Inner Sound: Definition, Explanation, & Meditations

Although the existence of inner sounds is recognized by nearly every spiritual tradition (Pereira & Reddy, 2016), the names and explanations for their existence vary widely. For example, across different texts, inner sounds may be called Anahata Nada, Shabda Brahman, sound current, cosmic sound, unstruck sound, divine ear, Aum, and other names, depending on the source. All of these sounds can be heard internally when plugging the ears (although they can generally be heard without plugging the ears also).

Anahata Nada Definition
​A particularly interesting inner sound is the Anahata Nada. In Sanskrit, Anahata means “sound produced without touching two parts” (Wikipedia, n.d.-a). The Anahata Nada is thought to be the vibrational sound of silence, existence, or the universe itself (Wikipedia, n.d.-b). The Anahata Nada is often described as sounding like TV static or buzzing locusts.

When someone with a fairly quiet mind—which is often produced through other personal growth efforts—begins to concentrate or meditate on sound, they can begin to hear the inner sounds (Buddhaghosa, 2020). Generally, the inner sounds are first noticed in the right ear, but they may be detected anywhere (Gustafson, 2000). With concentration, we can begin to locate sounds that seem to come from both ears and also sometimes from elsewhere in the body or space around the body. 

It’s often easiest to hear these sounds when it’s quiet, especially at night time (Sant Mat, 2013). But, interestingly, the sounds are often also amplified during periods of very high stress or very low stress (Gustafson, 2000).
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Nada Meditation Triggers
It can be helpful to use specific sounds as triggers to remind us to do our Nada yoga meditation (i.e., to listen more intently). For example, sounds like rain, a train, wind, or wind chimes can be great reminders to us to pause for a moment and listen. All you have to do is choose a sound, and when you hear it, just pause for a few seconds to pay attention to the sound. Concentrating on the inner sounds then further quiets the mind because when fully focused on the inner sounds alone, the mind can not ramble on with its inner monologue. 

Listening to the sound meditation below may help you find the inner sound.

As we begin to hear these sounds, the goal becomes to place our attention on them during meditation and become absorbed into them as much as possible (Sant Mat, 2013). This can quiet the mind further, resulting in more inner peace. Some suggest that if we do this well, the inner sounds won’t follow us into our daily lives as much (Gustafson, 2000).

Over time, we may begin to hear the vibratory sound in all things. Indeed, as my inner sound meditation has developed, I have begun to hear subtler and subtler phenomena. I can hear clear sounds—as loud and formed as if they were in the room—along with my hypnagogic imagery, the pictures that begin to form just before falling asleep. I can hear the chug-chug sound of my ego mind when it is deep in thought. And I can hear a rush of energy moving down through my body after orgasm. It’s pretty fascinating. 

Eventually, according to several spiritual traditions, hearing—and listening to—these inner sounds is a gateway to enlightenment (Yogananda, n.d.). After enlightenment, the person who has taken this path supposedly sees the whole universe in the form of sound (Swami Satyananda Saraswati, 1967-68).

Unlike Ramana Maharshi‘s self-inquiry, which is thought to be a direct path to enlightenment, and unlike other types of meditation, which are generally slower paths, the path provided by the inner sounds is thought to be a middle path. Although a guide can be helpful for getting started, it doesn’t require a guru or spiritual guide—the guidance, by way of sound, is within. Thus, it’s kind of an easy approach to developing spiritual awareness. 

Listen: Ever present Inner Sound Meditation
https://amaravati.org/audio/day-7a-meditation-ever-present-inner-sound-nada/​

Below is a description of what happened to me over the course of about one year of consistent —5 to 60 minutes per day—of Nada yoga meditation.
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1. First, I listened to the rising and falling of physical sounds, like a bell ring, the wind, or a train moving past. I also listened deeply to whatever music I enjoyed.
2. Two-ish months later, I noticed my first inner sound—a high-pitched bell-like ringing in my left ear while lying in bed at night. I asked my husband if he heard it and he said no. 
3. Shortly after, I realized I could hear two sounds (a medium tone and the high-pitched bell-like ringing). 
4. Then I started hearing a rumbling sound that felt to be coming from lower down in my body. And then I heard a static sound (kind of like TV static) coming from the top of my head. (This is the Anahata Nada).
5. These 4 sounds—the bell, the tone, the rumbling, and the static—became ever-present. I could hear them any time I paid attention to hearing them. 
6. Then I started hearing the 4 sounds loudly and all day long. They were loudest at night, but anytime I shifted my attention inward, there they were.
7. Occasionally, I heard other inner sounds. My favorite is the inner sound that sounds like waves crashing. My least favorite is a buzz like an electric doorbell. The most subtle vibration I noticed is the vibration that occurs right before my ego starts an inner monolog. And the craziest sound I hear is the sound that makes dreams—beeping-like sounds that I hear occasionally right as I’m starting to dream. It jars me awake, so I can never listen to it for more than a second or so. Indeed, the entire world—including thoughts!—is made of sound vibrations. If we are just quiet enough, still enough, and attentive enough, we can hear the entire world.
8. As I increasingly focused on these inner sounds, they became just as loud as any external sound. I was no longer able to hear silence at all because any time I looked for silence, I only found sound (I do miss the sound of silence). This was interesting, but also occasionally annoying.
9. As I continued to listen to the sounds (in meditation and in daily life), the more vibrational they became. You know like when you feel the base of a loudspeaker vibrating your whole body? It’s very much like that. My whole body vibrated along with the inner sounds (this is especially true for the rumbling sound).
10. I have begun to notice that the sounds change in different locations. When I travel, they often get louder, sometimes new sounds arise in a different ear, and sometimes the sounds almost disappear.

I have no idea where this is heading, but I just keep listening and I’m sure I’ll find out one day.

At one point, I got a Hz detector to figure out the exact frequencies of the sounds I was hearing. I’ll include these below. The sounds below are similar to the inner sounds I hear, although they change sometimes, so it’s hard to explain precisely.

Sounds can have many benefits. For example, one study showed that after undergoing sound meditation, participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood (Goldsby et al., 2017). Another study showed that sound meditation resulted in greater relaxation and less acute stress (Philips et al., 2019). Overall, sound vibrations appear to be a powerful tool for reducing emotional distress (Ramnanan, 2021). Listening to inner sounds, specifically, is hypothesized to have a variety of positive impacts including enlightenment (Buddhaghosa, 2020; Sant Mat, 2013).

​Listening to Inner Sounds Can Be Done Anywhere
Nada yoga meditation might just be the easiest meditation practice because there are sounds everywhere. You can pause at any moment to listen and pay attention to the sounds around you. If your mind stops even momentarily, then you’ve just done a short meditation. Personally, I found this to be an easy and accessible way to build Nada yoga meditation into my life and, eventually, begin to hear the inner sounds.

To learn more, watch the video below.

Listening to the inner sounds is likely just an advanced stage of active listening. In addition to actively listening to other people, we’re actively listening to the entire world. We put our full attention on the sounds we hear and aim to maintain complete presence so that we can be fully absorbed in them. In doing so, we may experience greater relaxation, a feeling of being more connected, and possibly, even enlightenment. 

• Buddhaghosa, B. (2020). The path of purification: Visuddhimagga. Pariyatti.
  
• Goldsby, T. L., Goldsby, M. E., McWalters, M., & Mills, P. J. (2017). Effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being: an observational study. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 22(3), 401-406.
  
• Gustafson, E. (2000). The Ringing Sound: An Introduction to the Sound Current. Conscious Living Pr LLC.
  
• Hall, D. A., & Moore, D. R. (2003). Auditory neuroscience: The salience of looming sounds. Current Biology, 13(3), R91-R93.
  
• Pereira, C., & Reddy, J. (2016). An essay on ‘fracto-resonant’ nature of life. NeuroQuantology, 14(4), 764-769.
  
• Philips, K. H., Brintz, C. E., Moss, K., & Gaylord, S. A. (2019). Didgeridoo sound meditation for stress reduction and mood enhancement in undergraduates: a randomized controlled trial. Global advances in health and medicine, 8, 2164956119879367.
  
• Ramnanan, S. A. (2021). The power of a sound mind: Exploring meditation and sound therapies for treating the emotional impact of tinnitus.
  
• Ren, W., Peng, B., Shen, J., Li, Y., & Yu, Y. (2018). Study on vibration characteristics and human riding comfort of a special equipment cab. Journal of Sensors, 2018(1), 7140610.
  
• Sant Mat. (2013). The Sound Current of Enlightenment in Buddhist Mysticism. Retrieved 9/30/2024 from https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/the-sound-current-of-enlightenment-in-buddhist-mysticism-d3967dfb3d40
  
• Swami Satyananda Saraswati. (1967-68). Lecture on Nada. First International Yoga Teachers Training Course at Munger. Retrieved 9/30/2024 from https://www.reddit.com/r/UnstruckSound/comments/jnmjjp/swami_satyananda_saraswatis_lecture_on_nada/
  
• Wikipedia. (n.d.-a). Anahata. Retrieved 9/30/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anahata
  
• Wikipedia. (n.d.-b). Nada yoga. Retrieved 9/30/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81da_yoga
  
• Wikipedia. (n.d.-b). Seashell resonance. Retrieved 10/2/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seashell_resonance#:~:text=The%20resonant%20sounds%20are%20created,airflow%20and%20ocean%20movement%20sounds.
  
• Yogananda, Paramahansa. (n.d.) Aum Technique. Retrieved 7/1/24 from https://yogananda.com.au/g/g_aum.html