Sound
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
In the Surat Shabd yoga practice, devotees unite with divine essence through sacred sound, like chanting, toning and repeating mantras. They believe that the universe was created with sound. We know that sound as OM. In reality, the om has three syllables; aah, ooh and mmm. From Be Here Now, A Cookbook For A Sacred Life, by Ram Dass (1971), find a quiet place in nature or the middle of the night. With closed mouth and eyes, aligning the head, neck and chest, get comfortable but not so comfortable that you fall asleep. Concentrate on a sound in your head. Let all other thoughts and sounds fall by the wayside. As this sound grows it will encompass your whole being until it becomes who you are and you will not hear it anymore. After this, a new sound will emerge. Allow this to happen until you have heard 7-10 distinct sounds. The body is cleansed and renewed through these sounds on a deep sub-conscious level.