Singing and Chanting Is Music Therapy which is very healthful for mind, body, and soul. Thousands of books have been written about how to use chants and singing to improve the spiritual consciousness, and create a more healthful being. This article will tell you how to practice the OM chant, and give examples of several other chants.
Music Therapy is an age-old science: Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and philosopher, formulated ‘prescriptions’ of music for specific purposes around 2,500 years ago. “Prescriptions’ of music were given to his students for the purposes of increasing concentration, and to aid sleeping and relaxation.
Rudolph Steiner is one famous psychic and teacher of the last century to recognize the value of music in healing and to write about it. He also formulated a music therapy which uses different combinations of notes to produce different effects in the body and psyche.
The Hindu and Buddhist traditions have hundreds of different chants and tunes which are sung because of their spiritually enhancing qualities. Singing and Chanting are an integral part of all the great religions of the world, including the Christian faith, and this is because singing, especially singing Praise, is one of the most beneficial things that we can do for the mind, the body, and the soul.
Religious chants, soulful arias, and tuneful folk ditties are generally more effective for soothing the nerves than singing any rowdy pop song, of course. The singing should be done sweetly to have a good effect on yourself and the people around you.
Chanting a mantra, which can be a traditional Indian mantra, or a phrase which uses just a few affirmative words, is especially soothing for the nerves and the mind: If it is practiced for 20 minutes at a time on a daily basis, this will produce a deep tranquillity in mind body and spirit. People have been healed of sickness through the singing of chants and mantras on a regular basis.
I will list just several of my favourite chants: There are many, many more, but these ones I find to be wonderfully healing. Whichever you choose, try to practice it for 20 minutes at a time, at least once a day: Regular chanting and singing sessions of up to 20 minutes per day will bring you good health and peace of mind. If you are severely stressed, or seriously ill, then repeating the exercise twice a day might help, though you might have to start out with just a few OM chants to begin with, and build up gradually. Your strength will improve with doing this exercise, whether you are sick or no. The secret in building up that Prana, or nervous energy, is to increase the time of chanting or singing gradually. If you are healthy, then, of course, a 20 minute session of OM chanting, or chanting some other mantra, would be quite manageable.
OM Chant For Peace Of Mind: The Buddhist chant ‘OM’ is one of the most effective sounds for soothing the nerves, increasing vital energy, called ‘prana’, and improving the soul. This is a universal sound which has been sung for thousands of years. The universal sound OM, when chanted for a length of time, produces vibrations up the spine, in the brain, and throughout the whole body. This sound, when chanted, helps to unblock the channels of vital energy, and this is very beneficial for the nerves.
How To Do Your Om Chanting To Soothe the Nerves: Sit down in a quiet place. If you can, then sitting cross legged on the floor or the ground is good, and the lotus position even better. But the chanting still has a beneficial effect even if you sit in a chair. The main thing is that the back be straight.
Close your eyes, rest your hands gently on your thighs, take a long, slow, deep breath in, and release the breath with the sound of ‘OMMMMMMMMMM’. Just let the air come out naturally, slowly and evenly in a long exhale, so that the OMMMM sound is increased for as long as the breath.
When the breath has fully exhaled, rest in that spot for a second, before inhaling again. Let the inhalation be nicely drawn out too, so that the breath in is deeper than the usual inhalation. Fill the lungs up with beautiful air, then repeat the ‘OMMMMMMMMMM’ chant again.
It is important not to overdo it. If you are not used to Om chanting, or singing or chanting at all, then the rush of oxygen to your brain, nerves and blood might cause you to feel dizzy. Take it easy. Build up slowly.
Hindu Prayer Which Increases Vital Energy and Soothes Nerves:
This prayer is a chant which is sung repeatedly. It is an especially beautiful thing, and is a favourite of mine. I learned it at the Satyananda Yoga Institute in Auckland many years ago, when they had a centre in Grey Lynn.
The words are: Sri Ram, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Rama Ram
Sri Ram, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Rama Ram.
The song is very rhythmic, and you might want to clap your hands with this one as you sing it. Sit on the floor, legs crossed, if that is comfortable for you. Otherwise, sing the chant in a chair. Again – straight back is necessary. The melody, as given in the key of C major will go:
E……E, D, E E E D, E E F G F…E E…….
Sri Ra-m, Ja-ya Ra-m, Ja-ya, Ja-ya Rama Ram
D……D, C, D D D C, D C D ED C…B A
Major and Minor Keys: This chant is interesting: It begins in what we call, in western music, a major key, but it ends in the relative minor of that key. In analysis, this is would have a very beneficial effect on the mind and body, because it is incorporating both the ‘sad’ but softer effect of the minor key with the more cheerful and bright major key.
Singing this chant regularly brings you closer to God and increases awareness of the infinite. It also, like the OM chant, increases energy flow and encourages spiritual aspirations.