For many thousands of years, ancient civilizations understood the significance and importance of sound with sacred instruments being integral for healing. 

Now science confirms that certain type of sounds have positive impact on our brain, mind and body helping us to relax and unwind. 

Supriya Nagarajan is a singer, composer and musician. From the daily ritual of closing the temple door in India to micro-sounds in the city of York, Supriya takes us on the journey of sound healing and soundscapes.

Tune in to learn what sound healing is, how it works and how we can utilise it to relax and stimulate deep rest. 

Klaudia Mitura: Hello everyone and welcome to The Happiness Challenge. This month I am so excited to be learning about sound healing and supporting me with this topic, is singer, composer, and musician, Supriya Nagarajan. Supriya is going to explain what sound healing is. How it actually works, and most importantly, how we can utilize it to relax and stimulate a deep rest.

So dig out your relaxing tunes and join me as I go in search of those healing sounds. Welcome, Supriya.

Supriya Nagarajan: Thank you so much for inviting me to be on the podcast, Klaudia. It's a topic straight after my own heart. So I'm really excited to be speaking to you today about healing sounds and music in general.

Klaudia Mitura: Brilliant. Thank you so much for being here and you've just came back from holidays, so again, really, really appreciate that you're going straight into it. I guess Supriya sound healing is nothing new. I mean, for many thousands of years, ancient civilizations understood the significance and importance of sound and with sacred instruments being integral for healing and spiritual development. But I guess my question is why sound is so special? How does sound affect our body, mind and wellbeing?

Supriya Nagarajan: I think sounds is one of those particular senses that falls second in priority to visuals. So what we tend to do as human beings is consume with our eyes first.

It's sort of a primary mode of looking, taking the world around us into our brain. So sound occupies the second spot. And then there are others. And of course, I'm talking in a more generalized way, although, I mean, there might be people that consume sound first and not the visuals.

That's absolutely possible. But I found that as you said right from very, very ancient time, sound has been an integral part of your day-to-day routine, and it was extremely highlighted during Covid. That sound is, you know, something that is either present or absent in the world around you. So you went out into nature, you went out into a forest for a walk, you went out into a park for a walk.

And the sounds that you heard during the pandemic, for example, was something completely different to what you would normally hear. So people started to, at that point take notice of the fact that the sense of sound actually plays quite an important role. I mean, taste plays an important role and people lost taste during covid, some of them with, you know, with developing symptoms.

But sound then started to actually occupy centre space. Definitely, for me it did. So I'm a musician, composer. I work with sound all the time, but the way I perceive sound started to change during the pandemic. And ever since I have been more tuned in to the world around me through the sound aspect.

And so that's sort of shaping the direction of my future work. And I think, for example, during a recent trip to India, I visited a temple where they were going through the daily ritual of closing the temple doors. And they do it playing certain instruments including the conch and specific kind of drum.

And singing some specific hymns in a certain tone. So the certain pitch of voice, and I found that extremely fascinating because it's not seen otherwise apart from at that time in a temple at night. And that's when the gods go to rest and the temple doors are closed. So for me you know, sitting in that space, just listening to those sounds unfolding around me, I was completely drawn into that world.

So although sound informs almost all of my work it's a different kind of sound I'm listening to now.

Klaudia Mitura: Okay, brilliant. So really interesting that you're highlighting that actually our attention to sound has changed during the pandemic because you're right, like London sounded very different during pandemic and Covid than it's sounding right now, and I live in Central London, so it is very specific sound of the city. So really, really fascinating. And again, you're mentioning that contrast of, okay, the sound in the temple, I mean, completely different to what we might be experiencing if we are in a city and then completely different to what we are experiencing in nature. So sound is with us everywhere. Sometimes we pay attention to it. Sometimes as you're saying it's a secondary, we really ignore the sound. What is sound healing because that is very specific.

And that is very specific part of your work. So what exactly is sound healing? How can you define it for us?

And they were singing to their children who were actually in cradles, made out of cloth which was tied onto trees. And the children were very restful, and the mothers were singing, and this had nothing to do with music. And they were singing lullabies in a certain way. And it fascinated me that these women working in the fields could keep their children so far away remotely contained and happy and, you know just being.

Just through their voice. And that sort of triggered the project in my head and I was fascinated by the idea that, you know something like a lullaby, could it be the tonal quality of the lullaby? Could it be the fact that there is an emotional connection through the mother's voice? Could it be that you know, it's the world, it's how the children are lulled into sleep. What is it that, you know, keeps the children calm while the mothers are not really close to give them that physical hug that they would expect otherwise? So that sort of triggered the idea. So then I went away, like with all my projects, I like to work with different disciplines, cross genre, cross discipline, and I like to actually investigate the subject before I make the music happen.

So, I went away to work with a neuroscientist based in Sweden. And we actually sort of worked with the idea that lullabies have a place in people's memories. Either they, you know, older people who triggered happy memories through listening to lullabies or very young children. Who calmed when, you know?

So we did some initial work on that kind of a subject, and then I came back and started the project. So the project essentially is about collecting lullabies going into a space. So when the performance unfolds, we have collected lullabies from the local area.

So for example, we did a large project in Oslo. So we collected the sounds of the city, the nighttime sounds in the city. We collected the lullabies from the people present there, you know, the people who came to see us do the work. So we collected mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, anybody who wanted to contribute a lullaby. And we put that into the soundscape of the show, and that was really important because people feel comforted in the sounds that they hear on a daily basis. So there is something about your brain resting when you actually hear something that you're familiar with. So the soundscape then had a place in the back and then I performed Indian and there was a colleague who performed Norwegian lullabies alongside the soundscape. So people came into this space and people, by people, I mean they were two-month-old babies, right up to 90-year-old grandparents, and they came in together. There were cushions spread around the space and there were up to 200 people, and they just slept on cushions, closed their eyes, and they just existed in the soundscape.

So from the time they came in to the time we actually finished, many people had dropped off to sleep. And that for us is really successful because that is what the lullaby project is intending to do. And I think that is an indicator of what sound does to the human psyche, the brain that is, it gives the space to the brain to rest because our brain works constantly.

Even when we sleep, sometimes our brain works. So it's really nice for the brain to be able to just relax and to being, for the heart rate to come down, and for people to just be in that space for that length of time. I think the biggest compliment I got for that project was in Finland where a lady came up to me and said that was the first time she had relaxed after 18 months when her baby had been born.

She said, this is the first hour I had where my baby was completely rested, and I could rest with her. So I mean these are the kind of things that keep your work going, to be honest.

Klaudia Mitura: Oh wow. What a fantastic project. So we have lots of different information then really, that is as you're saying, sound healing in practice that is use of specific instruments, tones, music that really balancing our body, mind and spirit letting us relax. And as you're speaking about that really practical implication, isn't it when it comes to sound. Because what is sound, I mean it's a vibration.

And that vibration really has a strong impact on our brain activity. We finally stop thinking and we can really rest, but also now our cellular level, isn't it, that that vibration interacts with our body, with ourselves, so we can rest and relax. I mean that is fascinating and your very practical description of it, of how that can be used is great.

And I mean, I love using music to go to sleep.

And sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, for whatever reason, because clearly my mind was not sleeping, that music really helps me to go back to sleep. So really practical aspects there of how we can use sounds. You mentioned something called sound spaces.

How can we create a positive sound space on our own to experience that deep relaxation and rest?

Supriya Nagarajan: I think it's really important that everybody has a routine at least from whatever I have experienced in my life and anybody that I know. I think it's very important that we have a routine where we take time off you know, if sound is something we enjoy, music is something we enjoy. Some people enjoy reading books. Some people enjoy being in nature, but whatever your enjoyment is, you know, if you have that dedicated time where you're able to do that, and it can be the last thing in the night.

It can be 10 minutes. It can be controlled breathing, it can be you know, it can be all sorts of aids that you can have. It can be music of a certain variety. You can hear the sound of the rain and go to sleep. You can hear the sound of a conch and go to sleep. You can do all of that. But my favourite example is, finding that space maybe in the week.

I know we all lead busy lives. My favourite example is finding that space in the week where you find a green spot if you're in a city, for example, you said you are in a city, Klaudia, so you know if you find that spot where you sit down, maybe first thing in the morning. Very early in the morning or last thing in the evening.

And I've done both. I've listened to first thing in the morning, 4:30 in the morning gone out into the city, the City of York, recently to record a Dawn Chorus soundscape. So I've been there. I've just sat underneath a couple of trees in the centre of York, which is really busy all the time.

But at that time in the morning, apart from a couple of milk vans and couple of things that you hear people going here, there. But you're generally in a tranquil atmosphere and you hear the birds, you hear the sound of the water, you hear the sound of the leaves, and you know, you listen to all these micro sounds and when your brain tunes into all the micro sounds around you, then you feel yourself completely actually relaxing.

And I think that soundscape we can create anywhere. We can create it at home where we have just that five minutes of shutting our other senses, maybe closing our eyes maybe, you know, finishing for the day. It can't even be at 6:00 PM in the evening. You have a cup of tea; you close your eyes, and you just concentrate on the space around you. So you might hear the faint sound of something, you might hear the clock. And you know, as time goes and as you're in that space, all the micro sounds that you hear will come to you and then you realize actually there are so many micro sounds that you didn't know anything about.

So I would say anybody can create a sound space for themselves anywhere. You don't have to have this beautiful space. It can be in your space as long as it's, you know, you are able to bring the mood into that space.

Klaudia Mitura: Love it. And I already love this as a good happiness challenge. Create a sound space that really encourages you to have that deep relaxation.

And as you said, we can do it anywhere we are. But just make sure that we are paying attention to those micro sounds. If we were to create a sound space where we want to listen to specific music, we might be in a noisy environment. We might be distracted by other noises around us. What type of, you know, music to choose?

I guess what I'm asking is really what are the examples of sounds that are actually truly healing because I found it tricky sometimes to go and reach for the right type of music. So do you have any advice there?

Supriya Nagarajan: I can state my personal preferences. I think, I love the sound of single instruments. So when you go into search, for example, if you're going to Spotify and you look for single instrument pieces, for example, you're listening just to the sound of a saxophone or you're listening to the sound of an erhu, which is from China, or Avena, which is from India. So you're just listening to that. So there is something about sitting in the space and not listening to crowded sounds, but listening to simple sounds, and it is entirely taste driven. So somebody could you know, have a really hectic day, come back, put on the headphones and listen to dance music, and suddenly they'll feel completely relaxed so that they'll get into that space and yet others will need that sound to actually gradually go from busy to simple. My personal choice is to sometimes just listen to the sound of nature. I love the sound of insects. I love the sound of rain. You know, I created a project where we were listening to the sound of the various trees.

So, I mean, you know, just being in nature and listening to the sounds of nature relaxes me personally, and I think many people share that experience. It's not just me, but many people share that experience, so, I mean, I would go through maybe a list of things and then find that special sound that is my sound for relaxation.

I create that music, Klaudia. So I mean, for me, the mind is everything.

Klaudia Mitura: No, and I love that. And I think in both examples, whether a single instrument or whether a sound of it's very much about simplifying it, isn't it? That's what you're saying, like we are simplifying it. We're listening to one instrument, or we're listening to one sound in nature that gives us that relief in terms of for instance rain or ocean or wind. So it's really interesting that you're speaking about sounds being simplified and maybe we're building it up then into more complex arrangements of sound. No, I absolutely love this and love the idea.

I guess my final question really is about your happiness and what makes you happy.

Supriya Nagarajan: Ah, I, you know, it's very interesting. Difficult question to answer, but easy as well, because my happiness, you know, my life experiences and various stages in my life, I've always been a half-glass full person.

So I like to see the positive in the world around me, and that helps to keep my mood in an upbeat manner. Music is my life. I gave up my banking career to make music. So music is my life, my passion. I'm surrounded by music. I see music in everything from the hum of the refrigerator to the striking of the clock, to the, you know, anything around me is musical.

So my mind buzzes when I hear any sounds. So, you know, nobody can claim to be a hundred percent happy all the time. There is, you know, there is always that ups and downs in life. but I find that being in a happy place is something that comes from within you.

So, I mean, what you want in life sometimes is actually it's about what I just said. If you keep it really simple. And not make it complicated and not, you know, clutter your head with too many wants and desires and needs and that kind of thing. I know this sounds philosophical, but that is my theory because I feel like you know, I keep things really simple.

I have my priorities in life. I keep that really simple and I have music. And I tend to just occupy that little happy space that I'm in and try and keep those boundaries clear and keep myself in there most of the time. There are times when you step out and then come back, but music does help. It brings me back into my happy place most of the time.

Klaudia Mitura: Brilliant. Thank you so much. And again, you're speaking about that idea of keeping it simple. So I can see you, you really applying that to your wellbeing and happiness, which is brilliant. And wow, I didn't know about your very big and different career change from the banking sector to being a musician and composer.

I mean that's just fascinating in itself.

Supriya Nagarajan: Yeah, I mean, I came because it was my passion and again, driven by that happy place. And, you know, once I've arrived here, I just want to stay here. I don't want to do anything else. I just want to make music, experience music, and enjoy it really.

Klaudia Mitura: Fantastic. And if our listeners would like to enjoy your music where they could find and listen to more.

Supriya Nagarajan: So I'm on Spotify and I'm on all the Apple and all those. Platforms, but also, I run a company called Manasamitra, which is based in Yorkshire, and we have a band camp. So Manasamitra Bandcamp is perhaps a good point to visit to listen to a lot of my music.

Klaudia Mitura: Brilliant. Fantastic. We'll definitely be checking that out.

Supriya, thank you so much for your time. This was a really fascinating conversation and my dear listeners, please listen to part two of this podcast around sound healing. Where I'll be summarizing the key findings and how we can create those sound spaces as this month's happiness challenge.

But otherwise, thank you so much for listening and thank you again, Supriya.

Supriya Nagarajan: Thank you, Klaudia.