Interview:

Ed Shapiro

Music and sound is the rhythm of the Universe. Life is sound, it is music. Our heart beats, our breath has rhythm. Sound is the heart beat of life itself. If we listen carefully everything is speaking to us, we just need to hear and to pay attention. I trained as a Swami in India and was initiated by a master of sound. Nada Yoga is the Yoga of sound. There is the outer sound or music and there is inner sound. As we journey spiritually we may be introduced to mantras, chanting, Gregorian music, and other spiritual uplifting music that helps our path to Spiritual Conscious Enlightenment. We may say we like or dislike what we hear, but until we develop an inner appreciation that is open to all sounds, then we cannot really hear the inner music. In the Yoga tradition, we move inward and listen to the Nada or inner sound. We can hear the Celestial music that is within us all. The beauty that is overwhelming and takes us deeper into the splendor that is hidden at the core of our being. The sound of life is a gift and this music of our inner life is a great blessing.

Deb Shapiro

It is quite extraordinary when we contemplate the brilliance of the bodymind. We discover that the mind and body are constantly communicating, talking with each other and giving us messages, if we stop to listen. Each part of the body has its own vibration that is toning and merging with all other vibrations, forming a sound or vibration unique only to you. Able to detect minute vibrations in the air, the ear translates those vibrations into electrical impulses that are sent to the brain. You hear words, music, sounds of pleasure, sounds of pain, sounds that are joyful, sounds that make you cry out or contract. Through the ears you do not just hear sounds but you also listen, which is to take in, interpret, and understand. Difficulties in the ears are directly connected to your ability to cope with what you are hearing. You cannot close your ears to unpleasant sounds as you can your eyes to unpleasant sights; your only recourse is to become hard of hearing or deaf. The ears also maintain your sense of balance as through them you are able to remain focused and in a state of equilibrium. In this way the bodymind speaks to us in a complex and yet simple language that, when understood, enables us to understand ourselves more deeply psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as physically.

“Music and sound is the rhythm of the Universe. Life is sound, it is music.”
– Ed & Deb Shapiro, authors of “Unconditional Love: How To Live With An Open Heart In A Changing World”