In the context of Laya Yoga, the “inner sound” is generally understood as nāda, especially the anāhata nāda, the “unstruck” or self-arising sound perceived inwardly when attention is withdrawn from the external senses. This subtle vibration is not produced by any external contact; it is heard in deep concentration as a spontaneous inner resonance. Traditional descriptions speak of a progression of sounds—such as bell, conch, drum, flute, vīṇā, cymbals, thunder, or a buzzing tone—moving from grosser to increasingly subtle manifestations. These sounds are approached through pratyāhāra, the deliberate turning of the senses inward, and are treated as a bridge between vital energy and mind. Absorption in nāda gradually quiets mental activity, allowing consciousness to rest in a more primordial stillness, with the sacred syllable Oṁ regarded as the culminating, most refined expression of this inner sound current.

The energy centers engaged in this process are the cakras, subtle loci of awareness aligned along the suṣumnā nāḍī, the central channel of the subtle body. The principal cakras named in this tradition are Mūlādhāra at the base of the spine, Svādhiṣṭhāna in the region below the navel or genitals, Maṇipūra at the navel or solar plexus, Anāhata at the heart, Viśuddha at the throat, Ājñā between the eyebrows, and Sahasrāra at the crown of the head. These centers are often approached sequentially, with particular emphasis on Anāhata as a key locus for the experience of the unstruck sound. Closely related to these cakras are the nāḍīs, especially suṣumnā as the main pathway of ascent, supported by the harmonization of Iḍā and Piṅgalā, the lunar and solar channels. Within this subtle geography, points such as Bindu at the back of the head and certain marma points are also regarded as places where inner sound and energy are especially concentrated.

Within Laya Yoga, these inner sounds and centers are not treated as mere metaphysical curiosities but as practical supports for the dissolution (laya) of the mind into its source. Attention is steadily anchored in the cakras along suṣumnā while attuning to nāda, allowing the usual outward-going tendencies of mind to be gathered and refined. As awareness becomes more stable in these inner vibrations and loci, gross mental modifications subside, and consciousness is drawn into subtler and subtler levels of experience. Ultimately, this contemplative absorption in nāda and the energy centers is said to culminate in a state where the mind is absorbed into pure consciousness, beyond the play of sound and form, even while these remain its skillful means.