The Sound of La
La means something in almost every culture:
Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Western music theory, Romance languages, and even in botany.
La is known as an epithet of Indra, the god of the sky. In the Puranas, La is also the letter of the Creator.
In Sanskrit, it can be used to mean both giving and receiving.
In Burmese text La refers to
(a) the moon that has changed from the constellation,
(b) the moon that has changed from the particles,
(c) the moon that has changed from the material,
(d) the moon that has changed from the prepositional phrase.
This perspective on the mutable nature of the moon is enough to send me.
In solfège, La represents the sixth note of a musical scale, such as the major scale where it follows Sol and precedes Ti.
And of course, in Romance languages, La is the major article, introducing the subject or object of a sentence, so it is everywhere.
In the yogic world, La is considered a bij mantra—a seed syllable. Within the seed is contained all the knowledge of the fully grown tree.
Differing from longer mantras, which carry layered meanings and narratives, Bij mantras are the elemental building blocks of sound and consciousness.
Because of their elemental nature, bij mantras can travel into the small, hidden spaces of the mind and nervous system, where rigidity and contraction live, and loosen them. Like a seed, the sounds plant themselves in the hidden spaces, grow roots, and then bloom into clarity and release.
One use of La in Kundalini yoga is to decalcify and reset the pineal gland. Chanting a rapid La at a high pitch clarifies the mind, generates greater radiance, and opens up the crown chakra.
Tribal women use this practice to welcome home their warriors. The sound not only lifts the spirits of the community, but by adjusting the pineal gland, it resets their biorhythms and biologically removes trauma, shifting the entire village from wartime back into a new rhythm.
Another practice of the La sound in Kundalini yoga is this simple heart opener.
One of my favorite practices, it instantly takes the mind from rumination and stress and puts the heart frequency back on top.
To practice:
Inhale, whistling: Ooooooh
Exhale, chanting: Laaaaaa
La had come to me naturally, spontaneously, and I knew its Kundalini applications.
However, in researching the sound a bit, I also found the usage of La in Tibetan medicine and astrology.
From this ancient healing and cosmological world, La points to the subtle force of vitality that circulates through body and mind, moving with the rhythms of the moon and stars.
When La is strong, our complexion glows, our sleep is deep, our memory is clear, our energy steady.
So lovely, is it not?
I love La because the sound has a quality of imagination. Think of the lifting freedom of “La La La La La La La”—a sound so light, so spontaneous, it could carry divinity and possibility on its wings.
La starts in the heart travels up through the throat and out of the lips and tongue, offering beauty, vitality, and star connection to the world.
Let us dwell a little in that space of both ephemeral whimsy and striking clarity today.
Practice options for experiencing La.
Try the extended, quick repetition "La La La La La La La" at a high pitch. Let the tongue flutter.
Try one (1) extended "Laaaaaa" at any pitch. Then try five (5) extended "Laaaaaa" sounds in a row.
Try the heart opener practice above.
And if you want a laugh, just say La-di-da.