Six Healing Sounds

moss2_0Chi is an energy that is believed to exist everywhere. Although it cannot be detected directly, its effects have been measured through such instruments as Kirlian photography, galvanic skin response, heart rate, blood pressure, and other physiological instrumentation (Chia, 2001). The chi within our bodies is the same as the electromagnetic force of the universe. Science is beginning to find answers that are supporting what chi kung masters have known for over four thousand years. The human body is an energy producing and sustaining force and can be understood by using scientific knowledge. Medical chi kung, or healing chi kung, is based on this esoteric Taoist philosophy that helps us achieve no boundary consciousness (Chia, 1986a). Greater health and happiness can be achieved through various meditations and exercises that utilize the abundant energy, or chi,from the universe and combine it with our own inner chi, or energizing force (Chia et al., 1993; Chia, 2001). What we all want is more energy. Working with chi kung helps us increase the energy in the cells of our bodies and spirit. We become healthier and happier.

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One very effective meditation that can be done just about anywhere at anytime, is the chi kung method called The Six Healing Sounds. The Six Healing Sounds were discovered by Taoist Masters thousands of years ago (Chia, 1985). These sounds were believed to be

…the correct frequencies to keep the organs in optimal condition by preventing and alleviating illness…Chinese medicine teaches that each organ is surrounded by a sac or membrane, called fascia, which regulates its temperature. Ideally, the membrane releases excess heat out through the skin, where it is exchanged for cool life force energy from nature. An overload of physical or emotional tension causes the membrane, or fascia, to stick to the organ so that it cannot properly release heat to the skin nor absorb cool energy from the skin. The skin becomes clogged with toxins and the organ overheats. The Six Healing Sounds speed up the heat exchange through the digestive system and the mouth. (Chia, 1985, p. 67-76).

mindfulnessIn Chinese medicine, the five major organs, or viscera, of the body are believed to store specific emotions. When we are experiencing any of the negative emotions, we are overheating the associated organ in our bodies. In like fashion, when the organs are overheated or imbalanced energetically, we will feel these negative emotions more often. If you will do this chi kung exercise whenever you are overwhelmed by emotions, you will find that you have more conscious control over your emotions. When you feel any of the emotions arising that I’ve listed below, do the corresponding Healing Sound. It should help center you and change the negative emotion into its positive counter emotion.

Referring to the chart below, you will find the major organs and their associated positive and negative emotions. When we feel any of the negative emotions, we can counter them by filling our organs with the positive emotions. For example, the lungs should be imaged as silver/white in color. While focusing on our lungs (you can place your hands over your lungs), detect any sadness or depression you may be feeling. Seek to identify the sources of your sadness or depression then transform these negative emotions into their positive counterpart, courage and righteous feelings. Do the Lung Healing Sound, “ssssssssssssss.”

Major Organ Negative Emotion Positive Emotion
Lungs Sadness Courage
Kidneys Fear/Anxiety Gentleness/Stillness
Liver Anger/Cruelty Kindness/Generosity
Heart Impatience Love, Joy, Happiness
Spleen/Pancreas Worry, Pity Compassion, Fairness

Table 1. Emotions and the major organ systems.

The next organ you would cleanse and cool would be the kidneys. If you are experiencing fear and anxiety, then the kidneys are believed to be weak and out of balance. The kidneys are associated with the color blue, like the sky or ocean. While lightly touching your kidneys, image them blue and proceed to identify any anxiety you might be feeling and transform that into stillness. Also, detect any fear you are experiencing and then transform it into gentleness. The Kidney Healing Sound is “choooooooo.”

alaskaThe liver follows the kidneys. When we are continually angry, we are hurting our liver. You would then want to identify what has been causing you to feel angry and then work to transform it into kindness. Also, we would examine the ways in which we may have been cruel, to ourselves or others, and then transform the cruelty into generosity. When you are detecting the anger or cruelty in your liver, imagine that you are consciously contacting your liver by focusing upon it (it is located on the right side under your lower ribcage) and seeing green, like the forests. You would then do the liver sound, which is “shhhhhhhh.”

The heart is imaged as red while we detect any impatience and hastiness we have been feeling. What are the sources of these feelings? Transform them into the positive emotions or love, joy, happiness, radiance, light and spirit. Do the healing sound for the heart: “hawwwwww.”

Next, image the spleen/pancreas/stomach and the color yellow. Detect any worry or pity and then transform it into compassion and fairness after identifying the sources of your worry or pity. Do the healing sound, a guttural “whoooooooo.”

We learn to train our energy and attention to the organs that create health. We shape intention by focusing on each major organ, examining if there is any of the negative emotion present, process it by identifying, one by one, the situations in our lives that are creating the sadness, fear, anger, impatience, or worry. This is the cognitive component that brings to consciousness your reasons for these emotions. You then use the corresponding Six Healing Sound to cool that particular organ (see Table 3 below). Note that the sixth sound is not associated with any particular organ, but reflects one of the major meridians in acupuncture theory.

Organ Healing Sound
Lungs ssssssssssss (teeth together)
Kidneys choooooooo (winter wind sound)
Liver shhhhhhhhh (quieting a baby)
Heart hawwwwww
Spleen/Pancreas whoooooooo (make this a guttural sound coming from the back of your throat )
Head to Foot Zones
Triple Warmer Sound heeeeeeeeeeeeee

Table 2. Six Healing Sounds

When you do the Triple Warmer sound, imagine that heat from the upper energy centers are moving down into the cooler lower centers. Pretend as if you are pushing heat down through your torso. Exhale using the Triple Warmer sound, “heeeeeeeee” as you imagine the heat moving down through your body, going down into the earth. As you inhale, imagine that you are drawing the coolness of the earth up through your feet, cooling your body.

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The Triple Warmer refers to the three energy centers of the body. The upper level, which consists of the brain, heart, and lungs, is hot. The middle section, consisting of the liver, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, and spleen, is warm. The lower level containing the large and small intestines, the bladder, and the sexual organs, is cool. The Triple Warmer Sound balances the temperature of t he three levels by bringing hot energy down to the lower center and cold energy up to the upper center, through the digestive tract. This induces a deep, relaxing sleep (Chia, 1985, p, 101).

It is important that as you do the Six Healing Sounds, that you rest for a couple of breaths in between each sound, breathing naturally.

backyard2In body-mind fashion, chi kung teaches us to appreciate and care for ourselves by using the chi available in the universe and combining it with our own chi to heal ourselves and others. We learn to rid ourselves of negative emotions by using imagery to compost the negative emotions, sending them into the earth, and combining them with the positive counter emotion. Taoist methods of expanding consciousness include the idea that we have three minds. The brain (thinking), the heart (emotions), and the gut (awareness) aka tan tien. The tan tien (about 3 finger widths below the navel) is a much smarter brain that uses less energy and definitely less words! The tan tien is considered our center. As Grand Master Chia teaches, “Make three minds into one mind.” When you are caught up with thinking too much, move your center of awareness down into your heart. Once you are centered there, then move down into the tan tien and breathe in and out through the tan tien. In Aikido, if we lead with our tan tien as we walk, we will seem strong and rooted to the earth. We are less likely to be a pushover because we can firmly stand our ground. Others sense this as well.

This has been an abbreviated version of the Six Healing Sounds. The original version taught by Grand Master Chia uses hand movements as you do the sounds. In an effort to streamline the practice, Grand Master Chia taught variations where the hand movements can be eliminated without reducing the energy balancing that occurs when you do the Six Healing Sounds. For example, you can simply image the color of the organ while placing your hands over the organ and detecting the negative emotions while transforming them into the positive. I refer you to the book, Transform Stress Into Vitality by Mantak Chia (1985) for more details.

Click on the picture below for the

Six Healing Sounds Videos

Grandmaster Mantak Chia – Six Healing Sounds