I loved to sing or hum along to overtone singing and throatsinging songs from Mongolia and Tuva or Native American chants or flute playingor Australian songs or didgeridoo playing.
So with this love and connection for these people and their spiritualmusic and songs I started to be curious and started to use my imagination towork out what is it the singer doing to make that sound?
With that imagination I started to experiment to imitatewhat I thought he was doing and very quickly I found I could do it too.
The imitation was not just in sounding or technique but alsothe feeling I got from listening to this music as well.
I could feel my connection to these people deepening and Icould feel an energy flow though my body. It made me feel calm, happy, relaxedand excited all at once.
I would like to share with you a personal experience thathelped me understand so much of what is natural about overtone singing.
I used to work in Richmond park and my shift started at 4am.
In the late morning and afternoon I would be working in thewoods and I would find myself alone except for the occasional dog walker.
So as I would usually be litter picking on auto-pilot and Iwould practice my overtone singing, it was something I loved doing whilewalking in nature.
Sometimes I was very lucky to have a call and answer fromthe birds. I would sing and as I am taking a breath the bird would sing and Iwould listen and when it stopped I would sing and it would listen.
One day I was practicing overtone singing while walking in thewoods and listening to the birds and enjoying the moment when I felt I shouldstop walking and stop singing and just stand still and listen. So I did and I could hear things from milesaway, I realised I had expanded my awareness and not just to sounds but toeverything and at that moment I felt very peaceful. Some animals and birds weresounding and the leaves on the trees began to make a beautiful soft sound. Allthe sounds were not just being received by my ears but I could feel them with allmy body. It was like every cell in my body was an ear and I became aware thatthere was a telepathy in the sound I was receiving. I understood it and it wasall of the animals, birds, trees and more saying “we have heard you and we aresinging back to you”. I was filed with love and felt so humble that I wasconnected to them with pure love.
I stood there for a few minutes with my hands at my sidewith tears running down my face giving thanks to all these beings and thankingGod to have this unexpected experience.
From that time onward this became a deliberate part of mypractise.
This unexpected experience happened to me about 15 years agobut it is in my memory as if it was yesterday.
Through practising overtone singing it has helped me to connectto the places where I sing. This beautiful magical singing allows for feeling toflow from the heart in that moment and to be received by the place and thebeings in it in the spirit it was meant to; thereby connecting us all withlove.
Enjoy sounding
Love & Blessings
Rami Shaafi
