Sound Healing—Releasing Stressed Muscles

Muscular pains or tension have sounds. When you know the physical pain is associated with emotional pain, the physical pain can release when you honor the physical stress with sound. This can be very challenging for those of us taught to only make “nice” sounds. But discomfort is not particularly nice, and like most things in life, it likes to be recognized as it is, without being forced to change.

By sounding the physical pain within your body, you are essentially naming it. In naming it, you know it and understand it so completely, that the discomfort itself no longer needs to exist as pain in order to be understood. Once understood, the muscular pain or stress very often softens or releases.

Muscles can take a beating with our over-stressed lives, are often forgotten, and in need of attention. Stressed muscles can indicate stressed emotions, so making sounds that release the tension can provide relief physically and emotionally. I do not recommend sounding the pain for every physical challenge, and especially not for headaches. However, because muscle tension can be so frequently associated with stress and frustration, tense muscles can be served well by making releasing sounds.

Begin by sitting quietly with the muscle in your body wanting attention. Breathe quietly into muscle, inviting the cells to open and expand with every breath. Continue to quiet your mind by focusing on the muscle and the expansion of the cells. You may find it helpful to direct your attention by placing your hand on the stressed area, if you are able.

Being present to the muscle, inhale and exhale with an audible sound as you exhale. Do this again, staying with the sound a little longer. Sound as though the sound was actually coming from that part of the body and moving out. You may notice that parts of the muscle begin relaxing bit by bit. You may feel inclined to stretch, move a little bit or shake off the energy. Follow your natural inclinations.

Allow the sounds to emerge freely, without judgment from you. Some of the sounds may seem a little strange because you are not used to hearing them. The more freely you make the sounds, with sincere energy, and the more you make the sound as if it were in the center of the muscle, the greater the release. Repeat this as many times as you feel you need.

When you feel complete for the moment, quietly flex and stretch the muscle, noticing if it moves more freely and with less tension and restriction. Notice if the discomfort has reduced or is gone. You may find that you are now more aware of tension in another area of your body. Feel free to focus on the new area and repeat the process.

You might discover that when you sound it is as though:

1) you are pushing weight out of your muscles,
2) like you are blowing, burning, washing or scraping off stress,
3) rattling apart the density of the stress,
4) deeply massaging the area with sounds, or
5) you are expelling sorrow, anger or frustration.

If you have emotional stress related to the physical stress, you are likely to find greater release by honoring the pent-up emotions. For more insights about emotional release, see this earlier Sound Healing Tip #1 article at: http://self-healingsecrets.com/tag/sound-healing/ .

While I was writing this article, I released some shoulder tension I had been carrying for days. Within minutes, the muscles relaxed and the range of motion in my neck has improved. Of course, it helps that I’m in a completely private office, where I feel free to express myself out loud. You may also discover that you need to create safe space to explore sounds freely.

The shower is a safe place for many people, as are cars parked in private areas. Or grab a few minutes alone in your bedroom and give yourself a sound massage. If you are a person that enjoys therapeutic massage, consider talking with your massage therapist about doing your own sound healing while your muscles are receiving physical attention. I’ve known more than one massage therapist that welcomed my vocal releases. If tense muscles are relaxing faster or more deeply, it provides your massage therapist with greater opportunity to bring more attention to other parts of your body.

If you are a dancer, I’ve seen this sound healing technique used quite effectively in combination with dance to free and relax the muscles, and ultimately your movement through life. Once you get past your initial inhibitions, this combination is actually a lovely and natural way to enjoy greater freedom and ease in your body.

Once you have done it a few times, you are likely to discover how fun it is to release through sound. Rather than trying to fix yourself, pretend the discomfort is not there, or make it go away–honoring the tension through sound healing allows you to be present to what is really happening in your body right now. Muscular pain or discomfort naturally shifts to freedom when it has been acknowledged, loved and addressed honestly.