What Is Surat Shabd Yoga?

From Hatha to Ashtanga to Bikram, there are various yoga schools -- and even a diversity in teaching approaches within each school. Among these variations, Surat Shabd yoga is a very distinct type of practice. While other yoga forms focus on the physical, Surat Shabd focuses on mental and spiritual well being. At its core, the practice revolves around concentrating on your “inner sound” or “cosmic hum” as a means of meditation.

  1. Basics

    • Although the practice itself it ancient, Kirpal Singh popularized modern Surat Shabd yoga in the Western world during the 1950s through 1970s, according to a July 1983 "Yoga Journal" magazine article and Singh's own nonprofit organization, Ruhani Satsang. “Shabd” roughly translated means “word,” while “surat” means “attention.” Essentially, Surat Shabd urges practitioners to attune to their own inward sound, or “inner words.” This means that as you mediate during Surat Shabd, you do not focus on the silence of your environment, you focus instead on the silence within your own body. In his book, "The Crown of Life," Kirpal Singh refers to this sound sensation as the "celestial sound current," a sort of inner music. To better illustrate the concept, Singh compares it to the sound of a conch shell on the beach in "Meditation Instructions for Initiates." Listen to the sound of blood rushing when you plug you ears for a hands-on example.

    Methods

    • In practice, Surat Shabd yoga more closely resembles meditation than it does common, posture-based forms of yoga, such as Hatha yoga. To practice Surat Shabd, you first assume a relaxed meditative pose. The practice does not prescribe a particular pose; it should simply be comfortable for you. In complete stillness with regular, natural breathing, you then close your eyes and focus solely inward. Without moving your eyes, you focus your attention on a specific inward point, such as between your brows. You might choose to repeat a mantra, a sound or sacred word that helps you concentrate, to help hone your attention. In some instances, practitioners also use earplugs to help heighten the focus on their inner sound.

    Spiritual Principles

    • In theory, extreme focus on the inward silence of your body elevates yogis to a plane beyond the physical. In this way, Surat Shabd yoga seeks to allow its practitioners to rise above physical consciousness. Kirpal Singh views the inward sounds of Surat Shabd as an “audible life-stream,” as he writes in "The Crown of Life." Ideally, harmony with this life-stream leads to greater self-awareness, as well as a greater connection between consciousness and spirituality.

    More to Consider

    • Surat Shabd yoga is often included as one part of a greater philosophy, commonly associated with Sant Mat school of thought. In his book, "Surat Shabd Yoga: The Yoga of the Celestial Sound Current," Singh urges followers to practice Surat Shabd alongside the five cardinal virtues -- defined as non-injury to all living creatures, truthfulness, chastity, love and selflessness -- as well as the three purities of diet, livelihood and conduct.