Ancient Indian scriptures and oral traditions are a complex tapestry of philosophies, values and lessons passed down from one to another generation. Along the way, new discoveries and ideas kept getting added into our way of life. We got enriched and continued to evolve as a society. While the tradition of yoga is ancient, many new strands have been added to this mind-body discipline in recent times, keeping pace with the changing requirements of modern lifestyles. Though Indian classical music traditions did not necessarily evolve along with yogic thought and practice, today, they have come together in a seamless intermingling.
Yoga music – is there such a thing?
A recent blog post of mine had to do with the sound bath concept and how that can help in the process of increasing health and wellness. Clearly, there are sounds that have a positive effect upon us and others that have the opposite impact. Hence the practice of yoga can also be enhanced by having the right kind of music to accompany it. Music helps to create the right atmosphere, it enhances the mood, and increases motivation to work out. These are the reasons that so many gyms and yoga classes (including mine) have music playing in the background.
Experts speak of the ancient philosophy of nada-yoga which is thought to be an important component of spiritual growth leading to the ultimate goal of moksha. Classical raags are a complex construct that take into account the time of day, season and so on. There are specific raags for specific times of the day because those particular musical phrases and note combinations evoke certain feelings and emotional responses. Some raags such as Basant, Bahar and Malhar have notes and musical sequences that correspond to the season and create the effect of rain, spring and so on.
India’s musical heritage and psychiatry
One fascinating study published in 2015 in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry examined how music impacts modern psychiatric practice. We have all experienced how music impacts our mood and feelings; how some songs make us happy and others make us melancholic. The study goes a step further and contemplates how the sound of music can impact flowers, trees and animals as well. After all, the sounds of nature are also musical notes: the sound of water, the song of birds such as the koel, peacock, heron etc. According to the study, the notes sa, ma, pa of the classical music system are the same as the sounds produced by these birds. It stands to reason that these sounds of nature can soothe, nurture and heal – and that musical notes that correspond to these natural sounds can do the same.
The study also speaks about how ancient philosophers such as Confucius and Plato believed that statesmen should be required to receive musical training. It mentions the two thousand year old Gandharva tattva text and others that talk about music therapy. According to the researcher, palm leaf manuscripts located at the Thanjavur Saraswati Mahal Library also speak about how music is used to cure psychological problems. There is no doubt that music can put one in a more positive frame of mind and that this can help students of yoga do better. Inspiring music can help them stay focused and motivated, and energize them to progress towards more complex and advanced aasans. It could be a beautiful flute rendition or a santoor recital in a raag appropriate for that time of day. It could simply be the chanting of ‘Aum’ or the sonorous drone of the taanpura that accompanies and enhances one’s yoga practice. There is no one particular type of yoga music. The connection between Indian classical music and yoga is like parallel train tracks, both of which help take you to the same destination.