Not true. I can roll thunder just like coldfire.
I can still do it whilst breathing through my nose, but the sound does fade a bit. I am also pretty sure my Adam’s apple doesn’t move either.
Okay, I’ve just tried to do it without using my tongue. It just requires different muscles.
Yeah, it’s possible. Please excuse my previous comments.
I still think it’s the depressurization/repressurization of the Eustachian tubes.
Here’s a tip. When you do it, put your fingers right below your ears, behind the earlobe, in the little dent.
Now, feel the very, very subtle movement of the muscle right under and to the front of your fingertip, on the curve of the dent.
I think those are the jaw muscles you are flexing to open and close your eustachian tubes.
Using your tongue just makes it easier.
–Tim
Your problem is well-known, its probably a form of “tinnitus” a/k/a “ringing in the ears.” The causes of tinnitus are not well known, and there are a variety of types of tinnitus. The most common form is a continual high-pitched tone, I have this form of tinnitus myself and its really annoying. Other people have different tones or intensities. There’s a “tinnitus FAQ” on the web, and a newsgroup alt.support.tinnitus (I think that’s the name, it has tinnitus in the name if you can’t find it).
That being said, there are some relatively benign forms of tinnitus that aren’t considered abnormal. Most people can hear the sound of blood going through their arteries, especially if they lie down with the side of their head against a pillow. It compresses the arteries or something, and you can hear a sound (some people describe it as a pulsing “roar”) that basically cycles in synchronization with your pulse. The arteries are close enough to the ear that the sound is conducted somehow through the soft tissues.
i can do the same thing as coldfire and tcburnett. i tried the thing with the fingers behind the ears and i do feel a slight movement. i haven’t a clue of what it is, but i’ve known about this roar in the ears for years. its good to know i’m not a freak of nature and that i can come out and say “yes, i hear strange noises!”
What you’re describing was well-known in ancient India where it was developed into an art form. Seriously. It’s called nada yoga, ‘the yoga of inner sound’.
In the commentaries on the classical yogic scriptures they list the many inner sounds you can meditate on: they are variously compared to the buzzing of bees, the ringing of bells, the sound of the m.rdanga drum, and lots of other sounds.
Kabir wrote a poem on advanced stages of meditation, where he mentioned
bina bâjâ jhankâra uThe jaham, samujhi parai jaba dhyâna dharai
“a jingling sound arises without playing on an instrument–
this is understood when one meditates…”
In another poem he said:
*anahada ghaNTa karte m.rdanga tana sukha lehi piyâra mem *
“Unstruck bells and drums are sounding. Take delight in the love within yourself.”
Yogis say the nada sounds arise from the heart cakra; its name in Sanskrit is anahata, meaning literally ‘unstruck’–a musical instrument that makes music without anyone playing upon it.
just checking in with the ear roar. i experience this mostly when i’m tired and i blink slowly. it also becomes pronounced when wide awake but tripping on any of the standard halucinogens. i can tell when a trip is kicking in by the onset of the ear noise when i blink. the blinking/earnoise combo lasts for the duration of the trip. not as annoying as it sounds - it’s really only obvious during a slow deliberate blink.