Resonance and the 5th Chakra

All life is rhythmic. From the rise and fall of the sun to the rise and fall of our breath, from the beating of our heart to the infinite vibrations of atomic particles within our cells, we are a mass of vibrations that miraculously resonate together as a single system. In fact, our ability to function as a unified whole depends upon the coherent resonance of the many subtle vibrations within us.

Resonance is a state of synchronization among vibrational patterns. All vibrations can be thought of as wavelike movements through space and time. Each waveform has a characteristic rhythm (known as frequency) that describes how frequently the waves rise and fall. In music, the pitch of a note can be expressed as a certain frequency-higher notes have a higher frequency than lower ones. When two or more sounds from different sources vibrate at the same frequency, they are said to resonate together. This means their waveforms oscillate back and forth at the same rhythm. When this happens, the height of the waves is added together and the waves lock into phase with each other. Once in phase, they tend to remain that way. Oscillating waveforms tend to stabilize when they enter into resonance (much like members of a political movement reinforce each other's political views) because they are on the same wavelength. It is easier, for example, to sing the same note as another than to sing a different one, as we quickly discover when we try to sing harmony. Thus resonant frequencies tend to bond together. This is also known as rhythm entrainment or sympathetic vibration. We experience resonating wave forms in many ways. When we listen to a chorus of voices or a troupe of drummers, we are immersed in a field of resonance that vibrates in every cell in our body. Such a field influences the subtler vibrations of consciousness and we feel pleasure, expansiveness, and rhythmic connection with the pulse of life itself. We enter even deeper resonance when we dance or move rhythmically to music. The rhythmic movements of the body stay in phase with the music and it actually becomes difficult to move out of phase. The rhythmic entrainment of various frequencies within our body and consciousness forms a coherent, central vibration that we experience as a kind of resonant "hum" when we're having a good day. On those days, it seems we're harmony with everything, as if we can't miss a beat. We're in sync with the rhythm of the universe. On other days, we feel like we're out of phase or as if we can't do anything right. Then we feel out of sorts, uncomfortable in our own skin, and others may find us uncomfortable to be around. Understanding the principles of vibration and resonance helps us increase the coherence of our basic vibrational experience and realign our basic rhythm. Resonance requires a certain balance of flexibility and tension. A string needs to be both taut and flexible in order to sound a note. In our bodies, we need to have enough flexibility to resonate with different frequencies, yet maintain enough tension create a repeating pattern. The state of resonance within the mind-body is a statement of our health and vitality. When we can't resonate with the world around us, we can't link with it. We are unable to expand, respond, or receive. We become isolated and ill. Opening to resonance requires. both grounding for the establishment of form, and an openness of breath that yields softness and flexibility.

This balance is a delicious combination of letting and willing that allows us to both listen and respond at the same time. It is my belief that sleep puts us back in harmony with our own resonance. When we sleep, our heart rate, breathing, and brain waves all settle into a deep, rhythmic entrainment. A discontinuous sound or sensation will wake us up-an alarm clock, someone shaking us, a noise on the street- and pull us out of a deep resonant state. At the end of the day, when we have experienced a lot of distracting vibrations, we feel tired. We want to go back to sleep.

THE VOICE The voice is a living expression of one's basic vibration. If the 5th chakra is constricted, the voice will also be constricted, sounding whiny, whispered, or mumbled. If the chakra is excessive, the voice may be loud, shrill, or the person may habitually interrupt or dominate the conversation. The sign of a healthy fifth chakra-one that is connected to both mind and body-is a resonant and rhythmic voice that speaks truthfully, clearly, and concisely. Conversation with others is balanced, with a true ability to listen and respond. The voice not only indicates the health of the fifth chakra, but of other chakras as well. Contraction in the body (chakra one) restricts the voice. Lack of feeling (chakra two) makes the voice seem mechanical. Too little will (chakra three) makes the voice sound pinched and whiny, whereas third chakra excess makes the voice dominating. The voice also requires breath (chakra four). If the breath is constricted or uneven, the voice will not be full. If our consciousness is not open (chakras six and seven), then the voice becomes repetitive and dull. When we listen to such a voice, we have the feeling that we have heard it all before. When a person is frozen in the past, the voice does not seem fully present.

There are also many voices within us. There is the voice that tells us we are no good, the voice that wants above all to be heard, the voice that only whispers silently in the quiet moments we spend alone. Inner dialog between the various parts of ourselves helps us become more integrated. Integration creates resonance. The process of individuation honors and integrates each of our voices, and brings them together as a whole. Only with freedom to express ourselves can we fully individuate. If the 5th chakra is blocked, we become excessively introverted and can neither express nor take in new information. If the block is severe enough, it negatively affects the whole system.

If I hit the taut string of a guitar, it makes a sound. If I hit it hard, it makes loud sound. If I hit it softly-a quiet sound. Any beginning guitar player knows that if you don't hold the string down tightly over the frets, the sound is dull instead of resonant. When I restrict the movement of the string, I also restrict its expression. As an event impacts us, it impacts us with a vibration. Like the guitar string, it is our nature to express what impacts us. When that expression restricted (by whatever inhibitions we've been forced to accept), we lose our resonance and no longer vibrate in the chorus of creation. We become less fully alive, out of step, and dissonant. If we do not express the vibration, the impact is stored in the body as stress. The natural flow of vibration through the body is interrupted and energy comes in but does not go back out. It takes effort to restrict that flow, and causes further stress to maintain the restriction.