Humming Through the Holidays
Last month, I attended a wonderful five-day qigong retreat held at 1440 Multiversity, a retreat center nestled in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains. The highlight for me was being able to practice qigong encircled by redwood trees, including a mother tree that is more than 1,000 years old.
What I love about qigong is that it makes me more sensitive to energy—both within and around me. Practicing in the presence of such an ancient tree felt sacred. It was a privilege to lean against her thick trunk, touch her bark, tune into her steadiness and strength. Pondering her longevity—that she’s been living on this earth since the 11th century, and will hopefully be here for hundreds of years after I’ve passed—was awe-inspiring and humbling.
Since the retreat, the feeling of this glorious mother tree has stayed with me, and so has an intriguing tidbit of information imparted by a guest speaker—a breathing specialist who mentioned that one of the most effective ways to improve our emotional and physical well-being is to hum for five minutes a day. He didn’t explain the science behind his bold statement, and I left wondering if something as simple as humming could really be so beneficial.
Much of my curiosity stemmed from the tremendous impact playing the guitar has had on my life. At the end of a trying day, simply strumming and singing a couple of sweet songs immediately lifts my mood and calms my nervous system. Could humming—a self-created sound that doesn’t require an instrument and can be done anywhere, any time—have a similar effect?
What I’ve learned is that humming, singing and chanting all stimulate the vagus nerve, the primary nerve of the parasympathetic branch of our nervous system responsible for the tranquil state of “rest and digest.” Winding down from our brain through our neck, chest, heart, lungs, abdomen and digestive tract, this nerve regulates our voice, breathing, heart rate and digestion.
Because the vagus nerve passes by our vocal chords and inner ear, certain sounds and vibrations stimulate it to send signals to our brain that tell our nervous system it’s okay to shift out of “fight, flight or freeze” mode and relax. Additionally, humming, singing and chanting all slow our respiration, which stimulates parasympathetic nerve function, helping us feel safe and calm.
The first book dedicated solely to humming—The Humming Effect: Sound Healing for Health and Happiness, published by Simon and Schuster in 2017—shares numerous studies documenting the benefits of humming or chanting the mantra OM for five minutes:
Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
Reduced levels of stress related hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol
Increased lymphatic circulation (which clears toxins from the body)
Increased levels of melatonin (a hormone that enhances sleep)
Increased oxygen in the cells
Release of endorphins (self-created opiates that work as “natural pain relievers” and make us feel good)
Increased levels of nitric oxide (a molecule associated with vasodilation and the promotion of healing)
Release of oxytocin (the “love” hormone that creates feelings of trust)
The book’s authors, Andi and Jonathan Goldman, describe themselves as students of both science and spirituality. These two long-time leaders in the field of sound healing write that sound is vibration, and vibration has a powerful energy. “The vibration of an opera singer’s voice can break glass. The vibration of the humble hum can affect subatomic particles and shift molecular structures…These vibrations have the ability to heal and transform…Humming has extraordinary physiological effects, reducing stress, inducing calm, enhancing sleep, and healing us in incredible ways.”
Self-created healing sounds have been utilized in qigong for thousands of years. My qigong teacher, Lee Holden, writes on his website, “Taoists believe particular sound frequencies can produce specific pulses of electromagnetic current. Each current has a natural affinity for a particular gland, organ, and tissue in the body. This means you can use certain sounds to heal the liver, stimulate the heart, balance the adrenals, activate digestion, and even lower blood pressure. When you combine the sounds with deep breathing and slow, rhythmic movement, their effects are even more powerful.”
Lee says that if this sounds weird or too good to be true, we should contemplate how deeply we respond to music. “Sometimes music soothes and relaxes. Other times it gets you off the couch and makes you dance…Sound is a powerful way to transform your energy and shift emotions. The Taoists learned to use the power of sound for self-healing and spiritual awakening.”
Humming Practice
When I decided to write this article, I expected to find evidence supporting the benefits of humming more throughout the day. I’d assumed that we could multi-task—simply hum while driving, walking, or doing the dishes. But to fully reap the benefits of humming, we need to stop everything else and dedicate five minutes to the practice, plus add a little time afterward for internal observation and integration.
While I initially resisted formal humming practice, I’m so grateful that I finally tried it. I was surprised to discover how quickly five minutes of humming flies by, as well as how good it makes me feel. Now, I like it so much that I’ve been doing it every single day. I plan to make it a regular practice through the holidays for an extra boost of relaxation, and also to give it a fair chance to become a permanent part of my self-care routine.
If you’re interested in giving humming a try, I’ve summarized the basics of the practice below. Please note that anyone can hum. You don’t have to be able to sing well or carry a tune. Also, the volume of your hum doesn’t impact its effectiveness. You can hum loud or quietly, depending on your situation and mood.
How to Hum:
Settle yourself in a comfortable, upright sitting position.
Set a timer for five minutes.
Close your eyes and take three deep, low and slow diaphragmatic breaths.
On your fourth deep breath, begin making the “mmmmm” humming sound during your exhale, as if you’ve just tasted something very delicious. Keep your lips closed. Start each hum with a deep breath.
Hum in a monotone, holding the same tone throughout, while paying attention to the vibrations humming creates in your body, noticing where you feel them. Make sure you stay relaxed and never strain your vocal chords.
When your timer goes off, stop humming and sit quietly, observing inward, noticing how you feel. Ideally you will meditate this way for four to five minutes.
To conclude your humming session, spend a few minutes coming back into your body. Look around, take a few conscious breaths, and then enjoy this grounded state of vitality and relaxation as you re-enter the world.
The Goldmans say that if it makes humming easier for you, you can use a word that ends with the ‘mmmmm” sound, such as OM, HUM, or even YUM. The goal is to fairly quickly arrive at the closed mouth ‘mmmmm” sound so that you are humming for the majority of each exhale.
One variation they offer that I particularly enjoy is humming while blocking off both ears with my index fingers. Not only is it a more resonant internal experience, I like being able to feel the vibration of my jaw with my hands.
Lastly, while the Goldmans recommend sitting upright for formal humming practice, they also say that humming for five minutes while lying down in bed at night can help promote a good night’s sleep. I’ve done that a few times and found it very relaxing.
Humming with the Intention to Heal
The Goldmans are certain that when we combine humming with intention, the healing potential of sound is greatly magnified. They share the equation, “Frequency + Intent = Healing,” and say the possibilities of where we can aim our intentions are limitless. “No doubt, if there’s something in your life you want to change or manifest, you can project your intention of it while you are humming…Is there a part of your body that’s giving you discomfort? That would be an ideal place to project the intention of healing.”
Using a painful hip as an example, the authors suggest directing the hum to go to that spot, imagining the sound gently massaging the area of discomfort. Alternatively, they recommend visualizing a soothing, healing golden or white light flowing to your hip while humming. And you can have numerous intentions simultaneously—you don’t have to limit yourself to just one.
The Goldmans encourage people to be creative and to experiment with what they enjoy and what works best. There is no perfect way to hum, and the Goldmans’ goal is to get more people humming so they can reap the many benefits of this free, easy, powerful practice.
Personally, I’m beginning to discover that in many ways, our bodies are instruments that we can learn to play for better health and greater peace of mind. The Goldmans explain that many of the benefits of humming come from the vibrations created, which serve as an internal massage to parts of our body that can’t be reached with external stimulation. I’ve always intuited that part of the magic of playing the guitar for me are the vibrations created by both my voice and holding the instrument against my body.
Because the benefits of humming apparently multiply when you hum with other people, here’s a warning to family and friends visiting over the holidays: you may be cajoled into doing some humming!
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