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You are here: Home / Other Health Topics / Ayurvedic Health / Mantra: The Power of a Word

Mantra: The Power of a Word

by John Douillard on July 22, 2017 | 4 Comments

New research has shed new light on how the silent repeating of a word – any word – can have profound physiological benefits.

In a 2015 study in the Brain and Behavior journal, the silent repetition of the non-descript word “one” was found to globally calm all parts of the brain in 23 volunteers who had never meditated before.

In addition to reducing cortical brain activity across the brain, there was an enhanced reduction in activity in the part of the brain called the “default mode network” which is responsible for self-judgement. (1,2)

While this research helps explain some of the benefits of prayer and meditation, which typically employed the silent repetition of a word or series of words used for thousands of years around the world, it highlights the beneficial use of a single word or mantra.lifespa-image-mantra-words-written-on-popsicle-sticks

The Origins of Mantra

The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit root words, man and tra. The word “man” means mind and “tra” means tool, thus giving the word “mantra” the definition of mind tool or mental instrument.

The earliest use of mantra appeared some 3500 years ago in the form of chanting extensive prayers or hymns.

Over time, the use of a mantra (or single word) evolved as a sit-down meditative technique to calm the mind, enhance self-awareness and develop one’s mental, physical and spiritual potential.

Mantra meditation has been shown to produce powerful physiological changes such as lowered cortisol levels, enhanced endurance, reduced perceived intensity of a workout, improved concentration, mood stabilization, the lengthening of telomeres which is linked to longevity and much more. (1-6)

>>> Learn how to meditate here

The Vedic tradition employed bards or pundits who preserved the historical record by memorizing and reciting the Vedic hymns long before they were first written as one of the oldest written texts, the Rigveda – an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns.

Today, most spiritual traditions still sing, chant and choir regularly, which studies now show has a profound effect on quieting or emptying the mind. (1,2) When the cortical activity of the brain silences, we enter into a non-thinking state.

In this state, when the mind is not focusing on any one thing, the mantra, hymn, chant or prayer allows the mind to be aware of everything without the distraction of thinking which, of course, requires stimulated brain activity.

All of us have had a glimpse of this when we sing our favorite song. We are not thinking the words of the song – they just come. The words come effortlessly, without thinking, and often the thoughts never come… only the words and the content feeling.

lifespa-image-mantra-meditation-gold-and-black-graphic

The Eye of The Hurricane

Two of my favorite Vedic sayings help us understand this effect. The first, “Do less and accomplish more” and the second, “Do nothing and accomplish everything.”

To explain these, let’s use the analogy of a hurricane, where powerful winds spin around a silent center. The winds represent the stress in our lives, and the eye represents a mind in meditation or prayer.

Most of use tend to live in the winds of the hurricane, navigating daily stressors, and dodging major obstacles in the winds of the storm. As we begin to train the brain to become still using mind tools like mantra, chanting or prayer, cortical brain activity quiets down and we naturally bring the calm into activity – allowing us to do less and accomplish more.

In a sense, the more we train the mind to be still, we create a bigger eye of the storm. The bigger the eye, the more powerful the winds and the more productive we can be with less stress.

In time, instead of simply bringing the calm into action and doing less and accomplishing more, we begin to function from the calm, non-thinking mind place within the eye of the storm, where we can begin to do nothing and accomplish everything. In this state, the reference point for action is from the eye – the calm – not from the winds or the stress.

Establishing yourself in this meditative, calm state allows the opportunity to perform action. But from here, you are not experiencing yourself as the “doer” of your actions. From the eye, you get to watch or witness all of your actions and accomplishments – sometimes in slow motion, while you sit quietly and accomplish almost anything you choose!

lifespa image, colorful water drop, ripples, intention

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The Power of Intention

Hailing from the eye of the storm allows us, in time, to do nothing and accomplish everything. In nature, this effect may be best demonstrated by the sun, which sits silently appearing to do nothing, yet accomplishing everything.

The notion of this effect captivated me many years ago and was the motivation for writing my first book, Body, Mind and Sport, where we did brain wave research aiming to reproduce this effect, known to athletes as the “runner’s high.”

The ability to “do nothing and accomplish everything” may have been best described by Roger Bannister, who was the first man to break the 4-minute mile. After his record-breaking run, he said, “I felt no pain or strain, I felt like I was going slow, the world seemed to be standing still, as if the world did not exist,” yet he was running faster than any man alive!

It is safe to say that his experience was one of doing nothing and accomplishing everything! For the rest of us mortals, it is a work in progress…

Make sure you enjoy the journey!

Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP is the author of seven health books (including bestselling Eat Wheat and The 3-Season Diet), seven online courses (including new Yoga Journal course Ayurveda 201 on Ayurvedic Psychology), and numerous free eBooks. He is a former NBA nutritionist and creator of LifeSpa.com—with thousands of free articles, resources, and videos. LifeSpa is a leading wellness resource, with nine million+ YouTube views and over 130k newsletter subscribers.

References

  1. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/brb3.346/full
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3935386/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3057175/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4471247/
  5. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/americanbuddhist/2014/01/the-effectiveness-of-meditation-a-meta-analysis.html
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3482773/

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Categories: Ayurvedic Health, Meditation Tagged: meditation

Comments

  1. Brenda says

    November 19, 2017 at 4:05 pm

    I heard about this many years ago and somehow forgot all about it. I shall be making this a regular habit from now on. Thank you so much for the reminder and for all the other great advice you give us all. You are like a breath of fresh air!

    Reply
    • LifeSpa Staff says

      December 6, 2017 at 4:22 pm

      Hi Brenda,
      Perhaps now is the right time for you to start Mantra. Thanks for sharing a piece of your journey!
      Be Well

      Reply
  2. Deyanira says

    July 24, 2017 at 9:01 pm

    This is amazing! I actually have always had a hard time with calming my mind. I can never get it to “shut up”. I tried everything…. pills, subliminals, herbs, accupuncture, stress reduction therapies, but my brain still would not quiet down, especially before sleep. I could lie in bed for hours trying to get my brain to stop thinking. I tried this “one” mantra tonight and I felt myself truly relax like never before. There was this incredible silence between each word, between each breath. I can’t wait to go to bed now and try it as I fall asleep. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do. You have changed my life with your advice, and I haven’t even tried the detox yet. Next on my list. Again, thanks.

    Reply
  3. Guna Sagara says

    July 23, 2017 at 8:17 am

    Spot on! ~
    Guna Sāgara, RYT 200, MSN

    Reply

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