TONING

Cass Jendzurski, CHMmamacassinpa@yahoo.com

© 2014, Guided Angels Ministry, Inc. www.guidedangels.com

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“TONING”THE CREATIVE AND

HEALING POWER OF THE VOICE

By Laurel Elizabeth Keyes with Don Campbell© 2008 DeVorss & Company, Publisher

(This book was used as a reference to create portions of this presentation)

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ELIZABETH KEYES

She was an American author, lecturer and counselor. She is best known for her early works on sound therapy and weight management. She was fascinated with the power of tone – the pure and simple sound of the voice, removed from melody, harmony or rhythm. She believed this sound had the power to heal – to “restore people to their harmonious patterns.”

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Don CampbellDon Campbell – professional musician, teacher, journalist and author of “The Mozart

Effect” – © 2007, 1997 by Don Campbell, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. It is a book about the

transformational power of music in health, education, and well-being.

(This book was used as a reference to create portions of this presentation)

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Dorothy Retallack’s Experiment On the Internet

• www.dovesong.com• Click on “The Dove Song Archives”• Look to the left side of this page and at the top of the list is “About” –

click on it• Now not on the left side but more towards the center is a list and

click on “Plant Experiments”

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TONING IS:Ancient method of healing

The healing power of sound found in the human voice

Powerfully vibrates our body to alter vibrations in every molecule and cell in the body

Uses the breath and voice to massage ourselves from the inside out

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TONING IS: The central sound for meditation in Eastern and

Western religions

Not dictated by one’s religion or lack of it so it is therefore universal

Is not language based so that adds to its universal quality

Using our “body-voice” as a creative and healing force for ourselves and others 7

OUR BODY - VOICE• Most animals have a physical “body-voice”• For humans – our body-voice is dominated by intellectual direction • Our natural body-voice, not captivated by the mind, is the sound

that comes from us without thought: groaning, laughing, ah-ing, oo-ing, um-humming, sighing, screaming, moaning

• As babies we found pleasure in cooing and humming • Toning is using the simple and pure sounds of our body-voice freed

from any thoughts of performance – freed from the urge to create what we view as a beautiful sound. It is the sound born within us. It makes us feel good and has the power to heal. As we express with this sound it leaves our bodies feeling very peaceful.

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TONING CAN:

• Release emotions• Relax muscles• Ease pain• Lessen anxiety• Improve sleep• Help to handle stress• Causes us to breathe deeper – take in more oxygen – slows our heart rate –

calms the nervous system• Balance out our bodies so that the different areas of our mind, body, and

emotions are vibrating in harmony with each other and in healthy frequencies• Balance our brain waves – sooth and relax the brain• Divert the mind

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HOW TO TONE

• Sit very relaxed – both feet on the floor – Spine straight – head relaxed on top of the spine – RELAX – RELAX – RELAX • Inhale through your nose – expanding your lower abdomen – no

shoulder raising• Exhale through your mouth as you make one long sustained sound –

Jaw must be loose – teeth apart – RELAXED JAW• Ohm – Lam – Hu – Hah - Hum• When you naturally feel the need to breathe again, take the time to

breathe deeply, and then tone another vowel or sound

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SOME SPECIAL TIPSVary the vowel sounds as it feels good to you• Ohm – Oooooooooooooohhmmmmmm or

Ooohhmmmmmmmmmmmmm• Lam – Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaahmmm

Laaaahmmmmmmmmmm

Experiment with other natural sounds as you feel the need to express them:Grunts, groans, cries, sighs etc

Use glissandos to find which pitch feels best for you and this may vary day to day – slide low to high and then high to low

You can tone lying down, as well

Use your tone as a prayer 11

FOR YOUR DAILY “TONIC”Tone in the morning when you wake. Do not strain your voice. The sound does

not need to be loud. Find a comfortable volume level for yourself.

Tone for 5 to 10 minutes, but start out slow with just 2 minutes each morning and build into it.

Here is a nice one for the morning that combines a number of tones – something like an overall toneup (tuneup – ha!):

ah – oh – oo – ee ah – make it like a very relaxed yawn (Chest – heart) oh – blend right into the “oh” from the “ah” by moving your lips slightly

forward (abdomen) oo – blend right into the “oo” from the “oh” by moving your lips very forward.

(pelvis, hips, and below) ee – blend into the ee without moving your lips from the forward position by

having your tongue touch the lower teeth and move your lips out even a bit further. (throat – back of skull – neck)

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TONING FOR PAIN

• Think of it as sonic acupressure

• As you breathe in, focus on the part of your body that is in pain as if you are breathing into that area of pain.

• As you breathe out and tone, force the energy and power of the tone to where you have the pain.

• Toning for pain gives you the feeling that you have some control over your pain

• You can tone for pain or relaxation many times throughout your day, a few minutes at a time

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TONING FOR EMOTIONAL PAIN• Dis-ease can cause physical pain and disease

• No medicine or surgery can get rid of the anger, resentment, hurt, non-forgiveness, fear or other feelings that may be the bottom line cause of illness• As you breathe in, visualize a beautiful light pouring into your body and filling

it so there are now no more shadows within – so that the problems of life are in full view.

• As you tone out, visualize your release of all the bad memories and sad moments held within

IN WITH THE GOOD – OUT WITH THE BAD

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TONING FOR SLEEP

• It is good to end your day with a few minutes of toning before going to sleep.

• The OHM (ahohm) is very peaceful and relaxing and quiets the brain

• I like to do some very short hums as I am drifting off to sleep

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FOR YOUR RESIDENTS• Never encourage them to do without their meds and to tone instead. Let

your clinical team make that determination.• Encourage “humming” to help with pain• Encourage “humming” to help with anxiety and depression• Sit with your upset or anxious resident and hum with them – hold a hand as

you do this• Don’t encourage those on oxygen or with breathing problems to hum/tone

without a physician’s approval• Make sure they understand to breathe when they naturally feel the need to

do that – that this is not a hold on to your breath contest• If you have an upset resident who cannot hum, then hum for them, oos &

aahs – hold a hand as you do this• Sitting behind or to the side of them and directing your tone to the back of

their neck may be very helpful for agitation. Again oos & ahs • Your humming can be a sweet song• Consider a short group hum session to start the day on your unit

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