humming meditation

Humming Meditation

Engage in gentle, continuous humming to create soothing vibrations throughout the body, calming the mind and reducing stress.

Goal

Achieve relaxation and inner calm through focused, soothing vibrations 😌

Problem

Struggling with an overactive mind during meditation and racing thoughts, plus:

  • Difficulty finding a focal point for relaxation
  • Needing a stupid-simple technique to reduce stress 🤓

Solution

Experience the science-backed calming effects of humming meditation by creating soothing vibrations. 

In a nutshell:

  1. Find a comfortable seated position.
  2. Close your eyes, take three deep breaths.
  3. Gently place your lips together.
  4. Start humming at a comfortable pitch and volume.
  5. Continue humming for 5-10 minutes or as long as desired.
  6. Finish by taking a few deep breaths.

My Take

Humming has become a decent way to quiet my racing thoughts.

When I practice this technique, the vibrations generated by the humming not only have a “mental” soothing effect but also stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation. This stimulation helps counterbalance stress, slowly leading to more tranquility.

Awesome mechanism 👌

While humming meditation might not be everyone’s #1 technique, it’s definitely one of my personal favorites as an alternative to traditional meditation techniques, such as focused breathing (which can take A LOT of mental effort and consistency!). Humming can yield quick and tangible results.

The beauty of humming is its adaptability to different situations …👇

You don’t necessarily need a dedicated meditation session to benefit from its calming effects. Whenever you feel nervous or stressed, take a moment to hum gently. This can be done while waiting in line (well, lower the volume… 😉), sitting at your desk, or even during a short break at work. So integrating humming meditation into a daily routine as a go-to stress-relief tool works quite well.

Here is a funny thing: what I find remarkable is that I’ve observed friends occasionally start humming without even noticing it, as if their bodies instinctively seek calmness. They may not be aware of humming as a technique for relaxation, but it seems their subconscious is tapping into its soothing capability. What about you – does it also happen to you?

Anyway. To me, this natural tendency further highlights the potential of humming as an effective, genuine tool for getting quiet 💪

PROS

  • Easy to practice anywhere, anytime
  • Can be done for short or long durations
  • Helps improve focus and concentration
  • Simple alternative to other common types of meditation

CONS

  • Might feel weird to make such humming sounds

INSIGHTS

What have I learned from humming meditation?

  1. Intuitive Breathing: Humming should feel natural. It just has to flow. You can try different pitches and volumes to find what feels best.
  2. Quietness: It can help to use (noise-canceling) headphones or soft background music to drown out any external noise.
  3. Easier to Focus: It can work well for extended sessions. Focusing on the humming sound sometimes is easier than focusing on e.g. breathing or counting, in a direct comparison. 
  4. Mini Tool: I mostly use it on the fly, without a dedicated “meditation” session. Humming automatically provides an extended exhale while, at the same time, I relax my shoulders (this implicitly happens on the exhale). These two effects calm down the body without any effort. 👍

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