Hysterectomy Blog: Day 21 'Sound' Healing

Feb 25, 2019This weekend I was cleared by my doctor to start driving short distances so I was excited to be able to make it to Joy of Yoga to teach #mantra as part of their yoga teacher training course. Thank you Joy for carrying my harmonium in and out and setting up chairs for me to sit on!I love this quote by Richard Rohr globally recognized ecumenical teacher, Franciscan priest and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) whose teachings focus on practices of contemplation and radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized. He says“#Chanting as contemplative practice naturally draws our focus to the present and calms the dualistic mind. The very physical act of breathing and forming sounds brings body and mind together. Chant has a place in many sacred traditions, from Gregorian melodies to Native American drumming to the polyrhythmic chants of West Africa.Perhaps the simplest, most familiar chant is "#Om." In the Hindu tradition, Om is the original and basic vibration of the created world, the sound that holds all other sounds. Om represents the fullness of reality and encompasses all things; it has no beginning and no end. Repeat the chant as many times as you wish, letting all other thoughts and sensations disappear. When you are ready, let the chant subside into silence.”Practicing mantra meditation is one of my favorite ways to be #mindful. The power of chanting is widely documented, and even short chants have an energizing and healing effect on the body and mind. In this study, mantra meditation interventions were shown to have beneficial effects on #mentalhealth in general populations. Mantra meditation was considered a useful adjunct to workplace wellbeing initiatives and educational programshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/…/arti…/pii/S1876382018304591…When I play the #harmonium and sing, I feel connected to #joy. The meditative music on my CD #WakeUpMyDivinity was created for my daughters as I began to teach them the powerful benefits of chanting and for myself as I found balance of #mindbodyspirit. It is available on Anu French Radio Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon. I hope it brings you healing and #harmony.https://itunes.apple.com/…/anu-french-lotus-creat…/817247838https://www.amazon.com/Wake-Divinity-French-Lo…/…/B00IBW1I32And on Vimeo (thank you Muse Sharonfor the beautiful video:)https://vimeo.com/132294534The term the ‘Sanskrit Effect’ was coined by neuroscientist James Hartzell. He discovered that memorizing Vedic mantras increases the size of brain regions associated with #cognitive function, including short and long-term #memory. This finding in #neuroscience corroborates the beliefs of this sacred Indian tradition.https://upliftconnect.com/neuroscience-and-the-sanskrit-e…/…Since my #hysterectomysurgery, I have been listening to and chanting this mantra that my mother Kalyani sent me.OM Shree Dhanvantare NamahaSalutations to the Celestial Healer.#Dhanvantri is the celestial healer/physician - the patron saint of#Ayurveda which is a science of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge). It is an ancient whole mind-body healing system from India. This specific mantra helps us find the right path to healing, directs us to the right health practitioner. It can be chanted for any situation that one would like to be healed or remedied.The traditional Sanskrit versionhttps://youtu.be/DyiKMfFvTIgThe meditative fusion version by Deva Premalhttps://youtu.be/2EEFSB0zyE0In a systematic review of publications on the #psychoneuroimmunology of #music, sixty-three studies showed that listening to music decreases #stress, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and lowers the levels of the stress hormone #cortisol and the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24157429/Today as the yoga studio was filled with the #vibration of all our voices chanting together, I could feel the sacred healing of #sound and I was deeply#grateful.