The A-On Voice Method: the sound “A”
The A-On Voice Method at HLC Zuigen begins with one simple sound, “A”, spoken in your own voice. You can try it at home for free. Sessions with certified practitioners will be available after the school opens.
In Shingon Buddhism, “A” is regarded as the sound from which all sounds begin. Many people know it simply as the first, most open sound a voice can make.
In the 1980s, my teacher and father, the late Master Yukou Ueda, head priest of a Kōyasan Shingon temple, would sound a long “A” as a quiet gesture of care for the people around him. I grew up with that sound, and over many years I shaped it into a practice and wrote the guidance we use today.
There is one change I made along the way that matters a great deal to me. In this practice, the voice that resonates in your body is your own. No one else’s voice is set above yours. The guidance simply helps you find your way back to a sound you already have.
In one line: instead of counting your breath, you let your own voice set the pace of a slow exhale.
Slow-exhale breathing already has many methods and a good deal of research. The A-On Voice Method is one more member of that family. We do not claim to have invented a new kind of breathing.
No study has examined the A-On Voice Method itself. Whether it brings the same changes as other breathing practices, and what the resonance of the voice adds, are still open research questions. It does not promise treatment or improvement of any condition, and we do not claim it is better than other methods. We keep what is known and what is not yet known apart.
Both use the same idea: sounding “A” in your own voice and noticing how it resonates through your body. The difference is how deeply, and with whom.
Sit or lie down, sound a gentle “A”, and feel the resonance in your chest, throat, and face while you breathe slowly. No equipment is needed.
In a session, a device turns your own “A” into vibration and brings it to you through your back. You hear your voice with your ears and feel its resonance at the same time. A practitioner stays with you throughout. If you have an implanted medical device or are pregnant, please check with us in advance, as the device calls for extra care.
This is the free practice you can try at home. There is no right or wrong way to sound, and nothing to achieve. Simply notice what you feel.
Sit comfortably or lie on your back. Let your shoulders drop, and close your eyes if you like.
Breathe in through your nose, then let the air out slowly. Take a few breaths like this.
On an out-breath, let a soft “Aaa” come out for as long as feels comfortable, at whatever pitch feels easy.
Notice where you feel the sound: your chest, throat, face, or head. Place a hand there if it helps.
After a few rounds, stop sounding the “A” and simply rest for a minute or two before you get up.
In a session, a device turns your own “A” into vibration and brings it to you from your back, so you hear your voice and feel its resonance at the same time.
You lie down and sound “A”. You hear your own voice with your ears.
A device turns your voice into vibration. We check that the strength feels comfortable, and go step by step.
The vibration reaches you between your shoulder blades and at your sacrum. You hear your voice and feel its resonance together. This is a different experience from the self-care practice, which uses no device.
The practitioner does not send anything into you. Their role is to hold a safe space, so that you can relax and simply feel.
Sound and resonance can sometimes stir up feelings or old memories. If that happens, you are not alone with it. The practitioner will help you pause, feel grounded again, and continue only if you want to.
What matters most in the A-On Voice Method is what you feel. People who have tried it have told us things like this.
Some people feel a lot, and some simply enjoy a quiet moment. Neither is more right than the other. These feelings cannot be measured, but they are real experiences for the person who has them. We treat them with respect, neither dismissing nor overstating them.
These are personal impressions. Everyone’s experience is different.
The A-On Voice Method draws on a spiritual tradition, and it also touches areas that scientists study. We want to be clear about which is which.
The A-On Voice Method has not been studied in clinical trials of its own, and we do not claim that it treats or cures anything.
The research areas below are shared here to help you understand the elements of the practice. They are not evidence that the A-On Voice Method itself has a medical effect.
We hear our own voice partly through the bones of the head, not only through the air. This is part of why your voice feels different from the inside.
Sounding a long tone naturally lengthens the out-breath. Slow breathing is widely studied in relation to relaxation.
The meaning of “A” comes from Shingon Buddhism and the teachings of Kūkai. We share it as tradition and symbol, not as scientific fact.
No. It is not a religious activity or a Shingon practice. It is an original relaxation practice that has the Shingon idea of “A” as one part of its historical background. You can keep your own beliefs exactly as they are.
No. It is a relaxation practice and cannot replace diagnosis or treatment. If you are under medical care or taking medication, please continue your treatment and add this only within what your doctor allows.
The A-On Voice Method itself has not been studied. Research on slow breathing and voice is shared as background, not as proof. Some people tell us they felt calmer or sleepy; feelings differ from person to person, and you do not need to feel anything in particular.
It is one of the slow-exhale practices. The differences are that your voice sets the pace instead of counting, and that you hear and feel your own voice. We do not say it is better than other methods.
No. Let the sound end naturally and breathe in before it becomes hard.
Please skip it if you have a fever, have been drinking alcohol, have taken a medicine that makes you sleepy, or have an inflammation. If you are under treatment or have epilepsy, please ask your doctor first. If you feel dizzy, short of breath, or in pain, stop and rest.
You do not need a good voice. Begin with a voice and breath that feel easy to you.
The home practice is free and needs no equipment. Practitioner sessions will become available once practitioners have completed the school and been certified.
See the stepsLearn the theory and practice behind the A-On Voice Method, including how to hold a safe space for others. Those who complete the course receive a certificate and can offer sessions as a Certified Practitioner.
About the school (coming soon)