Chanting — A Pathway To Spiritual Awakening
your connect to Divine bliss
Chanting is a rhythmical repetition of a prayer, mantra, syllable or sound. It has been around since millennia, as a form of spiritual practice used in most religions and spiritual paths.
The words and sounds used in a chant are impregnated with powerful spiritual vibrations. A few examples of chants from various religions are:
- Om Shanti Shanti Shanti — a Sanskrit mantra for peace
- Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to thee our God — a Christian chant in praise of God
- Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō — a famous devotional chant from Nichiren Buddhism.
- Allahu Akbar — an Islamic chant meaning ‘God is Great.’
New-Age scientists agree that the Universe is made up of complex reverberations of energy, at different levels of vibration. Vibration, or sound, is therefore one of the most potent forces in the Universe!
It is believed that the Universe is born from the ‘Word’, or sound, the creative force of God —
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God- John 1:1.”
Chanting attunes one to the all-pervading Cosmic Vibration and connects Individual consciousness with Universal Consciousness.
Chanting has innumerable benefits for the physical body, mind and spirit. It can greatly enhance well-being.
Chants can calm and center the mind
In the yogic tradition, chants are called mantra.
They generate specific sound vibrations which have power to bring a restless, stressed mind into a state of calmness and relaxation.
Chanting works this way — by focusing the mind upon a mantra, such as a simple ‘Om’, or the famous mantra from the Buddhist tradition, ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’, the wandering mind gradually comes to present moment awareness.
The sound vibrations that these mantras carry are powerful and healing. They can shift the vibrational resonance of a person towards higher, tranquil states.
The first visible benefit of chanting is stress reduction and mood elevation. All the pent-up emotions and negative energy is released during a chanting session.
The result — there is a calming effect on the brain, the body’s respiratory, hormonal and endocrine functions improve; body and mind are restored to a state of natural harmony.
The healing effects of chants on the mind have been established by research.
Chants can deepen a spiritual or yogic practice
The goal of spiritual practice is union with the Divine. The seeker, who sings Cosmic Chants or spiritualized songs with devotion and fervour, gradually attains to spiritual bliss and communion with the Divine Vibrations.
Specific chants can cleanse the chakras, or energy centers of the human body, each of which have their own vibrational frequency. Chants act as a tool to harmonize and activate these chakras, paving the way for spiritual enlightenment.
Chants are instrumental in setting the right kind of ambience for any spiritual practice. The atmosphere too gets cleansed with the vibrational energy of a chant.
Though it might sound counterintuitive, the purpose of sound in chanting is to create silence in the mind. Once that happens, it becomes easier to meditate.
Practitioners of yoga also find chanting very helpful for their practice, because the purpose of yoga, as per its Sanskrit definition, is ‘to unite’ (individual consciousness with Divine consciousness).
Chanting during a yoga practice deepens concentration and awareness.
If chanting is done after the yogic practice of pranayama or breath regulation and meditation, then it is known to be more effective in composing the mind and moving towards the goal of Communion with God.
Conclusion
Chanting is widely adopted as a spiritual tool by various seekers around the world, who want to enhance their wellbeing or their spiritual experience. Whether done alone or in a group (group chants can generate profound energy), there is no denying the healing, restorative and spiritual benefits of chanting.
To summarize, chanting can:
- release anxiety and center the mind
- heal the mind, body and soul
- move one into inner silence and deeper meditative states
- harmonize the energy centers — or chakras
- help increase devotion towards the Divine
- lead one towards the ecstatic joy of self-realization
Spiritual teacher Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living organization, explains chanting through an interesting analogy of an atom —
He says that just how protons and neutrons are in the center of the atom and electrons are only the periphery, similarly the center or core of our existence is bliss, which is surrounded by a cloud of negative ions. Chants can remove this cloud of negativity. Then, meditation becomes natural and effortless.
Let us make an effort to remove negative vibrations from our life and move towards calmness, joy and spiritual awakening with the practice of chanting.
Thank you for reading!
You might also enjoy reading:
