The practice of Nada Yoga: Baird Hersey

Baird Hersey traveled from New York City to India to study yoga, and I was fortunate to find his book during a recent visit to Rishikesh. A long-time practitioner of Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga under the lineage of Shri Pattabhi Jois, Hersey writes from a place of deep personal experience. He has collaborated with figures like Krishna Das to explore the profound correlation between sound, light, and the yogic kriyas that bridge them. I loved how he fuses Western jazz, yoga, Buddhist chants, and broader spirituality, merging them toward the singular goal of deepening one’s meditative journey.

My interest was piqued because I have always felt a connection between music, kirtan, art, and yoga. The highlight of this book is its sincerity; it is a genuine offering born from Baird’s own transformation. It allows the reader to connect with a seeker who is successfully translating theoretical wisdom into practical know-how. The book serves as an authentic tribute to his teachers and the sacred knowledge found in Indian scriptures.

When you are true to your music or art, things eventually become more abstract and begin to converge at a singular focal point. Hersey explores how focusing on sound can eventually lead us toward light during deep meditation. When sound and light combine into a single energy—achieving a union between the self and the universe—enlightenment occurs.

Ultimately, sound and light are all vibrations, at a core level become one. We all resonate at a specific frequency; through consistent practice, we can begin to hear our own inner sound. And not only that, with discipline, we can also train ourselves to harmonize with a particular external universe sound. By combining these inner and outer sounds into one, we reach a state of union. This is also what some would call the true purpose of yoga: meditation on the inner sacred sound.