Health Benefits of Toning

In last month's blog, I wrote about how much value was placed on toning by the ancient Egyptians. They realized the sacredness of the human voice and it's ability to bring healing and spiritual elevation when used with conscious intention.

So, let's do a little more exploring about the health benefits of toning. We begin hearing sound in our mother's womb as we grow. We can hear and feel the vibrations of her voice as well as music and the voices of others. A father and mother speaking lovingly to their growing baby instills confidence and a sense of being cared for and loved. When toning is used, the careful choice of tones and how the voice is used fills the mother's interior with amazing, beautiful vibrations that not only benefit the baby but also the mother.

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Our bodies, and the organs and systems within, have frequencies which are impacted by our emotional response to our world. We know our emotions have a tremendous impact on our physical bodies by how we feel in times of peace, heart-opening love, stress or danger. If we feel emotionally low, we have less energy and want to move less which slows down our circulation and we become more lethargic. But, if we make a conscious effort to raise our energy through smiling or laughing, we begin to feel totally different.

We can also use toning to accomplish quick results in raising our energy levels. Later in the article, I'll give you a toning exercise that I've taught in voice workshops.

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I had the good fortune, many years ago, of finding a therapist who used Sound in her practice. She would have me tone, or sound, into different areas of my body that she sensed were blocked with dense energies. When I would begin, the sound that came out of my mouth was often weak, high and kind of thready. As I continued, I might start coughing as the blocks began to break up. But as I progressed, a resonance would develop in that area, like being in a clean, bare room that was now filled with my sound, my voice. It would feel huge! It was empowering to know I could use my voice that way. Many of us as youngsters grew up being told to keep quiet, that you could be seen but not heard, and that kind of repression has a way of showing up throughout our lives if not addressed.

We don't need to stay trapped in the ways of our past. We can change that and have fun in the process! We can start toning, which is so easy. Just getting up in the morning and humming is a good start. Or, take a few deep breaths and allow a sound to come out. Vowel sounds are the easiest. You could choose A, E, U ,O or I. Extend it until it becomes a continuous sound on each breath. It's your sound and it's perfect.

Now, here's the exercise I promised you. I call it Toning into the Organs and have used it in all of my Releasing the Voice Workshops.
Standing up straight, direct each tone to the appropriate area 3X each:
ee  (long "eee") - head
uh  (as in "duh") - throat
ai  (long "a") - top of lungs
ah (as in "blah") - upper chest
oa  ("wah") - mid lungs
o  (long "o") - heart
eu  ("yeouu") - diaphragm
oo  ("spoon") - kidneys, liver area
i  (long"i") - bowel & rectum

Do you notice an increase in your energy? It relaxes tension as well as upping your energy level. How great is that! And it exercises those particular areas and organs of your body. You could set the intention of making your organs healthy and happy. It's a wonderful way to start the day!

I'd love hearing how you felt after this toning exercise. Just press "comments" to leave your response. Until next time, enjoy your sounds!