Just in case you needed scientific proof that chanting is good for you, here’s a little something we came across in Timothy McCall’s book ‘Yoga as Medicine’. The following excerpt is from the chapter entitled ‘The Science of Yoga’.

A study by Italian researcher Luciano Bernardi and colleagues, published in the British Medical Journal, found that chanting could have profound effects on the nervous system. They compared the effects of chanting either a yogic mantra or the Ave Maria, typically said once for each bead of a rosary. (The rosary was introduced to Europeans by returning crusaders who learned about it from Arabs who had been introduced to it by Indian and Tibetan yogis. In yoga they are called Mala beads, and reciting a mantra while you finger them is known as japa.)

The researchers found that it takes about ten seconds to recite either, including an inhalation in between, resulting in a breathing rate of six times per minute. This rate turns out to have calming, powerful effects on the body. There were also improvements in two measures of health of the nervous system: baroreflex sensitivity and heartrate variability. Abnormal findings on these two measures are strongly correlated with a poor prognosis for people with heart disease. Chanting tends to increase the length of the exhalation compared to the inhalation, calming the nervous system.

Other studies suggest the vibrations generated in the head from humming sounds, as when you chant Om, help keep the sinuses open.

To enjoy all of these wonderful benefits, and to have some fun as well, please join us for our next Bhakti yoga evening!

This session is open to all. We will begin with 108 rounds of a powerful healing mantra followed by the practice of kirtan where mantra and music merge in a call and response style. Bring and open mind and heart! Entry by Koha donation.

Who: Tyag
What: 1.5-hour get together
When: Sunday, July 25th at 5:30 pm!
Where: Yoga Unlimited Level One, 80 Tory Street
How Much: Koha