Does the Mantra “OM Ayim Shreem Hreem Kleem “ring a bell to you? For most this is a foreign language spoken by foreign tongues. I had run across this Mantra (a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation) during some research onto how verbal vibrations could affect the state of mind and body over prolonged periods of time through meditation and how this ultimately affects the brain.
Since we all originate from vibrational energy (as the universe is said to be created from), chanting a mantra during yoga or even just meditating initiates a vibration that resonates first within the mind then the body. Nikola Tesla quoted “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” We are all trying to find our own trueness of ourselves in some way and this may lead us correctly onto the pathless journey.
Meditation has been studied holistically to gain a better understanding between the physical and material dimensions of the brain and mind and its’s correlation to consciousness which in yogic philosophy Is neither from the brain or the mind. This is where the Vagus nerve gets hit. In a 2016 study published in Biological Psychiatry where a research collab between China’s Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Harvard Medical School posted an article “transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Modulates Default Mode Network in Major Depressive Disorder.
The DMN explained:
Whenever we aren’t focused on one task there is an increase in brain activity in these sets of structures. The theory is DMN is considered as a regulator when the mind wanders and contemplates introspection. Another theory is stated at a baseline of processing and info maintenance. These theories could relate to how western medicine relates to consciousness (any thoughts not related to the external and immediate environment).
Vagus Nerve explained:
From my understanding the Vagus nerve or “wandering” nerve is a link between the brain and several different parts of the body leading to the stomach and back. Sort of a loop that sends signals back to the brain from places like the heart, lungs and digestive tract through the parasympathetic nervous system. The PNS is responsible for the slowing down the heart rate, increasing intestinal and gland activity, and relaxes muscles in the gut region.
By studying the Vagus nerve and its relationship with the brain and other physical parts of the body, we could get a better understanding of how meditation and yoga affects the symptoms of depression, optimises brain activity and increases connectivity of the resting default mode network.
By reducing our inflammatory health through meditation, we improve on the brain’s ability to manage stress whether the stress is self-produced or a reaction to external factors. And by adding mantras into your meditation and yoga practice you create new pathways for learning as well as change the vibration within the body to promote a positive transformation towards an outcome of yoga which is to realise the self.
By reducing our inflammatory health through meditation, we improve on the brain’s ability to manage stress whether the stress is self-produced or a reaction to external factors. And by adding mantras into your meditation and yoga practice you create new pathways for learning as well as change the vibration within the body to promote a positive transformation towards an outcome of yoga which is to realise the self.