From ages ago the ancient practices passed down by our ancestors were never explained quite well to the curiosity of the millenials and Generation Z. But now, this will bring into light the science behind some practices, the myths and why it was no...
"Take a deep breath in, hold for two seconds and slowly release saying Om"
Has anyone heard this? Has anyone tried meditating with an Om chant? Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is why Om? Why not some other word? That is because Indians were pretty brilliant people and knew the sound that makes our body resonate with the universe.
Let's dig into the roots of Om. Om means Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscience . One of the most popular misconception about "OM" is that it is religious symbol. On the contrary, it is the most universal and spiritual feeling that neither refers to any particular religion nor any God.
To be precise, it's not Om, it's AUM. Three syllables. Say Aum fast and repeatedly, you hear Om sound. But when you say it gradually, it's AUM. The AUM sound encompasses the speech, mind and breath. It encompasses the female, male and the neutral gender. It refers to the past, present and future.
A- This sound vibrates in your stomach and chest region.
U- It vibrates your throat
M- It vibrates your nasal cavity,skull and brain.
So by chanting Aum, we move the energy from abdomen to brain, making our mind calm and receptive.
According to the Big Bang theory, Om or AUM is a cosmic sound that initiated the creation of Universe. Here is the video where you can listen to the cosmic sounds. The frequncies overlap making it difficult to differentiate three seperate syllables of AUM. (The video is above)
Mantras are syllables that exert an influence or effect through sound vibrations that resonate on specific parts of our body. By chanting AUM, we adress the divinity in us and when we perceive or hear our own voice, we are brought to a state of complete focus and we notice our own presence, breath, our existence.
Ainhoa Acosta says " We are closer to perceiving our true self and our true nature when we chant AUM. We are never seperate from the sound, even if you can't speak or hear. We feel it as a physical vibration throughout our body."
Autonomic and respiratory studies suggest that there is a combination of mental alertness with physiological rest during the practice of AUM meditation
The chanting of AUM is a constant effort of our body and mind aligning with the universe. As most science students are aware, our body usually tends to move towards equilibrium with the universe though one practically cannot be in equilibrium due to our physical limitation (the body). But just because we cannot attain hundred percent equilibrium doesn't mean that we stop trying. The more we tend to move towards oneness with the universe, the more we realise our true self and identity. The more we tend towards oneness, the more we attain EKAGRATHE or concentration.
Here is a representation of the spectral analysis of the Om Chanting.
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The below two paragraphs are from a paper by Dr Rajeshwar Singh based on an research paper written by Ajay Anil Gurjar and Siddharth A Ladhake. The link to their paper is given in the end.
One of the most popular claims made by Yogis was that chanting Om mantra improves our concentration, gives peace and steadiness to our mind, reduces mental stress and clears all worldly thoughts. Although those who practice it regularly would have experienced it first hand and affirm the same, scientists were curious to find out more about it and verify such claims with the help of science & technology.
Few years ago, scientists conducted an experiment in which participants who had never chanted Om mantra were asked to chant it for few minutes and each of their chants were recorded. The time frequency analysis of it showed irregular waveforms which indicated unsteadiness in the mind. They were asked to chant the mantra on a regular basis and after few days, the experiment was repeated. The time-frequency analysis this time had some startling revelations. The waveforms were improved with regular spacing, had almost perfect symmetry and harmony. Not only had these participants witnessed dramatic improvements in focus, concentration & steadiness, but found themselves to be in peace, witnessed reduction in mental stress & could remain calm all the time.
Here are some of the benefits that we feel :
The Om not only benefits the person who is chanting it but also to the people around them wherever its vibrations flow.
It cleanses your aura.
It can place you in a meditational state , Your concentration increases when you chant this universal hymn.
removes toxin from your body. It is said to give you better immunity and self-healing power.It improves your concentration and helps you focus on whatever your goals may be.
The ॐ chanting actually improves your voice by giving strength to your vocal cords and the muscles around it. This is very helpful during old age.
The ॐ chanting produces a vibration and sound which is felt through your vocal cords and sinuses. The vibrations open up the sinuses to clear the airways.
The Om Mantra has cardiovascular benefits – by relaxing our mind and body, our blood pressure will decrease and our heart will beat with regular rhythm.
AUM has a certain frequency that is the same as the sound of the universe. And as Nikola Tesla once said, "If you wish to understand the universe, Think of energy, frequency and vibration."
And remember that you are a part of this beautiful universe.
Link to the research paper : http://paper.ijcsns.org/07_book/200808/20080825.pdf
* Thank you so much for the instant support that I got from all of you. Hope you like this . Do comment and let me know whether to make it shorter and let me know how I can improve it and make it better. Have a great day ! And do watch the video above, it won't take more than four minutes :)
