imtyerd

Voice and Being Grounded

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One thing I have heard is the more grounded you are the slower you speak and the deeper your voice is.

 

So is this true? Are the two connected?

 

People here I imagine would be very grounded. Did you guys noticed in the tonality/speed of speech as you progressed through your practice?

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Well, I think that could also be the result of practicing relaxed, deep breathing.

I wouldn't think of it as a definite sign of one's being especially well-grounded, though. I've got a few specific friends in mind here...

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As you release trauma and the like you may find yourself more relaxed as result of cultivation, and because of this your speech may deepen or change in tempo, but it may speed up or get higher pitched as well.

 

So... Correlated and potentially causal, but not necessarily.

 

John

Edited by JohnC
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I regularly notice that my voice deepens after good practice. It usually goes back up though after an hour or two, depending. When my practice is really consistent my voice is generally lower. I think it´s because the practice eliminates a baseline level of anxiety.

 

Liminal

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Yes it's the stress hormone cortisol that triggers also a signal to the thyroid and the vocal muscles change the pitch. The more you eliminate the cortisol from blood muscles and tissues the more "relaxed" you are and the voice lowers. Practice depends on the practice, but walking, taichi, dancing lowers the stress.

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So what do you all think "grounded" means? That would be the crux of the bisquit here. Is a relaxed person a grounded person? I know I don't know how many practitioners and instructors who give the first impression of being well-grounded but over time, their insecurities bubble to the surface and they seem more like actors in a theatrical presentation.

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Would you say the most powerful people in the world  are  well grounded ?  Can they perform their jobs without being well grounded ?  Haven't you seen an ordinary person, who has no spiritual practice, being well grounded ?  

 

Practice not only changes voice/tone,  but all aspects of body.  Since body and mind are interconnected, change in one will slowly but steadily affect the other.

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Would you say the most powerful people in the world are well grounded ? Can they perform their jobs without being well grounded ? Haven't you seen an ordinary person, who has no spiritual practice, being well grounded ?

 

I like this post a lot...

 

The answer is yes. They are cool, calm and collected, yet focused. My opinion? Even without spiritual cultivation one can get there...

 

...after all, it's all cognitive from the start. I guess that's how the successful secular meditators get by too :)

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So what do you all think "grounded" means?

To me, grounded means connected to the earth, and all the qualities associated with the earth element. Gilles Marin, a teacher of the Taoist bodywork form Chi Nei Tsang, lists the positive qualities associated with the earth element as follows:

 

fair, spontaneous, genuine, harmonious, elegant, practical, centered, rooted, stable, consistent, regular, balanced, vigorous, sympathetic, solid, satisfied, on time, in tune, synchronized, sociable, hospitable, nurturing, supportive, conciliatory, comfortable

 

And here´s his list of emotional qualities and feelings of someone out of touch with the earth element:

 

prejudiced, biased, cheating, lethargic, artificial, unfair, awkward, imbalanced, inconsistent, shaky, envious, disproportionate, unsynchonized, unfriendly, inhospitable, anxious, worried, blaming, judgmental, dissatisfied

 

It´s a place to start.

 

Liminal

Edited by liminal_luke
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As you release trauma and the like you may find yourself more relaxed as result of cultivation, and because of this your speech may deepen or change in tempo, but it may speed up or get higher pitched as well.

 

So... Correlated and potentially causal, but not necessarily.

 

John

 

I would agree with this. With me personally, I haven't noticed anything regarding pitch, but I'd say that when my mind is quieted, not racing as much, as a result of whatever means I'm using to explore peace, there's simply less I feel the "need" to pipeline down & get out out of my mouth. So, yes, I probably have slowed down quite a bit as a result of my practice.

 

As I'm writing this so many at least somewhat-related idioms from ALL OVER the spectrum come to mind....

 

Those who talk don't know & those who know don't talk

 

Speak soft and carry a big stick

 

Loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room

 

 

....then again, "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast," so I suppose it's all relative.... 

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