A form of meditation is the spiritual practice of chanting. A very powerful form of meditation that utilizes the voice as a instrument is chanting.
Chanting has many purposes including being a tool for the classic one pointedness (concentration), healing, change and transformation, release and healing.
When you chant a mantra repeatedly certain types of transformations can occur in the brain. A mantra can be a word, phrase, verse or entire song and it can be with or without meaning. It can be repeated for a certain number of mantras or time or not. This depends on the chanting tradition.
This very act of the repetition of chanting the mantra creates changes. Scientists have recently discovered with MRI technology what happens inside the brain when certain meditation activities are practiced.
The scientists found that there is particular firing of the neural patterns that take place when meditation is practiced. This is different to the regular firing patterns of the brain. It is these different patterns of the brain that are attributed to an increase in well being and feelings of positive emotions.
The famous yogi’s frequently said that chanting and meditation is a way to create “new grooves” in ones mind.
The latest scientific findings seem to show now that this is the case.
When one practices a meditation and chanting is a meditation, if practiced in a particular way with method, that indeed the brain can be changed and “remolded” to use neuro science lingo. These firing patterns that occur with meditation practices are associated more with the positive emotions and sensations.
Perhaps the ancient yogi’s indeed had it correct when they said aeons ago that chanting creates new grooves in the mind. So if your are looking to change your mind and brain, why not try chanting?
