The Healing Power of One Strange Hum

Ever seen one of those videos where the whole class is humming (or shaking) and making odd noises to release stress?

One came across my Instagram feed once and I thought, I like my self-hack techniques, but that’s a bit much. I mentally filed it under the same category as anal sunning or some other viral wellness trend.

But then one time, after days of headaches, nausea, and fatigue, I finally forced myself to do at least a 20-minute yoga session via Gaia. And at the end, after shavasana (corpse pose), I found myself making these involuntary “mmm” noises.

It felt like a release valve for some tension in my body and mind. That quickly deepened into a short, low hum, and then into a longer, full-body hum that felt like the cherry on top. My nausea and headache were suddenly gone.

Those “crazy” somatic videos didn’t seem so crazy anymore.

I started thinking: this actually makes sense, for two reasons…

1. Animal Instincts and Somatic Release

First of all, we know animals naturally perform somatic release, shaking off energy after a fight-or-flight experience. This is often referred to as neurogenic tremor. And if you’ve ever had a cat or dog, you’ve seen this. Even my dwarf hamster used to do it. 

After disappearing for two weeks once, she’d shake (literally—vibrate) every time she was back in my hands, then groom my hand and chatter her teeth to say hello.

I used to wonder if the shaking us humans experience while crying might be a form of the same somatic discharge.

2. Vibrations, Mantras, and Chakras

The Sacred Sound OM

Secondly, vibrational sounds, especially self-generated ones like humming or chanting OM, can calm the nervous system. They help regulate the vagus nerve, lower cortisol, and even boost the immune system.^(1,2,3)

I’ve been dabbling in meditation techniques involving sounds like OM for years as part of my self-growth journey. But it went deeper after my discovery.

I started repeating ancient mantras like Om Tryambakam, a mantra for healing. I tried my best to get the Sanskrit pronunciation right—partly so I wouldn’t accidentally summon a demon or order a plate of potatoes.

But honestly, if something has been repeated for thousands of years, isn’t it likely the vibration itself has something to do with its healing effect?

The Universal Healing Mantra

My most intriguing experience though with sound, came from the Ra-Ma-Da-Sa-Say-So-Hung chant. Also called the Universal Healing Mantra. Each syllable vibrates a different energy centre (chakra) up the spine.

• Ra – vibrates the root chakra (tailbone)
  
  
• Ma – vibrates the sacral chakra (lower belly)
  
  
• Da – vibrates the solar plexus (stomach)
  

…and so on, up to the crown.

This got me wondering:

• What if certain words or sounds resonate in specific parts of the body?
  
• What if language itself has vibrational origins rooted in our biology?
  
• Like how Ma for “Mother” might vibrate where the uterus is?

Total speculation, but a fun rabbit hole.

While practicing this whole-body chakra chant, I also noticed something strange. Some parts of my body were easy to vibrate. Others, not at all.

And surprise, surprise—the areas hardest to vibrate are the exact parts of my body I feel most disconnected from, and where I’ve had the most health issues.

So lately, I’ve been practicing sounds that target those tricky spots. And I think I might be onto something.

In the meantime, try it for yourself. Experiment with some mantras or even just those satisfying “mmm” sounds. And let me know in the comments if you also start vibrating like a happy hamster.

Disclaimer

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