician and teacher Russill Paul explores the four powerful streams of this system: mantras (sound), mudras (sacred gestures), pranayama (breath control), and dhyana (meditation). Like his award-winning music, Paul's presentation of this ancient tradition is accessible for modern Western tastes and lifestyles. In lucid exercises presented both in the book and the CD, Paul shows how everyone can learn the art of mantra simply by training the voice, and how these practices can help reduce stress, enhance emotional well-being, and optimize the flow of energy within the body.
302 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2004
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April 6, 2026
A WELL-KNOWN INDIAN MUSICIAN EXPLAINS THE YOGIC BASIS OF SOUND, ETC.
Russill Paul is an India-born musician, who became a monk and yogi under the direction of Dom Bede Griffiths.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, “I wrote this book to introduce an ancient yet almost unknown practice to those who want to broaden and deepen the spiritual dimension of their lives. The personal benefits I have enjoyed via the Yoga of Sound have been immense. It works. Over the past 20 years, the students with whom I’ve shared this tradition have also experienced its benefits. Yet a comprehensive, reader-friendly understanding of the role of sound in yoga practice is not presently available in the West. In this book, I want to make the depth and scope of Sound Yoga accessible to anyone who is interested in using sound and music as a spiritual practice.” (Pg. xv-xvi)
He continues, “The Yoga of Sound counteracts noise pollution; it helps us establish and maintain the natural harmony of our bodies. It is a spiritual practice that shows us how to work with all the sound in our lives, giving us the discernment to separate the good from the bad and empowering us to weave it all into one harmonious fabric.” (Pg. xvii-xviii)
He recounts, “I first discovered the Yoga of Sound when I officially renounced the world at the age of nineteen. The process of renunciation took about a year to unfold; when I was sure, I called our family together in our home in South India and declared that I was going to join an ashram. I had grown up in a Christian family, and my mother was appalled; she imagined that I was going to team up for group sex at the local Rajneesh center, the only kind of ‘ashram’ she knew about. But I had my heart set on Shantivanam, a peaceful oasis on the banks of the holy river Cauvery. There… I discovered an amazing way of life based on chanting, meditation, and yoga. The monastery I joined was a Benedictine ashram, a Hindu-Christian hybrid directed by Bede Griffiths, an English Benedictine monk who had moved to India to explore Eastern spirituality. Under his direction, a whole world of interior sound opened up for me…
“I had aspired to be a professional musician. I had trained myself in rock, jazz, and pop… But in the ashram, my awareness of sound was expanded. Through many wonderful teachers around the great temples of South India, I learned about the sacredness of music in the Indian ‘Carnatic’ tradition. I also studied ancient Sanskrit chanting and began to read sacred Hindu texts about exploring consciousness through sound and music. I was thrilled to discover a practice that combined my love of music with my spiritual search.” (Pg. xviii-xix)
He explains, “The Yoga of Sound, together with Ayurveda (the Indian tradition of healing) and Hatha Yoga, emerges from the ancient Indian cultural and spiritual vortex of the Rishis. The Rishis were visionary seers and poets… who were attuned to the vibratory structures of the universe. They were also the authors of the Vedas, the most ancient of Hindu scriptures… Mantras, as sonic structures of energy and consciousness, form the basis of the yoga of Sound in the same way that postures or positions (asanas) form the basis of Hatha Yoga practice.” (Pg. 23)
He goes on, “Broadly speaking, as Hinduism evolved, the yoga of Sound developed as a science of consciousness, Ayurveda as a science of healing, Hatha Yoga as a science of physical strength and balance, and Raja Yoga---the eight-limbed expansion of Hatha Yoga---as a holistic science of the body, mind, and spirit. Similarly, Tantra developed as the science of energy, and Vaastu as the science of architecture---the Indian counterpart of Chinese Feng Shui. The key difference between Hatha Yoga and Sound Yoga is that while Hatha Yoga primarily develops the infrastructure of the physical body and its nervous system, the Yoga of Sound primarily strengthens the soul and its spiritual system of energy channels… the Yoga of Sound optimizes the performance energy vortexes known as chakras, which govern our emotional, psychic and spiritual states of consciousness.” (Pg. 23-24)
He notes, “Nirguna mantras are mystical statements that connect us directly with the transpersonal and transconceptual Divine absolute. Such a state of consciousness is difficult---even impossible---for many to imagine or conceptualize. But because mantras are exact and specific instruments of spiritual power, it is possible to use them technically, with or without religious belief. One may simply employ their amazing properties through linguistic precision, in the same way that Hatha Yoga can be practiced expertly without any regard for a supreme intelligence.” (Pg. 40)
He explains, “The first stream of Sound Yoga we will explore is Shabda Yoga, which can be translated as ‘word yoga.’ Although ‘shabda’ refers to the spoken, ‘sounded’ or uttered word, it may be worth applying the principles of shabda to the written word as well, since a word is sounded in our minds as we read or write. We may further extend our use of ‘word’ to include electronic communications such as e-mail, bringing the ancient principles of this stream of Sound Yoga into some of the most important activities of our present lives.” (Pg. 63)
He states, “Because sound and memory are so inextricably linked, sound can awaken us to the ultimate presence of God---a memory just waiting to be recalled. Our spiritual journey through time has been metaphorically described as a fall from primeval harmony and a forgetting of our true nature. Spiritual practice is meant to help us find our way back home---to the Om, so to speak…
‘Shabda Yoga should therefore be practiced with the intention of awakening ourselves to our highest potential, our deepest spiritual identity, and our Divine ancestry. Just as we can discover the true meaning and essence behind the words of everyday human existence, the practice of Shabda Yoga can awaken us to the memory of the Divine Presence, stored inside us and waiting to break through. When this happens, we see all things as emanations from a common source that awaken in us the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: that we, indeed, are a word of God. The universe then becomes a ‘web of interdependent and interconnected relationships,’ a phrase made popular by physicist Fritjof Capra in his work, ‘The Tao of Physics.’” (Pg. 73-74)
He clarifies, “I am not a purist. I do believe in the evolution of art and spirituality. But I also believe that the process should not sacrifice power, depth, and function, as you will discover in any of my yoga music albums. My hope, in bringing out the full scope of the Yoga of Sound in this literary work, is that it will encourage Western yogis to gradually develop mantric power through their systematic effort. If Western yogis employ even one-tenth of the effort that they put into their asana practice in the proper application and pronunciation of Vedic and Tantric mantras, they will gain a tremendous depth of realization. (Pg. 107)
He suggests, “Musicians and artists all have to become yogis. We need to use our art to transform, not to self-destruct. We need to find healthy ways of handling the intense energy we process through our systems. Because artists work toward developing a refined sensitivity, they are also very vulnerable. I believe that the study of ragas as a spiritual practice, along with the chanting of mantras, can help greatly in our transformation and empowerment.” (Pg. 130)
He concludes, “As you continue to expand your mantra vocabulary, enter deeply into the elements of Sound Yoga and develop an integrated practice using the various streams of sacred sound. Over time, your sequences will become more and more like a well-made film, with superb cinematography, seamless segues, and an excellent sound track. Good luck, and have fun along the way.” (Pg. 233)
He adds in the Epilogue, “My hope is that yogis and spiritual seekers in America will earnestly take up the study and practice of the Yoga of Sound. I truly believe that it can contribute an essential element to the spiritual depth that people are seeking. Americans have a natural openness to absorbing information and are good at developing teaching systems once they have learned a practice; they also know how to propagate their knowledge effectively to rest of the world.” (Pg. 237)
This book will interest Westerners studying yoga—particularly if they are also interested in music. (I recommend Russill Paul’s yoga music albums, by the way.)
Russill Paul is an India-born musician, who became a monk and yogi under the direction of Dom Bede Griffiths.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, “I wrote this book to introduce an ancient yet almost unknown practice to those who want to broaden and deepen the spiritual dimension of their lives. The personal benefits I have enjoyed via the Yoga of Sound have been immense. It works. Over the past 20 years, the students with whom I’ve shared this tradition have also experienced its benefits. Yet a comprehensive, reader-friendly understanding of the role of sound in yoga practice is not presently available in the West. In this book, I want to make the depth and scope of Sound Yoga accessible to anyone who is interested in using sound and music as a spiritual practice.” (Pg. xv-xvi)
He continues, “The Yoga of Sound counteracts noise pollution; it helps us establish and maintain the natural harmony of our bodies. It is a spiritual practice that shows us how to work with all the sound in our lives, giving us the discernment to separate the good from the bad and empowering us to weave it all into one harmonious fabric.” (Pg. xvii-xviii)
He recounts, “I first discovered the Yoga of Sound when I officially renounced the world at the age of nineteen. The process of renunciation took about a year to unfold; when I was sure, I called our family together in our home in South India and declared that I was going to join an ashram. I had grown up in a Christian family, and my mother was appalled; she imagined that I was going to team up for group sex at the local Rajneesh center, the only kind of ‘ashram’ she knew about. But I had my heart set on Shantivanam, a peaceful oasis on the banks of the holy river Cauvery. There… I discovered an amazing way of life based on chanting, meditation, and yoga. The monastery I joined was a Benedictine ashram, a Hindu-Christian hybrid directed by Bede Griffiths, an English Benedictine monk who had moved to India to explore Eastern spirituality. Under his direction, a whole world of interior sound opened up for me…
“I had aspired to be a professional musician. I had trained myself in rock, jazz, and pop… But in the ashram, my awareness of sound was expanded. Through many wonderful teachers around the great temples of South India, I learned about the sacredness of music in the Indian ‘Carnatic’ tradition. I also studied ancient Sanskrit chanting and began to read sacred Hindu texts about exploring consciousness through sound and music. I was thrilled to discover a practice that combined my love of music with my spiritual search.” (Pg. xviii-xix)
He explains, “The Yoga of Sound, together with Ayurveda (the Indian tradition of healing) and Hatha Yoga, emerges from the ancient Indian cultural and spiritual vortex of the Rishis. The Rishis were visionary seers and poets… who were attuned to the vibratory structures of the universe. They were also the authors of the Vedas, the most ancient of Hindu scriptures… Mantras, as sonic structures of energy and consciousness, form the basis of the yoga of Sound in the same way that postures or positions (asanas) form the basis of Hatha Yoga practice.” (Pg. 23)
He goes on, “Broadly speaking, as Hinduism evolved, the yoga of Sound developed as a science of consciousness, Ayurveda as a science of healing, Hatha Yoga as a science of physical strength and balance, and Raja Yoga---the eight-limbed expansion of Hatha Yoga---as a holistic science of the body, mind, and spirit. Similarly, Tantra developed as the science of energy, and Vaastu as the science of architecture---the Indian counterpart of Chinese Feng Shui. The key difference between Hatha Yoga and Sound Yoga is that while Hatha Yoga primarily develops the infrastructure of the physical body and its nervous system, the Yoga of Sound primarily strengthens the soul and its spiritual system of energy channels… the Yoga of Sound optimizes the performance energy vortexes known as chakras, which govern our emotional, psychic and spiritual states of consciousness.” (Pg. 23-24)
He notes, “Nirguna mantras are mystical statements that connect us directly with the transpersonal and transconceptual Divine absolute. Such a state of consciousness is difficult---even impossible---for many to imagine or conceptualize. But because mantras are exact and specific instruments of spiritual power, it is possible to use them technically, with or without religious belief. One may simply employ their amazing properties through linguistic precision, in the same way that Hatha Yoga can be practiced expertly without any regard for a supreme intelligence.” (Pg. 40)
He explains, “The first stream of Sound Yoga we will explore is Shabda Yoga, which can be translated as ‘word yoga.’ Although ‘shabda’ refers to the spoken, ‘sounded’ or uttered word, it may be worth applying the principles of shabda to the written word as well, since a word is sounded in our minds as we read or write. We may further extend our use of ‘word’ to include electronic communications such as e-mail, bringing the ancient principles of this stream of Sound Yoga into some of the most important activities of our present lives.” (Pg. 63)
He states, “Because sound and memory are so inextricably linked, sound can awaken us to the ultimate presence of God---a memory just waiting to be recalled. Our spiritual journey through time has been metaphorically described as a fall from primeval harmony and a forgetting of our true nature. Spiritual practice is meant to help us find our way back home---to the Om, so to speak…
‘Shabda Yoga should therefore be practiced with the intention of awakening ourselves to our highest potential, our deepest spiritual identity, and our Divine ancestry. Just as we can discover the true meaning and essence behind the words of everyday human existence, the practice of Shabda Yoga can awaken us to the memory of the Divine Presence, stored inside us and waiting to break through. When this happens, we see all things as emanations from a common source that awaken in us the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: that we, indeed, are a word of God. The universe then becomes a ‘web of interdependent and interconnected relationships,’ a phrase made popular by physicist Fritjof Capra in his work, ‘The Tao of Physics.’” (Pg. 73-74)
He clarifies, “I am not a purist. I do believe in the evolution of art and spirituality. But I also believe that the process should not sacrifice power, depth, and function, as you will discover in any of my yoga music albums. My hope, in bringing out the full scope of the Yoga of Sound in this literary work, is that it will encourage Western yogis to gradually develop mantric power through their systematic effort. If Western yogis employ even one-tenth of the effort that they put into their asana practice in the proper application and pronunciation of Vedic and Tantric mantras, they will gain a tremendous depth of realization. (Pg. 107)
He suggests, “Musicians and artists all have to become yogis. We need to use our art to transform, not to self-destruct. We need to find healthy ways of handling the intense energy we process through our systems. Because artists work toward developing a refined sensitivity, they are also very vulnerable. I believe that the study of ragas as a spiritual practice, along with the chanting of mantras, can help greatly in our transformation and empowerment.” (Pg. 130)
He concludes, “As you continue to expand your mantra vocabulary, enter deeply into the elements of Sound Yoga and develop an integrated practice using the various streams of sacred sound. Over time, your sequences will become more and more like a well-made film, with superb cinematography, seamless segues, and an excellent sound track. Good luck, and have fun along the way.” (Pg. 233)
He adds in the Epilogue, “My hope is that yogis and spiritual seekers in America will earnestly take up the study and practice of the Yoga of Sound. I truly believe that it can contribute an essential element to the spiritual depth that people are seeking. Americans have a natural openness to absorbing information and are good at developing teaching systems once they have learned a practice; they also know how to propagate their knowledge effectively to rest of the world.” (Pg. 237)
This book will interest Westerners studying yoga—particularly if they are also interested in music. (I recommend Russill Paul’s yoga music albums, by the way.)
May 27, 2010
A happy and fascinating read!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews