Psychic Health-care of Humans and Plants by Mantras, Music, Yoga and Yajna

Psychic HHHhHealth-care of Humans and Plants by Mantras, Music, Yoga and Yajna

(Compilation for a discourse at Sri Ganesha Temple, Nashville, TN, February 2021)

In today’s polluted atmosphere, we witness mass destruction of forests, disappearance of many species of plants, animals, insects, birds, disturbance in eco cycles, ozone depletion, global warming, acid rain and decreasing agricultural production. Most significantly human health is at stake. Many killing diseases like cancer and AIDS are on the rise. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus in 2020 that has taken many lives globally. Increased alcoholism and drug abuse is a great challenge. Human mind is under great stress giving rise to more violence and many complex family and social problems. The list is unending. Let us understand not only the healing power of Vedic Science Therapy of Mantras, Classical Music, Yajna and Yoga in unison with Ayurveda    on humans but also the power of Mantras and Music for abundant healthy growth in plant life.

India is known for its various alternate therapies, one of the most impactful and clinically proven alternatives is Raga Chikitsa or Raga Therapy. The unadulterated ragas in Indian classical repertoire are a blend of symphonic compatibility between the seven notes and seven primary chakras in our body. This is one of the reasons of the impact it has on our mind, body and soul. Ragas have an innate quality of affecting the emotions of the listener, and hence the overall well-being.

 

Yajna – Health Benefits /Mass Immunization

Dr. Rajesh Shrotriya, Consulting Ayurvedic Physician rajshrotriya@gmail.com

Yajna has its specific health significance apart from the ritual and spiritual benefits. They were regularly practiced in the Vedic ages somewhere benefiting people physically and mentally in person and also in masses.

Yajna can also be used as a mass immunization process with positive result specially to prevent people from epidemics or the infection which are due to viruses in atmosphere. Yajnas have an ancient history of its importance with respect to health and wealth of mankind, since Vedic ages.

There are two basic energy systems in the physical world: heat and sound. In performing Yajna, these two energies, namely, the heat from Yajna’s fire and the sound of the chanting of Vedic Mantras, are blended together to achieve the desired physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. The fumigation, vaporization and sublimation of specific substances in the Yajna-fire constitute a verifiable scientific method of sublimation of matter and expansion of its colloidal state, generates ions and energy with positive effects in the surrounding atmosphere through the specific sonic waves of the mantras.
In order to get an idea of the various chemical changes that take place during the performance of Yajna, it is essential to know the various substances used and offered in the Yajna-fire. These can be broadly classified into two types:  fagots of wood (samidha) and a mixture of odoriferous and medicinal herbs (havan sámagri). Woods of Santalum Album (sandalwood), Aquilana Malaccensis and Valeriana Wallchii (borax wood or agar tagger), Cedrys Libani (cedar or deodar), Mangifera Indica (mango), Butea Frondosa (flame of the forest or palásha), Aegle Marmelos (Bengal quince or bilva), Ficus Religiosa (the holy fig or pipal), Ficus Bengalensis (banyan or bargad), Proposis Spicigera (sponge tree or Shami), Ficus Glomerata (wild fig or gular) are considered appropriate for this purpose. For havan samagiri usually saffron, musk, agar, tagger, sandalwood powder, cardamom, nutmeg, javitri and camphor are generally used mixed with substances with healing properties such as clarified butter (ghee), milk, fruits, lint seeds, and cereals like wheat, rice, barley, various millet, gram, peas, etc. Sweet Substances like sugar, dried dates, resin, honey, etc. and medicinal herbs like Tinospora cordifolia (tinospora/guduchi or giloya), Bacopa Monieri (bacopa or bráhmi), Convolvulus Pluricaulis (shankh pushpi), Mesua Ferrea (cobra’s saffron or nágkesar), Glycyrrhiza Glabra Bois (liquoric root or mulhati), Red Sandalwood, Terminalia Bellirica (beddanut or bahedá), Dry Ginger, and Terminalia Chebula (chebulic myrobalans or harada) are used as per specific requirements. Different combinations of these and/or other special herbs can be used for the treatment of specific diseases through Yajna-therapy.

As a result of combustion of the above material due to high temperature and the gases and substances released in the atmosphere help to reduce the environmental pollution and healthy positive effects on human beings. The interpretation of the process of combustion in a Yajna on a scientific basis is rather difficult due to the lot of variable factors related to Yajna such as properties of substances used vary; the conditions under which combustion takes place; the shape of the kunda (pot); the variation in the temperature and thermodynamic effects etc. The products of combustion depend on the factors like –– (a) The nature of substances used and their proportions; (b) Temperature attained; (c) Controlled supply of air and (d) Interaction amongst the various products formed.

The temperature attained by the kunda varies between 250°C and 600°C, while in the actual flames it can rise as high as 1200°C to 1300°C. At their boiling points, the volatile constituents vaporize and their gaseous forms get diffused. Also, when cellulose and other carbohydrates undergo combustion, steam is formed in copious quantities by the combination of the hydrogen of the decomposed organic molecules with the oxygen. This is how the substances like thymol, eugenol, pinna, terpene etc., are dispersed to in the surroundings and the aroma of a Yajna can be smelt at a considerable distance.

The fatty substances used in Yajna are mainly ghee and other fatty substances of vegetable origin. Ghee helps in rapid combustion of cellulose of wood and keeps the fire alight. The combustion of glycerol portion gives acetone bodies, pyruvic aldehyde and glyoxalase etc. The hydrocarbons produced in the reactions again undergo slow combustion and as a result methyl and ethyl alcohols, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, formic acid and acetic acids are formed.

The vaporized products diffused in the atmosphere are also subjected to photochemical reactions in the sunlight. They undergo photochemical decomposition, oxidation and reduction reactions. To some extent even CO2 is also reduced to formaldehyde. From an environmental angle, the reduction of CO2 caused by Yajna and the liberation of oxygen cannot be overemphasized. Similar kinds of other useful reactions take place in the presence of specific radiations from the sunrays. This may be perhaps the reason it has been recommended that Yajna should be performed during sunlight.

The power of sound vibrations has since long been acknowledged in the field of science. With substantial amplification, these vibrations can penetrate the energy spheres at the subtle and cosmic levels. All the alphabets of the Sanskrit language are endowed with special impulsive phonetics, which send out harmonious wave patterns when pronounced. The chanting of mantras produces vibrations, which are soothing to human mind and all plant and animal life. These vibrations also help in spreading specific energy waves in the surrounding atmosphere while the oblations “heal the atmosphere and the healed atmosphere will heal you”, says Dr. Madhukar Gaikwad that can be an easy way to understand how Yajna can be helpful to human beings. According to Dr. Hoffine, the smoke produced by burning the mixture of ghee and sugar kills the germs of certain diseases; inhaling it from some distance induces secretion from certain glands related to the windpipe that fill our heart and mind with relaxation. “Burning sugar and its smoke has a significant effect in purifying the atmosphere. “It kills the germs of T.B., measles, smallpox and cow-pox” – remarks Prof. Tiwari. A Russian Scientist named Dr. Shrewish mentions that – “if cow’s ghee is put into the fire, its smoke will lessen the effect of atomic radiation to a great extent”. He also related this process to Yajna.

Even without going into detailed chemical bacteriology, it appears highly probable that performing Yajna leads to the purification of air.
Yajna, thus, appears to be a promising scientific, cost effective, eco-friendly method to counter the ever-increasing deadly pollution of the environment and purify and enrich the environment with healthy ingredients. May the environmental scientists and the experts of the Vedic Science of Yajna come together to enable its global expansion.

Thus Ayurveda vaccination has a scope of prevention on larger basis, no side effects or after ill effects, takes care of body, mind and disease equally, rasayana practices can be safely promoted and lastly individual can participate in their own health management instead of being only passive patient.

The details above are just a step to spread awareness in the people and thus   no claim is made on any authorization about the information presented. The information is just on an informative basis as well as to create awareness among the people regarding their health and encourage to adopt Ayurveda in their routine life. Hence no one ever should take it for granted   as s treatment for any disease and is always advised to contact his/her physician before using it in any way.

The Process, Mantras and Effects of Agnihotra Homam

 By H.G. Ranade, IndiaDivine.Org

The process of Agnihotra consists of making two offerings to the fire exactly at the time of Sunrise & Sunset along with the chanting of two small Sanskrit mantras. The offerings consist of two pinches of uncooked rice grains smeared with a few drops of cow’s pure ghee.

The fire is prepared out of dried cow-dung cakes in a small copper pot of a semi-pyramid shape. The positive effects of Agnihotra are an outcome of simultaneous functioning of many subtle scientific principles such as, effect of chanting of specific sounds on the atmosphere and mind, energies emanating from the pyramid- shape, nutritional effect of burning of medicinal ingredients and the effects of bio-rhythms etc.

Agnihotra balances the cycle of nature and nourishes the human life. It creates pure, clean and medicinal atmosphere. It cleanses the negative effects of pollution.

Agnihotra is for purification and healing of the atmosphere. The atmosphere in which we live today is polluted in all respects. Many complex problems which the world witnesses today have their origin in pollution.

For the Practice of Agnihotra a Few Disciplines are observed:

Agnihotra is performed exactly at local Sunrise/Sunset timings.

A semi-pyramid shaped copper pot has to be used.

A small fire prepared using dried cow dung cakes.

Two pinches of uncooked rice grains smeared with few drops of cow’s ghee are offered in fire.

Two simple Sanskrit mantras are chanted while offering.

The Sunrise and Sunset Mantras:

In the morning exactly at sunrise the offerings are made with the Mantras: (While meditating on the divinity, viz. Soorya)

1. ‘Sooryaya svaha, sooryaya idam na mama’

2. ‘Prajapataye swaha, prajapataye idam na mama’ (God or divinity of creation)

And in the Evening Exactly at the Sunset the Offerings are Made With the Mantras:

 Homa while meditating on divinity fire-god.

1. ‘Agnaye swaha, agnaye idam na mama’

2. ‘Prajapataye swaha, prajapataye, idam na mama’ (God or divinity of creation)

Effects of Agnihotra:

The positive effects of Agnihotra are an outcome of simultaneous functioning of many subtle scientific principles, such as, effect of chanting of specific sounds on the atmosphere and mind, energies emanating from the pyramid- shape, nutritional effects of burning the medicinal ingredients, effects of the bio-rhythms etc. Agnihotra balances the cycle of nature and nourishes the human life. It creates pure, clean and medicinal atmosphere. It cleanses the negative effects of pollution.

Scientists Says Ancient Fire Ritual Has Positive Impact on Environment

Posted by “The Hindu”, IndiaDivine.Org 

A 4,000 year old fire ritual conducted in the remote village in Kerala had a positive impact on the atmosphere, soil and other environment effects, according to scientists who are now ready with their findings.

The “Athirathram” Fire Ritual (Yajna) held at Panjal village in Thrissur district was the focus of a detailed study by a team of scientists led by Prof V P N Nampoori, former director of the International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology.

The scientists had focused on the fire ritual’s scientific dimensions and impact on the atmosphere, soil and its micro—organisms and other potential environmental effects. The Yajna seems to have accelerated the process of seed germination and also the microbial presence in air, water and soil in and around the region of the fire ritual is vastly diminished, according to a statement released by the Vardhathe Trust, who organized the ritual.

The team had planted three types of seeds — cow pea, green gram and Bengal gram — on all four sides of the ritual venue at varying distances. They found that the growth was better in case of pots kept closer to the fire altar. This effect, the study says, was more pronounced in the case of Bengal gram with growth about 2,000 times faster than in other places. According to Nampoori, sound is a vibration and continuous positive vibrations through chanting, accelerates the process of germination.

“The findings would not only help dispel superstitious notions associated with Vedic rituals but also help in continuation of such tradition for the betterment of nature and the environment,” says Nampoori. He added that further research on the phenomenon were on which could prove that some bio-amplifier generated in the atmosphere because of the ritual, had a selective effect on Bengal gram.

The study focused on counting bacterial colonies at three locations — within the Yajnashala, 500 meters and 1.5 kilometers from the Yajnasala.  Microbial analysis made before, during and four days after the Yajna revealed that the air in the vicinity of the Yajnasala was pure and had very low count of microbe colonies.

The research team also found that microbial activities in the soil and water around the Yajnasala were remarkably less compared to normal ground. The “Athirathram”  Fire Ritual which literally means “building up of the fireplace and performed overnight” and usually held to propagate universal peace and harmony, was first documented 35 years ago by US—based Indologist Frits Staal.

Staal, currently Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and South and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley had in 1975 organized and recorded the ritual in detail with the help of grants and donations from the Universities of Harvard,  Berkeley and Finland’s Helsinki University. The research team conducted tests near the fire altars of the 1918 and 1956 Athirathram, still preserved in the backyards of Namboothiri homes, reveal that the bricks continue to be free of microbial presence. “It’s an indication that the effect of the ritual is long—lasting.

Studies are on to find out if other positive changes on the atmosphere are transitional or permanent,” say researchers. An analysis conducted on the dimensions of temperature from the flames of the pravargya Fire-sacrifice Ritual by Prof A K Saxena, head of photonics division, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, found that the fire ball that formed during the ritual had a particular wavelength with an unusually high intensity similar to what is observed in typical laser beams at about 3,870 degree centigrade.

It may be possible to have stimulated emission at this wavelength (700 nm) and gain from plasma recombination. It needs to be studied further, he says.

The members of the team of scientists’ team at the Panjal Athirathram 2011 included experts from various disciplines and included Dr. Rajalakshmy Subrahmanian (CUSAT), Dr. Parvathi Menon (M G College, Thiruvanatha-puram), Dr. Maya R Nair (Pattambi Government College), Prof Saxena (Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore) and Prof. Rao (Andhra University). The scientific team members were supported by Zarina (Research Scholar, CUSAT), Ramkumar (Biotechnologist), Asulabha (Biotechnologist) and a number of postgraduate, graduate and school students.

 

POWER OF MANTRAS AND MUSIC IN HEALING & STIMULATION OF PLANT GROWTH

”Music is a Discipline and a Mistress of Good Manners, she makes the people milder and gentler, more Moral and more Reasonable’’ – Martin Luther King.

What is Music Therapy?

 

Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. 

Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings. 

Music therapy as a source of healing has been documented by Harvard psychologists as an effective method of changing feelings and behavior for a healthier life and outlook. There are five different classes of psychological modification which music therapy is known to help with:

 

What Matters –   Music has the ability to grab our attention, and keep it there. Think of every time you’ve listened to a great solo and was hypnotized by its beauty.

 

What You Feel – Music can make us feel certain emotions, and music therapists use music to unleash and explore emotions at the appropriate time during a session.

 

What We Do – Music makes us move to the beat, tap our feet, and give up control of our bodies. Music therapy utilizes this for therapeutic purposes.

 

How We Think – As an intervention tool, music can change our thinking about adverse situations and mindsets. This is especially true when we find a song that speaks to a specific experience in our lives causing depression, PTSD, and any other number of psychological sickness.

 

How We Communicate – Much of what music says to us is without words. Many music therapists find non-verbal communication through musical improvisation helps us understand our emotions better, transforming how we tell people about them.

 

Even further, researchers at the Greater Polish Cancer Center have found music therapy aids in physical healing, as is the case with cancer patients. As the scientific world learns more about the relationship between music, the body, and the mind, further applications are expected to manifest within the field in the coming years. Soon we will be hearing about its contribution during Coronavirus crisis.

SOME AMAZING FACTS ABOUT AUM

The Vedic postulation that AUM sound vibrations created this universe has also been scientifically investigated.  AUM is the sound that emanated from the big bang and since then it has been vibrating in the universe. What Indian sages have been saying since centuries, Quantum physics has finally proved that matter is made of pulsating vibrating energy though they haven’t yet confirmed if the vibrating energy produces inaudible sounds!

Our ear can hear sounds only in frequency range of 20 Hz to 20000 Hz. Rest of the sounds are not audible to the human ears. Through meditation and strict penance, mystics are able to hear the cosmic resonance of AUM in their activity of spiritual trance that fills the mind with extreme happiness. Cosmic resonance of AUM forms the Morphogenetic Conscious field. 

It is interesting to recall the work “Sacred Chant recorded inside the Great Pyramid” by Steven Halpern”.  AUM Sound was recorded inside the great pyramid and the recording was played on the ton-scope to visualize the effect of AUM on visible water.  They saw the matter took the elliptical shape of our Galaxy.  It was not the representation of our solar system but the Sun and other planets revolving around the galaxy. Hence elliptical orbit is produced by the force that holds all celestial objects in space. 

Plants can also create and react to sound waves?  Music stimulates plant growth. It is believed Sun flower does not turn its face towards sunlight but toward the source that produces the powerful AUM sound.

Conch emanates the AUM sound. May be Amen too in Church bells! This is why it is placed on all temples and blown in all religious ceremonies be it marriage, sacrifice, house warming etc. When Lord Krishna blew his conch before the start of Mahabharata war, the whole world trembled in fear as they listened to the thundering sound AUM emanating from the conch.  World then recognized Lord has arrived to establish Dharma by destroying the evil and protecting the pious.

Omnipotent Role of Sound in the Universe

The Vaidika scriptures on the origin of the universe mention that the absolute existence of the Brahm is expressed and realized in the sublime vibrations of sabda and nada. The anahat swar (the evolutionary impulse of cosmic sound) induced by these vibrations is said to be the generator of perpetual energy in the universe. sabda— the omnipresent eternal origin of sound and nada— the eternal element of the self-existent cosmic impulse of music, immanent in the subliminal as well as the gross realms of existence and their ever-evolving expressions in infinity are referred in the shastrik literature as sabda and brahm and nada brahmam.

 

The chanting of mantras with correct intonations itself is a great spiritual discipline. Samyak varnaprayogena brahmaloke maheeyate--One who recites mantras with intonations attains highest merit purifying his body and mind. When the mantras are chanted with intonations, a divine atmosphere is created with holy vibrations all around.

 

Carnatic Music

Carnatic Music, in particular based on spirituality, by saints like Thyagaraja is a great boon during the pandemonium for our EQ and SQ Management promoted by his ardent followers, though credit goes to much research that has been done elaborately by Western Music.  

Earlier, I have talked to you about how Music helps in plant growth and increase yield in grow more food programs. Some universities offer a Music Therapy Equivalency Program. These courses of study give students just the credits needed to obtain a music therapy degree they are missing from their previous coursework.

 

If you already have a Bachelor of Arts in Music, or any other number of music degrees, an equivalency program is a great way to not necessarily take all the coursework required for a full Bachelor’s degree in music therapy. You will take mostly the requisite courses in psychology, education, and clinical practice to become a board-certified music therapist.

Effect of listening to Vedic chants and Indian classical instrumental music on patients 

A high level of preoperative anxiety is common among patients undergoing medical and surgical procedures. Anxiety impacts of gastroenterological procedures on psychological and physiological responses are worth consideration.

Listening to Vedic chants and Indian classical instrumental music has beneficial effects on alleviating anxiety levels induced by apprehension of invasive procedures and can be of therapeutic use.

The observed effect of music and Vedic chants on anxiety may be due to their ability to distract or modulate mood. This is mediated by the meso-cortical-   limbic system, the core of which consists of the ventral tegmental area and the ventral striatum, including nucleus acumens, ventral pallidum, and prefrontal cortical areas.

Studies on  the beneficial effects of Vedic chants and Instrumental music on anxiety and physiological parameters  conclude that endoscopy patients  that listen  to Vedic chants and/or instrumental music before the procedures shows reduced anxiety scores and improved physiological parameters. It is a clinically meaningful outcome, which would ease the anxiety and increase patient compliance. Another advantage of music therapy is that it poses virtually no risk to patients and has also been shown to help reduce and avoid the unnecessary risks related to excessive consumption of powerful pharmacological agents such as narcotics and sedatives. Moreover, the fact that music therapy programs are relatively inexpensive, suggest that significant benefits in patient well-being and quality of patient care could be achieved by implementation of widespread programs of music therapy throughout the health-care system. A limitation of this study includes the fact this study was done in a single health institution of the state. In the future, multi-centric studies can be undertaken to validate the role of music in decreasing the anxiety associated with endoscopic procedures.

--Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 

 

 

Stanford Healthcare--Soothing stress, rallying hope

Music as an instrument of healing, in particular the harp, has existed for several thousand years. The Bible includes a famous story about David soothing a tense King Saul with his harp playing. Only recently has science caught up to parse out what goes on in the human body when it hears music. Research evidence is mounting to support the positive physical and emotional effects of music.

Patients and families can experience the comfort of music in a variety of ways at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. The Hospital's music program features live music available six days a week, whether at a patient's bedside, on the hospital nursing units, in the Stanford Cancer Center lobby or through a weekly concert series. All the music services are free.

There is something about music that goes around the intellect and straight to the heart," said Hospital musician Barbary Grant. "People don't even think about it until the music starts, and then they realize they're breathing easier. It transforms their state of mind."

Dr. Steven D. Chang believes strongly in addressing the emotional dimension of illness, especially for his cancer patients. "A lot of these patients are living day to day," he said. "They're not worried about a year from now. They live in the moment and music does that.

Beneficial effects of Vedic chants and Instrumental music on anxiety and physiological parameters

There are only few studies which have evaluated the effect of Indian music on anxiety and BP, HR, and oxygen saturation during upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. Till date, no studies have reported the effect of listening to Vedic chants on these parameters. In a clinical study, the participants in the instrumental group showed a statistically significant decrease in systolic and diastolic BP with increase in SpO₂ after intervention.   The study adds to many researches on the benefits of music on the body and mind during invasive procedures. Endoscopy patients who listen to Vedic chants and/or instrumental music before the procedures show reduced anxiety scores and improved physiological parameters. It is a clinically meaningful outcome, which would ease the anxiety and increase patient compliance. Another advantage of music therapy is that it poses virtually no risk to patients and has also been shown to help reduce and avoid the unnecessary risks related to excessive consumption of powerful pharmacological agents such as narcotics and sedatives. Moreover, the fact that music therapy programs are relatively inexpensive, suggest that significant benefits in patient well-being and quality of patient care could be achieved by implementation of widespread programs of music therapy throughout the health-care system.   Multi-centric studies should be undertaken to validate the role of music in decreasing the anxiety associated with such procedures.

--Journal of Psychiatry

 RAGA THERAPY

By Uma keni Prabhu

 

In recent years music therapy is becoming popular even though it is known from ages that music has an impact on our physical and physiological conditions. Soothing and rhythmic music has an impact on physical and physiological conditions of living organisms, plants and animals. When musician plays his flute with melodies, all are drawn towards the music   with magnetic attraction. Especially Secret of the Power is hidden in Indian Vedic mantras.   It has been noticed that plant which is exposed to Vedic chanting has a tremendous effect on growth, leaf size and inter-node.  Experiments conducted clearly indicate the Vedic chanting (Mantras) having higher frequency which affect the ability of plants to perform their functions, resulting in greater growth.

 

“Music originated from Sama Veda, one of the four Vedas, the ancient Indian scriptures. But that music was in the form of Vedic hymns to be chanted at the time of a yajna (sacrificial ritual). Musical scale developed with time and music then became a mode of expression like language. Slowly, Ayurveda too developed as a method of treating human ailments. Go through my detailed discourse on Hindu Fine Arts.

Literature regarding Indian classical music is replete with stories expounding curative properties of music of the land. Whether fact or fiction, one cannot deny the effect music has on body, mind and spirit. Musicologists call it an expressive tool that has a therapeutic impact on people’s physical and mental health. That exposure to a raga induces a sense of wellbeing and raises the mind to a new level of consciousness is well known. But is it an antidote for diseases like diabetes, spondylitis, thyroid disorders, cardiac ailments, malaria, arthritis, and even TB, as is being claimed?

For instance, does exposure to the melodious Marwa, an evening raga with a hexa-tonic scale, cure malaria? Can the evocative Bhairavi uproot asthma, chronic cough, cold and even tuberculosis? Several music therapists in the country seem to claim this, and what’s more, recommend it as an alternative medicine. The Internet is full of information on which raga is good for which ailment. So if you are seeking relief from chronic constipation, simply listen to Gunkali or Jaunputi, or tune in to Malkauns to get rid of intestinal gas or high fever. Is this reality or Myth?

 “Music can be used as a complimentary therapy in combination with an established mode of treatment like allopathy, Ayurveda and homeopathy. The relief that a patient gets is psychological and not physical.” says Dr.  T.V. Sairam, president, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, New Delhi.

However, we can come across many doctors and surgeons who play   instrumental music in their clinics to provide solace to patients and it is  found to be very helpful. Even high priests of modern medicine do not dispute the power of music in combating negative feelings like fear, anxiety, pain and depression. That it helps afflicted individuals in developing coping strategies, expressing emotions, enhancing self-confidence and instilling a sense of security, is well understood.

Expressing from a musician’s perspective, backed by years of experience, Meera Pandit, an exponent of Gwalior Gharana, said music offers stability to the mind and keeps one in the present. Narrating a personal experience, she said, “The power of music has helped me to cope with many turbulent phases in my life. I have rarely needed counseling. I have survived the situations in which any other person would have inconsolably broken down.”

When Dr. Sairam was lying in a hospital waiting for his surgery, he chose to listen to melancholy music to ward off depression. “The sadness in the music was different from the sadness in me. My grief was chaotic. I had too many disturbing thoughts and was miserable. But the sorrow expressed in the music was an organized pattern of soothing notes. I was able to synchronize with that. Joyful music would not have worked then. The impact was wonderful.”

The curative aspect of raga, a sequential arrangement of selected notes in varying combinations that produces melody, has been a much-researched subject of a bygone era. Raag Chikitsa, an ancient Indian treatise on musicology is replete with information on cognitive impact of notes, rhythm and microtones in various permutations and combinations. In his article on music therapy published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Sairam propounded that the ancient system of Nada Yoga had fully acknowledged the profound impact music had on body and mind. Its ability to uplift one’s level of consciousness, too, was a well-established fact.

However, despite being an ancient practice, research in raga therapy in India is still in infancy. Few studies have been conducted in recent years, which have found some evidence to support the claim that a raga could be a safe alternative for medical interventions, like the use of synthetic analgesics in pain management.

The Indian Journal of Surgery published a study in 2012, which said that the exposure to Raga Ananda Bhairavi showed a positive effect in postoperative pain management. This was evidenced by reduction in analgesic requirement by 50% in those who listened to the raga postoperatively for three days. Some other studies have analyzed the effect of music during cardiac catheterization, prior to and after cardiac surgery and during rehabilitation. There are also research reports that espouse the effect of music in intensive care medicine, geriatric care and disorders like depression. Music also boosts immunity. Illness affects an individual’s psyche and negatively impacts his/her overall wellbeing

While Indian musicology may prove to be a treasure trove for the medical fraternity, it is imperative to enquire into this field with an open mind. Experts feel that it is necessary to create a body of knowledge to back the arguments on music therapy through research based on specific, scientific parameters.

Based on the severity of depression as assessed by a standardized questionnaire, Dr. Subramaniam working currently on the severity of depression finds improvement in symptoms has noted in most, which made it possible to reduce the dosage of antidepressant medicines they received. She is motivated to case studies and work on the subject. Dr. Subramaniam is now working on improving memory and attention span in children using music. Study will be conducted in a Mangalore school.   She is sanguine that her efforts in music therapy may open the door to new and exciting possibilities in treatment of human ailments.”  

Meditation & Yoga

Meditation and yoga both have positive effects on physical, as well as mental health. Om mantra chanting, a simple and easy to practice, also comes under the aspect of meditation. The “Om” mantra is also considered as the very name of the Absolute. Om meditation not only affects the various parts of the brain, such as pre-frontal cortex, vague nerve, amygdala and others but also affects the heart rate and respiratory rate.   Studies on Om meditation are categorized under four different heads: Neuroimaging studies, EEG studies, evoked potentials studies and other methods studies. Even though the existing research evidenced capability of Om meditation in curing anxiety and depression, more rigorous studies with better design, with larger sample size and with different control groups are required. Especially the need to explore untouched research areas of Loud Om meditation using EEG will be beneficial.

What Is Yoga Therapy?

Although all yoga is potentially therapeutic and healing, yoga therapy is the specific application of yogic tools—postures/exercises, breathing exercise, meditation techniques, and more—to address an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional needs.

Yoga therapists have in-depth training to help them assess and keep their clients safe. They work with you to address your specific goals while considering any limitations you might be experiencing. The practices your yoga therapist recommends could include:

• Movement ranging from gentle to vigorous
• Breathing techniques
• Meditation or visualization practices
• Physical postures that address specific areas of discomfort or musculoskeletal imbalances
• Any combination of tools like these!

It all depends on what you need to increase your health and well-being.

Many people first learn about yoga through its physical practices, but a common misconception is that it’s all about stretching or movement. In fact, yoga therapy can help people who can’t move at all, as well as active individuals! The yogic model of health is unique because it addresses every aspect of life rather than considering each body part or system separately. Yoga therapy is a safe way of working with the natural capacity of your body and mind to optimize well-being. A general public yoga class can certainly ease everyday aches, pains, and mood complaints. But a yoga therapy session, whether one-to-one or in a small group, goes much further because it is tailored to the individual.

 --International Yoga Association

 “Ayurveda Chikitsa usually goes along with a Nidana section or section relating to diagnosis, which in turn follows from the Ayurvedic view of body, mind, pathology and the disease process (Please see my detailed discourse on Ayurveda-Life Science).  Medical systems require a diagnosis as the basis for therapy and cannot work without them. Ayurvedic chikitsa is broad based and includes diet, herbs, massage, Pancha Karma, rejuvenation, even Yoga and meditation, extending from lifestyle factors to clinical treatment.

Traditional Ayurveda includes Yoga as a therapy as part of its Sattavajaya Chikitsa or therapy for increasing Sattva Guna, that is its main psychological therapy, reducing the psychological doshas (defects) of rajas and tamas, (EQ Management) where the theories and practices of the Yoga Sutras fit in quite well. It regards Yoga as the means of eliminating spiritual suffering, not just physical or psychological suffering. It is aimed at total Management of EQ and SQ.

Chikitsa therefore is a primary term in Ayurveda and a secondary term in Yoga, which is more of a Sadhana or spiritual practice. Ayurveda mentions Yoga as a therapy particularly in the context of yamas and niyamas as behavioral therapy for the mind. Yet Ayurvedic texts also mention the importance of mantras and honor deities of Ayurveda like Dhanvantari and also Lord Shiva, the Lord of Yoga.

For a Yoga Chikitsa or Yoga Therapy, the question arises as to what is the Nidana or diagnosis it is based upon? Modern Yoga Therapy rests more on modern medicine and is usually an adjunct physical therapy for diseases as diagnosed and treated by modern medicine. There is nothing wrong with that but it can obscure the traditional connection of Yoga therapy and Vedic chikitsa with Ayurveda. There is no traditional Nidana or yogic diagnosis apart from Ayurveda, which employs all methods of observation, touch, pulse and patient examination according to Vedic principles of three doshas, three gunas, five elements, five pranas, agni and Atman.

For the best results in Yoga therapy not only a modern medical diagnosis of the conditions it is treating but also an Ayurvedic diagnosis. This connects Yoga Therapy with the broader group of Ayurvedic therapies, from diet and herbs to massage and Ayurvedic clinical methods. It adds considerations of the condition of body and mind according to the three doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) and three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) of Vedic thought. It can also bring in Ayurvedic disease theories and stages of disease but also that of the Klesha theory of the Yoga Sutras.

This is what we are seeing in the new Yoga Therapy that is arising in India today that emphasizes treating all five koshas (body, prana, mind, intelligence and bliss-annamya pramamaya manomaya vijnanamaya anandamaya iti atman), not just a physical or even psychological approach to Yoga and Ayurveda but threefold as body, mind and consciousness. Doshas and gunas are part of this examination.”

--By Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri)

Today, our community faces unprecedented challenges: disparities in academic achievement, high rates of chronic disease and obesity, and increasing challenges for our youth in the area of mental health. These challenges and many more are abundant in every community. YMCA in USA is engaged in bringing the vision to life with its innovative and holistic programs.

Inspired by Biblical thoughts YMCA worldwide developed physical exercise programs that emphasize complete health, nurturing the physical social, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.     With its constant urge to grab the best of talents and programs, YMCA in USA employs Yoga and Yoga Masters as a powerful means to achieve its objectives of harmonious growth of Spirit, Mind and Body.

Yoga Therapy in India with its main stress on Universal Well-being takes us progressively through the development of Body, Mind and Spirit. YMCA’s mission is a worldwide charitable fellowship united by a common loyalty to Jesus Christ for the purpose of helping people grow in spirit, mind and body.  This is in reverse order Vedic Yoga Science that focuses on Universal GOD,   and often omits OM but focuses on Meditation Techniques and Savaasana for relaxing at the end of vigorous Yoga practice.

Why Physicians of Indian Origin often prefer to specialize in psychiatry is because among various branches of medicine, this blends well with their cultural background and bringing up, to succeed as doctors alleviating human sufferings by successful EQ and SQ Management.   To this day, the South Asian country remains a hot-spring of ancient wisdom on mind-body health and spirituality. The Indian Diaspora, especially in North America, is a visible force in the field of psychiatric medicine. An estimated 5000 persons of Indian origin practice psychiatry in the USA and Canada, and an estimated 10% of these are in academic psychiatry. This is because of their bringing up in Hindu Culture. This wisdom has been steadily permeating American life for the past century. Mindfulness -- the cultivation of a focused awareness on the present moment, a concept with origins in ancient Indian philosophy -- is "gaining its fair share of attention" in the West, with increasing numbers of Americans practicing meditation.  Yoga and meditation have become the favorite past-time of everyone from super-models to high-powered CEOs. The Indian way has spread far beyond the U.S., and tourists from around the world are flocking to the densely-populated country in search of inner peace, with an average of 22 percent annual growth, according to recent data from Stanford Research Center funded by Spa-finder Wellness--New York Times.

Playing Music for Plants – How Does Music Affect Plant Growth

One of the earliest studies of the effect of music on plants was conducted in 1962 by Dr. T. C. Singh, Head of Botany at Annamalai University. He exposed balsam plants to classical music and found that their growth rate increased by 20% compared to a control group, along with a 72% increase in biomass. He then exposed crops to raga music over loudspeakers and found they yielded 25% – 60% more than the national average. The researchers at Annamalai University experimented with flute, violin, harmonium, and Veena music, and even saw positive results exposing plants to the vibrations from traditional Indian dance. They ultimately concluded that the violin was the most effective instrument.  These results were replicated by Canadian engineer Eugene Canby. He exposed his wheat fields to J.S. Bach’s violin sonata and experienced a 66% increase in yield.

A Colorado greenhouse owner experimented with several types of plants and various genres of music. She determined that plants “listening” to rock music deteriorated quickly and died within a couple of weeks, while plants thrived when exposed to classical music. A researcher in Illinois was skeptical that plants respond positively to music, so he engaged in a few highly controlled greenhouse experiments. Surprisingly, he found that soy and corn plants exposed to music were thicker and greener with significantly larger yields. Researchers at a Canadian university discovered that harvest yields of wheat crops nearly doubled when exposed to high-frequency vibrations.   

When it comes to understanding the effects of music on plant growth, it appears that it isn’t so much about the “sounds” of the music, but more to do with the vibrations created by the sound waves. In simple terms, the vibrations produce movement in the plant cells, which stimulates the plant to produce more nutrients. If plants don’t respond well to rock music, it isn’t because they “like” classical better. However, the vibrations produced by loud rock music create greater pressure that isn’t conducive to plant growth.  Researchers at the University of California aren’t so quick to jump to conclusions about the effects of music on plant growth. They say that so far there is no conclusive scientific evidence that playing music for plants helps them grow, and that more scientific tests are needed with rigorous control over factors such as light, water and soil composition. Interestingly, they suggest that plants exposed to music may thrive because they receive top-level care and special attention from their caretakers. They need to try Vedic Mantras chanted with intonation and study the vibrational effects that has been tried with Om in Pyramids! Food for thought!