I have to admit that I was a little intimidated at first when Swamiji asked me to take on Sound Editing. I think that is how most of us respond to new things! But, I knew that I absolutely love listening to her teachings and that I have been wanting to learn more Sanskrit. I also knew that I’d be able to hear things over and over and over again…….which brought me the hope that I would maybe solidify and embody the teachings.
For a long time, I’ve had the goal to improve my listening skills, my focus on sound, words and content. I have to say that after just a week of doing the sound editing, I’m already noticing many changes in my everyday interactions. It’s calmed my mind quite a bit. Instead of having other thoughts spinning around in my head, I’m noticing that after doing a few hours of sound editing that the verses are spinning around and around. It’s such a nice change of thought!
In sound editing, I listen, look for and remove throat clearing, lip smacking, sneezing, coughing and other noises in the background. We use a program on the computer that shows the sound waves as time progresses. It is so neat to see what sounds look like! I’m also listening for redundancy. So, not only am I focusing on sounds, but I’m listening to the content. Swamiji has recording down to a pure science, which is a relief – I’m so grateful that she knows how to express and enunciate the teachings clearly.
When I sit to do the sound editing, I wrap my meditation shawl around my shoulders, settle into my seat, and if it is a Guru Gita verse, I open up my chanting book to the right page. Each time I do edits, it gets easier and faster, just like anything that one does over and over. I am not intimidated at all anymore….in fact, all of the verses are working their magic on me. For that, I am so grateful.
Svaroopa Vidya Ashram 