The Science Behind Mantra Chanting
Excerpt of an Interview with Jonathan Goldman
by Vandana Mohata
1) What’s the science behind Mantra chanting?
There are a selection of various “sciences” behind mantric chanting. A few of these are the “exhausting” science—physics, psycho-acoustics, and so on. A few of these are non secular sciences such because the totally different yogic practices that work with sound. I write about lots of them in HEALING SOUNDS and my different books.
On one stage, as noticed years in the past by Dr. Herbert Benson, mantric chanting helps induce the “leisure” response, inflicting discount of coronary heart beat, mind waves and respiration. On one other stage, as Dr. David Shananoff-Khalsa believes, mantric recitation permits the tongue to stimulate the acupuncture meridians contained in the mouth (notably on the roof), thus enhancing the impact. Dr. Ranjie Singe discovered that the chanting of particular mantras induced the discharge of the hormone melatonin and is investigating the significance of this within the therapeutic course of. He additionally discovered many advantages together with shrinkage of tumors and enhanced sleep. He writes about these leads to his e-book POWERFUL SELF HEALING TECHNIQUES.
It’s additionally been discovered that self created sounds corresponding to chanting will trigger the left and proper hemispheres of the mind to synchronize. Such chanting may also assist oxygenate the mind, cut back our coronary heart price, blood strain and help in creating calm brainwave exercise. As well as, listening to sure chants has nice useful results.
Dr. Alfred Tomatis utilized the sounds of Gregorian Monks to stimulate the ears, mind and nervous methods of purchasers. His work is essential with regard to the scientific and medical makes use of of sound and chant. He discovered that sure sounds which might be notably excessive in vocal harmonics will stimulate and cost the cortex of the mind and the nervous system. There have been a lot of highly regarded recordings of Gregorian chanting that been launched since this analysis was made public. I do know that many different sorts of chanting from totally different traditions have very comparable results. These are just some of the exhausting bodily phenomenon of mantric chanting which have been noticed. There definitely are others, as nicely.
Some consider that the recitation of sacred mantras truly causes the bodily and etheric our bodies to alter their vibrational frequency stage—changing into extra attuned, in case you like, with divine vitality. Thus, when one chants a mantra for an prolonged time period to invoke, for instance some deity, the upper energies of that deity will encode upon the chanter. That is one goal for a lot mantric chanting—to develop into one and unite with the vitality of the deity that one is chanting for. If the individual has some illness or imbalance, this imbalance can often be launched by having the vitality of the deity encode itself upon the individual. This truly comes from the idea of vibrational (versus allopathic) medication, which is the premise of many therapeutic modalities, together with homeopathy and acupuncture—that each one the universe together with our our bodies, is solely fabricated from vibration—an idea, by the way, that the brand new Superstring principle of physics helps. Every part is in a state of vibration and after we are in a pure, resonant vibration, we’re in a state of well being. But when some a part of the physique begins to vibrate at a counter frequency, the vitality turns into caught and illness units in. Due to this fact, by mantric chanting, one may cause caught vitality to develop into launched, and we are able to return to our pure state of resonance, effecting a treatment.
I’ve, by the way, noticed this phenomenon many occasions throughout workshops. We will likely be reciting a mantra to invoke a selected entity—maybe Tara, Tibetan Goddess of Compassion for instance, to be able to higher embody the vitality of compassion. Nonetheless, throughout and after the method, I’ve seen folks with continual well being issues emerge from the chanting fairly wholesome. It’s wonderful.
There are after all, precise therapeutic mantras in addition to particular mantras to steadiness and align the chakras. Chakras are the energetic wheels of sunshine that transduce delicate vitality into the physique. They arrive from the Hindu custom, however as famous in my e-book HEALING SOUNDS, comparable vitality facilities are present in nearly all the esoteric traditions on the planet. I’ve studied using sound to impact the chakras for over 40 years. Mantras are notably efficient for this goal. The normal Bija Mantras are one instance of a system for utilizing sound to activate and steadiness the energies related to the 7 foremost chakras. We work with these tones in workshops and healings have been recognized to happen because of the balancing and alignment of the chakras. Psychic and mystics from all totally different non secular paths can sense, see, really feel or hear these vitality facilities. We could not but have scientific tools that may adequately detect the chakras, however that doesn’t imply they don’t exist. Nonetheless, intriguing work is being performed to develop tools to measure chakras, so maybe it’s only a matter of time earlier than the scientific and medical communities will acknowledge them, as they’re starting to acknowledge acupuncture meridians.
2) Are you able to inform us something in regards to the historical past and origin of chanting and hint it to the current stage-what is the extent of consciousness of chanting & sound therapeutic in current day & age?
This is a wonderful query, however one which actually requires a e-book size reply to cowl all of the elements inherent on this query. I’ll do my finest to aim to a brief reply. Merely put, I’ll inform you that there’s nearly no custom, no tradition, which doesn’t embody chanting of some kind as a non secular and well being follow. The recitation of prayers is discovered worldwide and has been with us for the reason that daybreak of humankind. Within the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Islamic and Hebrew traditions, you may have some form of chanting of prayer or recitation of a Divine identify. Whether or not it’s a shamanic or pagan custom, you should have some side of chanting that could possibly be thought of mantric chanting of their rituals and prayers. Generally these chants are used to invoke Divine entities. Different occasions they’re used for therapeutic or to ask for some benevolent course of like bringing rain. With regard to current day and age, we’re seeing extra curiosity, consciousness and use of chanting for well being and wellness. A few of it’s based mostly upon the conclusion by 2lst century those that there truly is one thing greater than pure “superstition” occurring throughout chanting—that there are precise physiological adjustments occurring. Our nervous system, for instance, is being affected by our personal self created sounds. And thru this many extraordinary shifts and adjustments within the physique and thoughts can occur. Additionally, many individuals understand that utilizing chanting creates a way to straight entry increased states of consciousness. The flexibility of sound to create altered consciousness is extraordinarily highly effective and vital to people who find themselves searching for extra which means out of their lives.
3) Can the ability of sound alter mobile construction and molecular structure- the DNA encoding and so on? Any documented proof? Any current scientific analysis on the above?
There isn’t any query that sound can alter molecular construction. Within the 1960’s, a medical physician named Hans Jenny performed experiments that confirmed that sound was capable of truly create kind in numerous substances corresponding to plastics, plastes, liquids and water. He would place these substances—powders, and so on. on a metal plate after which utilizing a crystal oscillator, vibrate these plates with sound. The assorted substances took on probably the most natural trying shapes—they appear to be microscopic organisms or underwater life. Fairly astounding. He referred to as this work Cymatics.
Masuru Emoto of Japan demonstrated that water molecules are literally affected by sound and our intention. Intention, by the way, is our ideas, our emotions—it’s the vitality behind the sounds that we create. I’ll speak about this later. Emoto discovered that clear water seemed like a snowflake—very geometric. Polluted water appears like mud. Emoto has pictures of polluted water, which at first appear to be mud. After a priest has chanted over this water, it’s photographed once more. This time, the water appears like a snowflake—the sound and intentionality has restored it to its pure pristine harmonious form.
Emoto photographs of water earlier than and after chanting
On a associated observe, the French acupuncturist and sound healer Fabian Maman has performed work involving Kirlian images of hemoglobin blood cells that had been uncovered to totally different sounds. Specifically, he took pictures of blood cells uncovered to an ascending chromatic scale—C, C#, D, and so on created on a xylophone. Every observe effected the cell otherwise, creating a distinct form and totally different Kirlian coloration. Fabian’s experiments reveal clearly that mobile construction and vitality are affected by sound. His photographs are fairly extraordinary!
4) Whereas chanting, what’s the function of intention on the human physique? I did see the impact of intention within the works of Japanese researcher Mr. Masaru Emoto on have an effect on the molecular construction of water, however we wish to know the know the impact on human physique?
A few years in the past, after I was gathering info for a grasp’s thesis on the therapeutic and therapeutic properties of sound, along with specializing in using sound to have an effect on the chakras, I additionally checked out using sound to have an effect on totally different organs, in addition to totally different situations. What I discovered was that there have been many various faculties of sound therapeutic based mostly upon totally different academics and totally different traditions. These totally different faculties would possibly use the identical mantra to resonate totally different chakras—with nice success. Or they may use totally different mantras to resonate the identical chakra. Om, for instance, might resonate the center chakra, or it might resonate the throat chakra, or the third eye or crown or no matter. It depended upon the trail and the trainer.
I keep in mind sitting at my desk being fairly confused. How might this all work? I distinctly heard a voice saying “It isn’t solely the sound that creates the impact of the sound, but additionally the intention of the individual making the sound.” All of the sudden, every thing made sense and was clear. I understood. Sure, the intention—the vitality behind the sound was an equal a part of the impact of the sound. This vitality of intent was carried upon the sound wave and was truly was equally accountable for the impact of the sound. It was a serious “aha” second, and I instantly wrote down the method “Frequency + Intent = Therapeutic.” For many individuals, this has been a form of unified principle of sound therapeutic as a result of it is ready to deliver collectively the variations in many various faculties and many various beliefs.
I additionally created the method, “Vocalization + Visualization = Manifestation”, which may be very comparable and is especially related with regard to chanting and mantras. Because of this the visualization of the chanter coupled with or mantra the sound being chanted creates the impact. For instance, If you’re chanting for a selected deity, it helps to have the ability to visualize that deity so as the invoke and embody the impact. Truly, some individuals are not nice a visualizing, so if they will merely “really feel” the vitality of the mantra, it really works simply as nicely. If in case you have bother visualizing Tara, however you possibly can really feel the vitality of compassion if you are chanting the Tara mantra, it should actually assist and help the manifestation of compassion. The identical factor is true if you end up making sounds to resonate the chakras. It’s good to have the ability to direct your consideration and intention if you end up making an attempt to resonate a specific chakra with sound. It is a main key to working with sound—to make use of the ability of consciousness to focus our consideration and intention on what the sound is doing.
5) Is mantra chanting and sound therapeutic the following frontier in science, enjoying a major function in therapeutic, eradicating the necessity for allopathic remedy?
I’d prefer to recommend that till all of us transfer into one other dimension of consciousness the place ideas immediately create actuality, there’ll all the time be some want for allopathic remedy. And coming from a household of allopathic physicians, I actually need to honor allopathic medication. I feel that we should always understand of all vibrational medical remedies, whether or not it’s sound or no matter, as being complementary with allopathic medication. I feel that is actually vital as a result of then the totally different modalities can work collectively, versus being adversarial—an “us and them” mentality. Relatively than “different” medication , let’s use the phrase “complementary” and resonate with one another. Cooperation, not competitors—I feel that’s an actual key to our continuation and evolution as a species within the upcoming years.
6) There appear to be many various faculty of ideas on chanting? Which is the best for well being and therapeutic?
I consider that whichever system or faculty of chanting works for you is the most effective. . Keep in mind, “Frequency plus Intent equals Therapeutic,” so if one thing resonates strongly with you, it most likely will likely be simplest for you. If it doesn’t really feel good or correct for you, it most likely gained’t be that efficient. Some folks can work with a mantra containing hundred syllable —others can work solely with a mantra with one or two syllables. Maybe they merely can’t keep in mind extra syllables. No matter—but, extra just isn’t essentially higher. And fewer just isn’t essentially higher. It relies upon upon the individual. And the time and place and want of the person. And in addition do not forget that we’re all distinctive vibratory beings, in order that what works for one individual could not work for an additional individual. And we’re all in a continuing state of frequency shifting, in order that one thing that will not work at some point (or week, month or 12 months), could immediately resonate very otherwise with you at one other time. Belief your inside knowledge and steering. And consider and perceive that sound has the flexibility to create profound and fantastic adjustments.
I’m going to depart you with a narrative that I first heard from Dr. Randall McClellan, writer of HEALING FORCES OF MUSIC. I consider it’s very outdated, however I prefer to credit score Dr. McClellan, who was an amazing affect on me a few years in the past. I feel this story illustrates one thing vital about sound, and notably about mantras.
In an unique nation, there was a person who had a musical instrument that he would play all day lengthy. The instrument had many various strings, however all he would do was pluck one string—the identical string and identical observe again and again and once more. At some point his spouse mentioned to him “Pricey—you may have this glorious instrument and also you sit and play all of it day lengthy, however all you do is hit this one string again and again and once more. The instrument has many various strings. All your folks have this identical instrument and so they play all of the totally different strings, making many various notes and creating fantastic melodies and songs. All you do, hour after hour, day after day, is play that very same string and that very same observe again and again and once more. Why is that?” His spouse was clearly very exasperated and confused. The person checked out his spouse and gently smiled. “My pricey spouse who I like past all measure,” he mentioned, “thanks for bringing that to my consideration. And now right here is the reply. That’s as a result of they’re all nonetheless looking for their observe, whereas I’ve discovered mine.”
Might all of us discover our personal sound. And will we use this sound to help private and planetary therapeutic.
I ship Blessings of Mild & Love by way of Sound to all!
