Science of Sound & Mantra Healing: A Research Resource Guide
When I read the research summaries offered in the links below, my personal experience corroborates a resounding “YES!” to the many benefits they describe. I’m grateful to have discovered the healing effects of sound, singing, mantra, group singing, and prayer long before medical science confirmed their value, and I’m sure it’s just the beginning. Many medical experts and visionaries agree that sound is the medicine of the future, as it has been an integral part of healing and rejuvenation in Ayurveda for millennia.
Links Connecting Science & Medicine to Sound & Mantra Yoga:
Collective Evolution Blog
A nice summary of research on the effects of yoga, meditation, and prayer:
https://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/01/16/it-works-new-study-outlines-what-meditation-yoga-prayer-can-do-to-the-human-body/?
Scientific American
Resonance theory attempts to provide a unified framework that includes neuroscience and the study of human consciousness
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-hippies-were-right-its-all-about-vibrations-man/?fbclid=IwAR148A1DQXtNYxAE6tMW89OANYWyBJo7DVxsI2BV4DUVtsKbS6sYdJjdqJw
India Financial Times
At the Nimhans institute in Bangalore (India), researchers are investigating whether yoga can help mental health conditions
https://www.ft.com/content/bdc53de6-133c-11e9-a581-4ff78404524e?fbclid=IwAR3wWG2LF8fJ6ah3hRs93wt6tfdD90k-m_t_9q5TU-nfiyISH5neYUeEB8M
NY Times
One critic’s experience of silence within music as a way of cultivating “beginner’s ear”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/04/arts/music/princeton-meditation-music.html?fbclid=IwAR1elNeDqVIGIKhAFUtAW8YvuLY_Pppetb1u3QQuINsSkWEkq7ujUpCIZTA
Brain, Parasympathetic Nervous System & Vagus Nerve:
Scientific American
Singing is a type of controlled, long exhale described here
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proper-breathing-brings-better-health/?fbclid=IwAR3iXT1IzjUmd4r6_MNTy89gI7giMCCuYfiDIKc2hSFWoZotmjRHSQpU198
TED.ed
How stress affects the brain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuyPuH9ojCE
Harvard Gazette
Study proves that practices focused on the relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system) could cut health care needs by 43%
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/10/relaxation-response-proves-positive/
Cranial Intelligence Blog
A biodynamic craniosacral therapist talks about how to become a “Vagal Superstar”
https://cranialintelligence.com/2014/06/01/vagus-baby-vagus/
Khan Academy
Learn more about your autonomic nervous system
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/human-anatomy-and-physiology/nervous-system-introduction/v/autonomic-nervous-system
Psychology Today
Vagal tone explained from an athlete’s perspective and several ways to improve it
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-athletes-way/201705/vagus-nerve-survival-guide-combat-fight-or-flight-urges
