By Anandra George

My mother would say that I have been practicing sound yoga therapy since I was a small child. She used to hear me humming to myself and would ask me what I was singing. I wasn’t singing a tune; looking back, I see now that I was using the sound of my voice to make myself feel safe and connected to life.

As a young adult, I went to India. When I heard the mantras in the music and felt the full-hearted devotion of people connecting with sound, I knew I had found my true home.

Therapeutic devotion

I began to study and practice Sanskrit mantra regularly. Although I found teachers who held pieces of what I wanted to learn (I am forever grateful to those gurus), no one had the whole-being, embodied-mystic approach that made my heart sing. So most importantly, I studied the effect of the Sanskrit alphabet sounds, the mantra formulations, variations in vocal volume, musical moods, and so on. I devoted myself to the therapeutic power of sound and started a yoga school in 2014.

Now I work in private practice, with small groups, and in the teacher-training sphere. I get referrals from mental health professionals who want to stabilize the effects of neurofeedback sessions and cognitive behavioral therapy for clients. They also refer to me people who want to explore the benefits that can be obtained through microdosing without ingesting psychedelic substances—we instead “dose” with mantra meditation. I’ve had great results with clients who are tapering off their antidepressants under doctor supervision, teaching them to harness their mental power with mantra meditation.

The biggest obstacle I face in my yoga therapy practice is a lack of awareness of the potential of sound and mantra therapy to reduce unnecessary suffering and greatly enhance one’s life experience.

The promise of resilience

I see the future of yoga therapy as extraordinarily bright! Yoga therapists can help the people in our communities maintain equipoise so that we can harness our resilience and creative capacity to create sustainable futures in which we can thrive. I believe with all my heart that we can choose the trajectory we wish to move forward on, and if we are equipped with the right tools and are willing to apply them in our lives, we can make the best possible outcomes our reality.

Anandra George, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, is a teacher of sound and mantra. She created the Heart of Sound, known as the world’s first (and likely only) 200-/500-hour yoga teacher training based entirely on the transformational power of sound.

Read more of Rebecca’s story in the Summer 2024 Yoga Therapy Today, available to IAYT members on iayt.org and in print.