Whistle, Hum or Sing to Improve Your Health
by Heather Henninger | Apr 13, 2023 | Music As a Medium For HealingSnow White was right – whistling while you work, humming a merry tune and singing a song can do a myriad of good for your wellbeing. Something one culture in the world inherently knew when, during the 2020 lock down, silence on the streets of Italy was broken when groups of people across the country began singing from their open windows. They sang everything from contemporary tunes to cultural, heritage songs and even arias; it was an instinctual effort to bond and unite despite being quarantined. That same year, the International Whistler’s Guild was formed in an effort to bring hidden talent to light and to share it with the world.
To these groups’ credit, there is considerable data proving that music creates a sense of unity and studies show that singing, humming or whistling is the world’s safest and most accessible stress reliever. These musical applications also strengthen the immune system, provide a boost in happiness hormones, as well a person’s confidence. In fact, music therapy is an effective treatment for people with Traumatic Brain Injuries, it improves social and communication skills in children with Autism, it has been shown to temper aggressive behavioral conditions in Alzheimer’s patients and increase their ability to find connection with their caregivers, and through dance programs, choirs and drumming, music therapy has been proven to decrease the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease patients. In different lineages of yoga, all forms of these aforementioned musical techniques are utilized to optimize positive mental and biological effects. Keep reading to learn more about the inborn harmonious healing tools you carry with you.
Pucker Up to Scientifically Purify and Boost Your Mood
Whistling is a powerful application that purifies the blood by increasing circulation, expands lung capacity, and stimulates the pituitary gland, pineal gland and hypothalamus. All of these glands operate to monitor the entire endocrine system in the body which controls mood, among other functions. Hence why whistling can increase feelings of contentment. In yoga, the energy centers directly affected by whistling are the Throat (Vishuddha) chakra which when balanced is said to support healthy self-expression and the ability to speak one’s truth and the Third Eye (Ajna) chakra which governs awareness and perception.To get started whistling, get your lips in the right position by saying the word, “two.” Your lips should not be resting against your teeth but instead stretched slightly forward. If your lips are dry, lick them as this may help improve the sound you produce. Take a deep inhale through the nose and exhale through your puckered lips.
To try out the long-form effects that activate the glands, try a kundalini yoga sequence that incorporates whistling. A perfect one to start with is the Kriya for Becoming Intuitive.
A Safe Treatment for Heart Disease & Diabetes
According to a 2002 PubMed study, humming greatly increases nasal nitric oxide which can help increase blood flow and reduce blood pressure – a simple tactic that could support those suffering from heart disease, diabetes and other circulatory disorders. As a vasodilator, nitric oxide signals the blood vessels to relax, allowing them to expand. This effect allows blood, nutrients, and oxygen to travel easily and effectively to all areas of the body.Both whistling and humming produce oxytocin, also known as the ‘love’ or connection hormone that helps us bond with other people. Spiritual seekers might then go so far as to say that these musical practices guide us to dispel the illusion of separateness which is known to keep us trapped in our suffering. Anatomically, humming additionally triggers activation in the belly and chest which lights up the energy of the Solar Plexus (Manipura) and Heart (Anahata) chakras.
To try humming, inhale deeply through your nose and with the tip of your tongue lightly touching above the upper teeth, begin creating the sound, ‘hmmmm’ with closed lips. Close your eyes and observe the reverberations in the belly, chest, throat and head.
Reduce Stress By Making Music
Another key thing that occurs when whistling, humming and singing is that all three applications stimulate the vagus nerve. This is a cranial nerve that originates from the bottom-most part of your brain at the base of your skull which is very near to the location of your vocal chords. When you pucker your lips, close them together to hum or project your voice through song, you stimulate nerves in the tongue, lips, throat and chest that trigger vagus nerve activation. Vagal tone (conditioning of the nerve) is directly correlated to a measurement called heart rate variability (HRV) (which can be measured by an EKG machine). The easiest way to optimize HRV is to elongate your exhale which naturally happens when you sing! The key points to understand is that having optimal vagal tone means that your body can relax faster after experiencing stress. This happens because of a positive feedback loop which is to say, the more you increase your vagal tone, the better your physical and mental health and vice versa.While any form of singing triggers the cascade of effects previously mentioned, studies conducted on specific types of singing music like Indian ragas, sacred mantras, tibetan, gregorian and shamanic chants measure between 4 to 7 hertzes which fall in the range where we experience better concentration, physical relaxation, and even a disconnection between the body and the mind. In addition to the effect that these types of music have on brain waves, when we engage directly with sacred sounds by moving our mouths, it becomes even more interesting.
In yoga, there are three ways of working with mantra to affect the self. They are:
- Darshani – which is when you visualize the mantra in your mind as you chant it (this can be a visualization of the character symbol or the letters of the words, spelled in a phonetic fashion)
- Japa – which is a monotonous out loud recitation of the mantra which ultimately creates psychic heat and burns the mental garbage from the mind
- Simran – which is a silent and cyclical vibration – this can be done while you are engaged in other activities or chores, not just while seated in meditation
One thing is for sure, using our own bodies to make music is a safe and effective way to support the circulatory and nervous systems and boost our moods too.
