The Science Of Mantra And The Beatles

24 June 2014 by Carmen Burby

In the middle 1960’s George Harrison became fascinated and an admirer of Indian Culture and Mysticism, which he introduced to the rest of the Beatles’s group.  During the filming of “Help” in the Bahamas, they met with the founder of Sivananda Yoga, Swami Visnu-devananda, who gave each of them a signed copy of his book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga.

In 1967 The Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and they became captivated by this teachings of Transcendental Meditation.  On 24 August 1967 they were in the front row seats listening to The Maharishi’s lecture, which took place at the London Hilton.

George Harrison explained why he attended the lecture, “I got the tickets. I was actually after a mantra.  I had got to the point where I thought I would like to meditate; I read about it and I knew I needed a mantra – a password to get through to the other world.  And as we always seemed to do everything together, John and Paul came with me”  (George Harrison’s Anthology).

Ringo Star was unable to attend the lecture because his wife Maureen had given birth to their son Jason on 19 August 1967.

After the event the Beatles were granted a 90-minute private audience with The Maharishi.  He greatly impressed them with his philosophy.  The next day they all (including Ringo Star) travelled to Bangor in North Wales, UK to attend a Transcendental Meditation seminar.

The Beatles spent two nights in Bangor where a personal mantra was given to each of them by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

What is a Mantra?

Swami Visnu-Devananda says:  “A mantra is a mystical energy encased in a sound structure”.  The potency of the energy is liberated by continuous concentration and repetition.  Thus, its energy is released and takes form, and gradually over time becomes powerful within us.

Sound is made up of energetic vibrations.  To release the energy from the sound, we learn to repeat it with a specific rhythm.  When you start repeating a mantra it creates a specific thought pattern, which allows the energy to literally manifest itself.  When you repeat the name the form comes to mind.  Although you may not consciously know the form connected to a certain mantra, it still creates a specific thought pattern in the mind.  The thought pattern created by a mantra is positive, beneficial and calming.  Mantras are used to foster an alert mind.  It is said when we chant Mantras we are creating a cushion of protection around us.

How a Mantra is  created?

Every mantra is created from a combination of sounds derived from the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet.  Sanskrit is the most ancient of human languages and is also known as Devanagri, which literally means “Language of the Gods”.  Sanskrit words are the actual sound manifestations we use when chanting. 

Can Mantras be translated?

Mantras can be translated, but these translations do not possess the same power as the original.  I believe this is the reason why at the Ashram we are encouraged to learn the Sanskrit words and use them while attending lectures or Satsang evenings.

Have the Mantras ever been written by someone?

No one has ever, as far as is known, sat down and written a Mantra as people write songs.  Mantras are energies, which have always existed in the universe and can neither be created nor destroyed.  The science of Mantra is exact and precise and it is important that they should be pronounced correctly.  The constant repetition of the Mantra is called Japa. 

Are there any mental benefits attributed to Mantras?

Japa or Mantra repetition will help the mind to steady itself.  This in turn, helps us into a meditative state.

Are there any physical benefits derived from Mantras?

On a physical level many benefits are derived from Japa or Mantra repetition.  Deep rest and relaxation are given to all the cells and organs of the body.  Toxins are removed and the nervous system is relaxed.  The lower emotions of lust, anger, greed, hatred and jealousy are destroyed and replaced with pure qualities, which protect us from our own mind.

The Beatles’ encounter with The Maharishi coincided with their realisation that LSD did not hold the answers they were hoping for.  They held a press conference to reveal their new passion for meditation and announced that hey had given up drugs. 

Did You Like The Chant?

What is your experience of Chanting? 

Please let me know by leaving your comments at the end of this page.

All the very best

On Namah Sivaya!

(I salute the divine within you!)

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This blog is based on the teachings of the Swami Sivananda as outlined in the Yoga Teachers’ Training Manual 2013 and Swami Visnu-devananda’s book “Meditation and Mantras” and articles from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison#Hinduism http://www.beatlesbible.com/people/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZGzGfn9efw

The 6 Phase Meditation – Guided Audio

NB:  This is the Guided Audio version of the Infographic that appeared in the preceding blog

To listen to the FREE guided audio of the 6 Phase Meditation, hit play on the video below, or download Omvana to get FREE access to this track on your mobile device anytime you need it.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7804370939756266585#editor/target=post;postID=7075438667886345483

The 6 Phase Meditation – Infographic

This infographic is based on the core meditation from the Envisioning Method, a daily practice designed by Mindvalley Founder, Vishen Lakhiani.

The 6 Phase Meditation is a distillation of hundreds of books on personal growth and is designed to create the most remarkable transformation in your state of being — in the shortest amount of time.

http://blog.mindvalleyacademy.com/meditation/6-phase-meditation-infographic

NB:  My next blog entry will be the Audio Guided version of this Infographic

The Power Of Compliments | The Science Of Love

I completely agree with Mike Bernstein and Matt Pitman who are the creators of this video when they say, “ A lot of us have trouble accepting compliments. We are worried that it will make us seem self-absorbed, or we just do not believe that what the person is saying is true. But studies shown that accepting compliments does not just help you, it also helps your relationship”.

A Quote by Nietzche

17 June 2014 - Image by Carmen Burby

" And Those Who Were Seen Dancing
     Were Thought To Be Insane By Those
        Who Could Not Hear The Music"         
                                                       Nietzche

" Aquellos Que Fueron Vistos Danzando 
      Fueron Considerados Dementes Por Aquellos 
          Que no Podian Escuchar La Musica"
                                                                                                                                 Nietzche

The Mad Ones: Making The Leap From Conformity To Freedom

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music” – Nietzsche

As human beings, is it possible to resolve the internal struggle of wanting to fully experience freedom and realize our full potential, while feeling the dull ache and pull of conformity?

If you’re tired of the rat race and societal pressures, and want something uplifting and goose-bump inducing, this is the video for you!


http://www.finerminds.com/happiness/making-the-leap-from-conformity-to-freedom/

Breathing: The Little Known Secret to Peace of Mind

“A few weeks ago shooting, cars exploding, screaming, death, that was your world. Now back home, no one knows what it is like over there so no one knows how to help you get back your normalcy. They label you a victim of the war. I am not a victim… but how do I get back my normalcy? For most of us it is booze and Ambien. It works for a brief period then it takes over your life. Until this study, I could not find [the] right help for me, BREATHING like a champ!” Those were the words of a 25 year old marine, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who partook in the research study I ran with Dr. Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Whereas therapeutic and drug treatments had not helped many of the participants who volunteered for my study, a breathing practice – the intervention we used – did. One of the veterans in our study has since gone on to become an instructor so he can share the practices he learned with other veterans. “Thank you for giving me my life back,” he told us.

The Breath Is a Powerful Tool to Calm the Mind

We have an intuitive understanding that the breath can regulate our mind and emotions. Most of us have either told others or been told ourselves to “take a deep breath” when things got challenging. Most clinical psychologists use some kind of breathing practice with patients. However, because breathing happens automatically, many of us don’t give the breath as much attention as it deserves nor have we learned to harness its full potential to calm our minds.

One of the reasons why breathing can change how we feel is that emotions and breathing are closely connected. A revealing research study by Pierre Phillipot showed that different emotional states are associated with distinct respiration patterns. In Phillipot’s study, participants came in and were instructed to generate emotions like sadness, fear, anger and happiness to the best of their ability. While they were experiencing the emotions, Phillipot’s team requested participants to closely observe and report on their own respiration patterns. The research team found that each emotion was associated with a distinct pattern of breath. For example, when the participants felt anxious or afraid, they breathed more quickly and shallowly and when they felt happy, they breathed slowly and fully. Even more interesting was the follow-up study in which  the researchers invited in a different group of participants into their lab and instructed them to breathe in the patterns they had observed corresponded to emotions. The researchers literally told the participants how to breathe and then asked them how they felt. Lo and behold, the participants started to feel the emotions that corresponded to the breathing patterns!

This finding is revolutionary: We can change how we feel using our breath! Given the fact that it is so difficult to change one’s emotions using thoughts alone – try “talking yourself out of” intense anger or anxiety – , learning to use the breath becomes a very powerful tool. Since it is so difficult “talk” our way out of our feelings, we can learn to “breathe” our way through them.  After participating in a 6-day workshop, veterans who said they had felt “dead” since returning from Iraq said they felt alive again. 2 years later, they are spokespeople for the program, volunteering to encourage other veterans to learn to breathe again.

More Benefits of Learning Breathing Practices

Several studies suggest that controlled yogic breathing has immediate and positive effects on psychological well-being, as well as on physiological markers of well-being, such as blood pressure and heart rate. Within minutes you will feel better and place your body in a significantly healthier state. The long-term effects of a daily breathing practice are even more pronounced. By activating the part of our nervous system associated with “resting and digesting” (the parasympathetic nervous system), breathing practices may “train” the body to be calmer. For example, preliminary studies have found that regularly practicing breathing exercises lowers one’s level of cortisol — the “stress hormone.” Having lower levels of this hormone may be indicative of an overall calmer state of being, which may translate into less reactivity in the face of inevitable life stressors and less risk of heart disease. Although substantial studies of yogic breathing and the brain have yet to emerge, preliminary brain studies of meditation and the breath suggest that they activate brain areas involved in the control of the autonomic system, such as the insula. Control of the breath appears to activate brain regions that guide the parasympathetic, or “rest and digest,” processes of the body, perhaps thereby inducing its calming effects. Deep breathing has even been found to reduce pain.

A Breathing Practice to Try at Home: Alternate Nostril Breathing

This gentle pranayama is said to cool the mind and emotions. You may notice that, at any given time, one nostril is dominant (that is, air flows more smoothly through one nostril and only partially through the other). The dominant nostril alternates throughout the day. Preliminary research suggests that breathing through the right nostril oxygenates the left side of the brain, while breathing through the left nostril oxygenates the right side of the brain. One of the reasons alternate nostril breathing may induce its calming and balancing effects on the mind is that it gently allows for airflow through both nostrils.

To practice, place the index and middle finger of the right hand on the center of the eyebrow, and place the thumb on the right nostril, and the ring finger and pinky on the left nostril. The left hand rests on the lap, palm facing up. Take a deep breath in and, closing the right nostril with your thumb, breathe out through the left nostril. Then take a deep breath in through the left nostril, close the left nostril with your ring finger and pinky at the end of the inhale, and exhale through the right nostril. Take a deep breath in through the right nostril and, closing the right nostril with the thumb, exhale on the left side, and start over. Do this with your eyes closed for about five minutes. Notice the effects on your body and mind.

Want to Learn to Breathe Again?

The veterans I worked with learned the practices taught in the Project Welcome Home Troops workshop which teaches Sudarshan Kriya Yoga. The International Association for Human Values offers this program programs for veterans www.pwht.org)”>(www.pwht.org), in schools (http://www.youthempowermentseminar.org), and in prisons (http://www.prisonsmart.org/). This practice is also taught for the general population by the Art of Living Foundation, see artofliving.org. Elementary yogic breathing practices can also be learned in general yoga classes. Kundalini yoga classes, for example, place a particular emphasis on breathing practices.

http://www.emmaseppala.com/breathing-the-little-known-secret-to-peace-of-mind/#.U5bfRnJdVIE