The Origins of the 6 Healing Sounds

 

Healing sounds were first officially recorded during the Qin Dynasty, which took place between about 221 and 207 BC in ancient China.

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During this period, Qi Gong masters were studying the patterns and energies in the body that contributed to health and wellbeing. Many of their discoveries became cornerstones of modern Qi Gong, including what they learned about sound. 

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Once they started exploring our relationship with sound, they realized that humans have a natural tendency to use sound for healing. Almost universally, they saw that people produce certain sounds in similar situations.

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For example, laughter is a sound that is expressed by individuals in every known society on earth. Even if we don’t realize it intellectually, in our body, we all know that the “hah” sound corresponds to heart energy being activated. 

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Similarly, after a stressful situation has passed, most people will issue a sigh of relief. In doing so, their body is able to naturally release tension and return to a more calm state of being. 

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Once Qi Gong teachers realized these natural patterns between sound and emotion, they started to study them more closely in order to delve deeper into how different sounds affect various parts of the body.

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In addition to examining how people involuntarily use healing sounds in everyday life, they decided to study how intentions could be integrated to magnify these healing effects. Not surprisingly, they discovered that when they used a healing intention while performing the sound, the healing effects were greater. Of course, this is consistent with how we practice Qi Gong — we combine the intention of the mind with various practices to experience a positive transformation of energy within us. 

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Over time, dedicated practitioners gained more and more insight into the relationships between various sounds and parts of the body. During the Sui Dynasty around 590 to 618AD, a Qi Gong master named Zhi Zhuan identified six different sounds that have unique healing effects, each corresponding to a specific organ. These became known as the Six Healing Sounds because of their ability to purge noxious energy from the body. When combined with movement and breathing, they were incredibly effective for addressing a wide variety of health ailments. 

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https://www.holdenqigong.com/the-history-of-sound-healing-in-qi-gong/