Did you know your voice is one of the most powerful medicines? 

The rhythm of our world is beating faster and faster, there are so many social constructs and conformities to follow. These require us to communicate constantly with those around us, without much time to pause or think about what we are saying, to the extent that we are losing touch with our own voice. 

Our voice is what communicates us to the world, at all levels, and at all times. It is without a doubt the first instrument we use to communicate our needs, and voice your deepest feelings. Roy Hart, a pioneer in the exploration of the voice said, “The voice is the muscle of the soul.” The voice is our most powerful instrument and has the greatest capacity to generate energy change and stimulate mental processes. There are many aspects of our voice that say much more than the content of our spoken words, making the people who listen to us feel, interpret or trust more, or less, in what we say. Learning about how our voice works and what happens to us when a voice is blocked or broken allows us to get to know each other in a deeper way, and thus be better equipped to face life’s challenges with an attitude that is both positive and more real. Your voice is sound, it is an instrument that used consciously can reveal not only the present moment of your being, it can also reveal and support the healing of one’s past conditioning and problems affecting them.

In the 1960’s Swiss medical doctor, Dr Hans Jenny investigated the power of sound in creating form. He would place fine sand granules on a steel plate, vibrate the plate with a crystal oscillator to produce an exact frequency and photograph the shapes that the sand granules affected by these vibrations would create. This vibrational phenomena was coined cymatics, meaning waveform in ancient Greek because sound travels as a wave. With his photographs he demonstrated the power of the vibrations that we perceive as sound to create form. He then went further in his studies to theorise that these vibrations, with its ability to influence matter, could have a direct influence on our human biology and therefore our health.

Sound Universe London co-founder and teacher, artist/singer, sound healer, and explorer of Sound and Consciousness Yantara Jiro is dedicated to integrating science and spirituality. It is through the discovery and research of Quantum Physics and Natural Medicine that he creates platforms for people to step into their own power by expressing their inner voice. 

In his one to one and group sessions with clients based in different parts of the world, Yantara has observed how vibration can deliver information across time and space through the electromagnetic and quantum fields. In his experience of using voice on himself and other people he observed how different sounds, especially those in harmony, could bring a sense of lightness to himself and how intentionally using his vocal cords could affect each of his clients body’s differently. Encouraged by what he observed and what his clients were feeling, and in turn inspired by Dr. Hans Jenny, Yantara used a scientific instrument called CymaScope that allows one to make sound visible. Yantara explored, by singing overlapping layers using different notes, the patterns that his own voice was creating. The harmonic sounds produced by his voice were translated as beautiful shapes and patterns in cymatic forms, in the same way that it also created a lifting feeling within himself. Seeing how sound has the capacity to create and affect oneself we can perhaps try to imagine and understand how words and the quality of those words coming from ourselves can have an affect.

Based on his 15 years of observations and learning, Yantara teaches the basic Quantum Principles of sound in our Sound Healing training at Sound Universe London and supports students to access the world of infinite possibilities through their own voice.

While Western science has been seeking to build scientific theory and experimental evidence around the influence and benefits of sound and vibrations, there remain ancient practices that rely on sound and voice. Shamans in the Andes and Amazon use Icaros, songs granted by the spirits of the plants to the Shamans through dreams or visualisations. The word Icaro is believed to relate to the Quechua verb ikaray, which means “to blow smoke in order to heal”, Icaros are medicine songs that could be used in ceremonies to help create a protective healing space safely guiding people as they navigate the spirit realms when working with plant medicine. These songs also have the capacity to slow us down, open our hearts and make us really listen.

Recently there has been an increasing interest in sharing circles or talking circles. These have probably existed since the beginning of humankind, they have been an essential part of the oral tradition of our earliest communities and a space where history was passed from one to another. In these spaces important decisions were made, thoughts and concerns from individuals in the community were voiced. It was also a space where one could identify their own feelings, as well as be given the opportunity to speak the truth from their heart. It was and is a space where one could learn how to share and listen, and also allow participants to develop strong relationships built on trust and acceptance.

I recently began participating in women’s circles as I was curious to experience these spaces as well as to find a way to become more comfortable sharing my voice in groups of people and overcoming the anxiety and nervousness of doing so since my childhood. At first, I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable just hearing other people speak, and then more so when hearing my own voice share what was on my mind. Over time I began to understand how much of what I said came from my thinking mind or thought what people wanted to hear, and not from my heart. These spaces enabled me to build my confidence and self-esteem by affirming my feelings and thoughts, first by listening to others and then taking the opportunity to open up and surrender, to be guided by the sound of my soul. Sharing circles or any kind of space where you are guided, can provide you with simple tools that you can use in your every day to continue your journey of opening your voice.

Whether women, men or mixed circles, and regardless of one’s spiritual beliefs or personal practices, sharing our voice has the capacity to change our reality by healing the broken bonds within ourselves and others as well as dissolve any shame, insecurities, traumas we may be carrying. It also gives you a chance to let yourself out and share in ways you would not normally share yourself. Our voice is our natural source of power and freedom, when we bring consciousness to our voice it helps us recognise our true nature and that we have an enormous potential to change our reality in the way we see it, hear it and communicate with it.

It is our voice which can reflect the depths of our being, including our soul. Because of this it is an invaluable tool for anyone wanting to experience their true self and find inspiration in their life. Using our voice, from our true selves, helps to make us better at communicating, and be happier, more alive and be more present in our lives. It is our voice which has the capacity to put us in touch with places within ourselves we have not visited before, as our voice also contains our untapped potential. You can observe for example the power of someone’s voice and the repetition of it when chanting mantras inside a temple, chanting the sound of OM at the end of a Yoga class, or even the soothing words from a loved one. Perhaps you have felt goose bumps on your skin whilst listening to such chanting or words? These sounds can cause subtle changes inside of ourselves and create a resonance that will manifest itself in our environment. It is the different voices in these diverse experiences that can begin to make us understand the power of voice alone.

As Yantara shares in his courses “Each person’s voice is unique and one of a kind. No sound in the world is ever the same. Our voice has power, and when utilised and trained consciously it can open doors to infinite possibilities. If you have a voice; you can sing; you can tone; you can hum. And so, each sound, each note you express from your heart represents a thousand words.”

Kate Stewart is a Reiki and Sound Practitioner. Kate’s personal journey of practising meditation, movement, breathwork, shamanic work and yoga helped her to overcome anxiety that she’d lived with from the age of 11. She has since made it her purpose to support and share these gifts with others. 

To find out more, check out Kate’s website and follow her on Instagram.