|
It took me some years to realise that the benefits
the OM chanting had in my body and mind where all applicable to mantra
chanting too. In fact, if we look closely at the Sanskrit wording of the
mantras we can observe that they are always composed of syllables with
long vowels and strong vibrant sounds, just like the OM is. I guess the
difference for me was that these words had a clear translation to
devotional prayers and thus I identified them completely with the nature
of religious practice. Furthermore, the constant repetition of each
mantra, the use of malas in Buddhism - like rosaries in Catholicism or
tasbihs in Islam- strongly reminded me of ritual and religious practices
I was not interested in.
However, during my TT course I came across the book
of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and I found a statement of Swami
Satchinanda in the introduction to the book that made me change my mind
and open myself to mantras chanting too. When Swami Satchinanda taught
Raja Yoga he often said "if there is something useful for you in my
words take it and make use of it. If there is anything that is not
useful, leave it". I then understood it was not a case of accepting
the whole package, but of being open to experiencing it, take what it's
useful to you, and just leave the rest aside. I directly related this to
my attitude towards mantras, the fact I did not profess a particular
devotion to a certain Buddhist deity when I chanted a mantra did not
imply I had to disregard all the other purposes and effects mantra
chanting offers to us. First of all, because the physical benefits and
mental effects are still there, the impact of singing in our moods and
the benefits of the inner vibrations of these syllables in our bodies is
even more obvious with mantra chanting than it is with the OM. And
second, and most importantly, because Yoga has such a broad and open
perspective of life that it is open to your interpretation. The words
behind each mantra may be directed to some deity we do not share
ourselves, but Patanjali expressed how this was open to our own
interpretation. Most of these prayers express desires that we all have -
protection, wisdom, inner peace...- but the deity to which you express
such desires is entirely your choice, it can be Nature in itself, the
God of your choice, an abstract entity you believe in, the Sun or even a
dimension of your own Self you want to develop to achieve such goals.
The point being, when we agree to sing mantras we are not betraying our
own religion or necessary professing a Buddhist religious devotion, but
enabling our body and mind to experience a different practice of which
we can profit whatever our convictions are. Yoga is open enough to
accept your own interpretation, so the question is if you are as open to
accept this too.
Ironically, the resemblances of mantras with praying
are in the origin of many late studies on the vibrational science of
mantra. In all religions we can find both the practice of a repetitive
prayer and of group singing, and scientific researches have shown that a
spiritual uplift isn't the only outcome. Scientists recently discovered
that mantra and rosary recitation have possible physiological benefits
for the heart. Reciting either Sanskrit mantras or the Ave Maria prayer
regulated the breath and synchronized the heart rhythms of 23
participants in a study conducted by Italian researchers. The research
team speculated this happened because prayer and mantra slow the breath
rate to an optimal six breaths per minute. Both the Buddhist mantra Om
mane padme hum and the Ave Maria prayer were used in the study and are
generally recited in a single 10-second breath cycle, corresponding to
six breaths per minute. In contrast, the average person's breath rate is
16 to 20 breaths per minute, according to Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., a cardiac
surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital and the director of the Heart
Institute at Columbia University, who has pioneered the use of
complementary therapies for cardiac patients. "When your internal
metronome slows, you get a variety of beneficial effects," he says, "and
you also lessen the risk of catastrophic events like heart attacks and
strokes." In a similar way, Dr.Alfred Tomatis used the sounds of
Gregorian monks chanting to stimulate the brain and nervous systems of
patients, and his work is vital in regard to the medical uses of sound
an chant, as he found that sounds particularly high in vocal harmonics
would stimulate and charge the cortex of the brain and nervous system.
In fact, many other types of chanting from different traditions have
very similar effects.
Therefore, the effects of mantra chanting or prayer
recitation are very similar to the ones stated for the OM chant: vocal
recitations engage the breath rhythms that, in turn, influence the heart
rhythms via the central nervous system. Smoothing and lengthening
breathing regulates heart rhythms, oxygenates the blood, and induces a
feeling of calm and well being. Jonathan Goldman, author of the book
Healing Sounds and master teacher in sound healing who has worked
along masters of sound from both the scientific and spiritual domains,
further states that "self-created sounds such as chanting will cause
the left and right hemispheres of the brain to synchronize (...) Since
sound can potentially rearrange molecular structure, the possible
healing applications of sound are limitless". Indeed, as he develops
in an interview to Integral Yoga Magazine, the works of Masuru Moto and
Fabien Maman - a French acupuncturist and sound healer- have clearly
demonstrated that cellular structure and energy are affected by sound.
The first of them took photographs of water molecules and subjected them
to different sounds, and the latter one took Kirlian photographs of
haemoglobin cells that were exposed to different sounds, all these water
molecules and cells showed a different shape depending on the sound they
were subjected too.
The element of repetition in prayers and mantra may
seem, still, a ritual aspect we associate with devotion and
brainwashing. Yet, it is vital in the creation of a steady breathing
pace and furthermore in the calming effect of our minds. Our psyche
loves repetition, how many times have we surprised ourselves singing a
publicity jingle or a catchy song refrain and realising we are not
capable of making our minds stop thinking of it? Mantra chanting just
profits from this tendency towards repetition to centre our flow of
thought only in those vibrating sounds, creating a sort of void in our
minds when this sound finally stops. This is specially obvious when we
introduce mantra chanting as a meditation practice; in my personal
experience, I have never been as close to keep my mind blank for a
sustained amount of time - and still, hardly a minute- as after mantra
repetition.
In what refers to the group chanting, the same
applies. There are so many examples in our daily life supporting the
fact that singing along with other people feels even better than singing
alone, that if we choose to associate it just with cult brainwashing is
a reflection of our blinkered attitude. Group singing is part of every
culture and tradition, religious or not, when we attend concerts and all
the public sings together we know it feels different, it feels better;
not to mention how we can hardly keep ourselves from joining someone
who's singing a tune we know. That group singing feels good is a
conclusion we can easily draw from our own experience, and if we accept
that sound affects molecules and cells, and that inner vibrations
affects our body, an increase in these vibrations, taking place both
inside and outside our bodies as a result of a group of voices emitting
simultaneously the same vibrant sounds, must undoubtedly feel more
powerful. This can be understood without reading any book or scientific
explanation to support it. And still, there is one. Jonathan Goldman
states how recently it has been found that "when se sound together in
a group, there's the release of oxytocin, a neurotranmitter in the brain
that transmits bonding and trust. So, chanting together breaks down
barriers that separate us. (...) I believe that group chanting can
effect planetary healing. The Yoga of sound is universal. The concept of
mantra, of sacred chants, is in every faith tradition. Sri Swami
Satchidananda understood this, and he honoured all traditions".
Indeed, as we have stated before, it is your choice to use the Yoga of
sound in your own believes, it is not restrained to the Buddhist
perspective unless you want it to.
I can not overstress the positive effects mantra
chanting has had in my Yoga practice, helping me to achieve above all,
the most difficult: calming down my restless mind. I can no longer
conceive my meditation practice without mantras, it is such a powerful
tool when we are aware of its numerous effects, we can not allow
ourselves to dismiss it entirely just based upon prejudices and
preconceived ideas. It is therefore essential to preview, as a Yoga
teacher, a cautious approach in their introduction to new practitioners
in order to keep their minds open to such practice, letting them learn
first the scientific explanations behind the benefits of mantra
chanting, and when they are willing to accept its benefits practising
them with an open mind, the rest will come on its own over time, just
through personal observance. I believe part of our job as teachers is to
unveil the power of mantras by encouraging self-appreciation of their
effects in our bodies and minds, enabling the students to experience
freely the feelings and changes in perception that result from mantra
chanting, discovering it by themselves, inside themselves. After all,
even the most stubbornness and unyielding person would agree that music
is one of the most powerful emotional triggers we know of. And
acknowledging this is already the first step, as it is precisely in this
essence of music and sounds as emotional enhancers in which the
immeasurable power of mantras will ground and progressively build upon.
If we open the door, they will come in.
|