My most recent ex-boyfriend and I would take drives to random places in the Bay Area just to sing in the car.  We had our very own karaoke sessions — at first I was a bit taken aback, because when he’d pick me up, he’d blast some English or old school Hindi song, and then suddenly lower the volume, and tell me it’s my turn to sing.  I looked at him like he was crazy because only my shower and car were privy to my singing!  But he insisted, and started singing along with the man’s voice (he’d usually play duet songs), and then cue me to start singing along with the female’s voice.  It turned out to be so much fun and so liberating!  (We’d often take on and switch the male-female roles just for fun too.)

And that is when I realized how powerful song can be.  I was no longer not only expressing myself via spoken word or teaching a yoga or meditation class, but actually contriving certain vibrations via my vocal chords to elicit a certain healing, and as a result, this very easy joy.  And after our Beemer singing sessions, he’d provide a lot of positive reinforcement re: my voice, which really helped me to continue practicing in my own car.

I think the quality of one’s voice is so important as a yoga teacher — it sets the tone and general direction of a class, depending on what kind of class it is.  One’s voice also carries and conveys so many intangible characteristics such as the degree of humility, the depth of gentleness, the quality of compassion, the authenticity of one’s kindness.  This in turn, may or may not leave a student open to connecting with a teacher.  As for myself, I have tried to be more mindful of my own voice and its potential power in  serving others in their own alchemical processes. I’ve learned that projection is not so much about volume, but rather the authenticity that it can convey in safe, supportive, gentle, and compassionate ways.  Mantras and other sound healing tracks (check out Jonathan Goldman’s work — he is amazing) can really get to the core of any stuckness or gross sensations one may experience – see next post for more information!