Three Dimensions Of Music

There are three dimensions of music worth discovering, and although the three are related, we may value one above the other. In our Yogic Mystery School, we are discovering all three of them at this time, even though we emphasize one during our current process. These three dimensions are aesthetic, therapeutic, and mystical, and each offers specific benefits.
In our process, the method is primarily directed toward the aesthetic, because, in order to create beauty with our voices, we've got to learn theoretical and technical components that have been simplified into three parts: chromatic calibration, developing ragas, and rhythm that involves timing.
We are three groups working as one whole. On the one hand, some are tone-deaf and have no sense of music theory or technique, while on the other, there are skilled musicians who are well-trained technically and theoretically. In between are the developing musicians who have various levels of theory and technique, some more than others. All three groups tap into the same curriculum, which helps them identify their individual goals and objectives.

After our foundation in Chromatic Calibration, the basis for the first parts of our Nada Yoga Music Training process, tone-deaf students have been empowered to become tone-informed. At the same time, they are being guided into understanding the division of the octave so they can, over time, fine-tune their sense of pitch towards precise musical intervals, that is, aesthetically pleasing sensitivities. The other two groups—developing singers and skilled singers—are also using the same system to "refine" their sensitivities around specific sets of musical intervals, ragas, which is what Part Two of the training focuses upon.

This system works not only because it has been crafted over decades of teaching and application but also when students engaging in the process find themselves at home, challenged just enough to develop their abilities and understanding to the next level while feeling capable of doing and developing some pieces in ways that build confidence. Adults want to feel in control of their learning process: they want to make decisions about what they learn and how and need to be respected for their choices. However, adults also need to be motivated beyond their complacency so they can achieve new benchmarks—those that are meaningful to them at this particular time in their lives—which is what makes learning an empowering process.

The ultimate goal of the method we are employing is to tap into mystical experience, another dimension, which involves states of consciousness on the one hand and, on the other, a sense of relationship-building with the divine. Another way of speaking of this is the knowing of aspects of divinity. While mystical music employs words that could be poetic or overtly religious, like the names of Gods and Goddesses, mystical music is also comprised of musical intervals, which is what the aesthetic process is focused on. In our approach, an increased technical knowledge of musical intervals can enhance the linguistics used in sacred music, which in turn improves the quality and depth of the mystical experiences involved when using names of Gods and Goddesses or mystical poetry.

The third dimension involving therapeutic functions is initially a side benefit. Yet, we cannot ignore the therapeutic effects that result from enhanced aesthetic and mystical expressions of sacred music and sacred language. In our system, we are drawing from Carnatic music, the ancient indigenous religious music of South India, while establishing parallels with the Gregorian chant, the sacred music of the Western world, which is based on the Greek modes that were fundamentally therapeutic in their dimensions. I've often stated that "healing and enlightenment are two sides of the same coin: we cannot engage one without necessarily engaging the other." 

And so, as we develop ragas, which is the second part of our process, we find ourselves engaging in all three dimensions of music worth discovering. The aesthetic provides us with a sense of beauty, the therapeutic engages our healing, and the mystical opens us to states of consciousness different from everyday experiences.

BEGIN NADA YOGA MUSIC TRAINING