Chanting is an ancient time-tested method of overcoming grief and trauma known for centuries in all parts of the world, as a religious practice. Chanting involves repetition of either meaningless phrases (or those phrases for which no rational meaning is possible) or assertive and self-encouraging resolutions. Chanting is defined as the continuous recitation of a word or phrase or sentence. It is popular in religious places and in meditation retreats. For some people, it is a means to alter the consciousness by de-activating the troubling mind.
It is also believed by many for its usefulness in raising psychic power or energy.
Aum Chanting
Various chants in Hinduism and Buddhism use the word Aum (or Om) which represent the totality of the Universal Being (Brahman). Followers of Islam chant the ninety-nine names of Allah which are known as “The Beautiful Names.” Chanting of the name of Jesus in prayer for Christians is also common. Included in the Christian chants are the four Western forms of chants which are distinguishable from each other: Gregorian, Gallican, Mozarabic, and Ambrosian. The three Eastern forms of chants – Byzantine, Syrian, and Armenian; and the Coptic and Ethiopian chants of northern Africa are also practiced. Jewish chants are usually composed of the Biblical texts. According to Dr. Alfred Tomatis, Gregorian chant is actually a wonderful soundtrack for focused attention, which can help accelerate the process of learning. Unintended, Gregorian chants contain all the sound ingredients necessary for the ideal state known as ‘Mind alert/body relaxed” state.
Many music psychotherapists believe that chanting is a helpful psycho acoustic process for creating relaxation. Some psycho psychologists consider that the mental habituation created by chanting might result through the process of auditory pattern recognition, which eventually leads to passive hearing — which could be the secret of the relaxation response.
It is interesting to note the Gothic preference of high harmonics — a preference for relatively bright sounds, rich in high harmonics, using the upper part of the voice. and moving cleanly from note to note has come to be recognized as a soothing experience.
In the East, the Tibetan singing bowls and gongs, made of an alloy of seven metals, have been found to produce similar effects. Here, a monk usually visualizes them as the petals of a lotus flower, closed and folded inward. As the bowl is sounded, the petals peel open one by one.
The bowls are time-tested for physical healing in the hypnotic state as they provide an excellent vehicle to transport consciousness through the body and to envision biochemical changes taking place to promote health and vitality. The bowls help in recreating the original harmonic frequency and stimulating the body to rediscover its own harmonic frequencies. It is a time-tested fact that the bowls always produce positive responses in listeners. Sometimes the bowl is placed over the body area and sounded so that vibrations spread out in the body as a sort of internal massage. In order to attenuate the chakras through sympathetic resonance, the bowl can be placed over the chakra points and sounded. Keeping several bowls around a person and sounding them result in a virtual ‘sound’ bath!
The bowl produces normally anywhere between 2 to 5 separate tones. The sound waves must bounce back and forth within a bowl, while also escaping to move through the surrounding air. Within the basic tone of each bowl are the overtones that present an initial perception, which then unfolds itself to the patient listeners. The ‘beat’ frequencies that one comes across in high quality bowls are the results of two or more wave trains passing simultaneously through the same region. This is supposed to result in synchronizing the brain’s hemispheres with a binaural beat as well as encouraging entrainment. By training in concentration and focusing, one could reach a brain wave frequency that ranges between 14 and 17 Hz (alpha — level). In this state of awareness, body and mind merge, while full consciousness and self-control are retained, resulting in a sort of what-is-called ‘relaxed alertness’.
The bowl could play a proactive role to a meditative technique, used to release tensions from the body and mind to become aware of the energy currents that flow in and around our body. Our sensitivity to these energies would no doubt be sharpened with increased practice with the bowl.
Employing the very special sound vibrations produced in our own body, overtones have produced a soothing impact on the mind and behaviour of people. Often referred to as ‘sounds within a sound’, overtone represents a set of harmonic frequencies related to the main (fundamental) Pitch (or note or the voice).
The Himalayan monks, who use the singing bowl for meditation, picture its overtones and harmonics as petals of a lotus bud slowly unfolding, towards a full bloom. The whole process lies in the ultimate savouring of the true beauty and joy within one’s being.
Chanting Vedas: The Ancient Healing Traditions
The Ways of Chanting the Vedas: An Illustration – In India, Vedas are the most ancient of treatises, which have survived for over 5000 years. Its association with tones and melodies have enabled their easy memorization.
It is known that the Vedas were chanted in eight different ways. At present, however, only five have survived.
They are:
1. Vakya or samhita : Also referred to as mula (Base), this method refers to enunciation of the full sentence.
2. Pada : In this method, each word in a sentence is uttered.
3. Krama: Here, the words are used in certain fixed patterns. For instance, the pattern of (1-2), (2-3), (3-4), (4-5) etc.
4. Jatha : Here the pattern of chanting is (1-2, 2-1, 1-2), (2-3, 3-2, 2-3), (3-4, 4-3, 3-4) etc.
5. Ghana: Here the pattern of chanting is: (1-2, 2-1, 1-2-3, 3-2- 1, 1-2-3), (2-3, 3t2, 2- 4, 4-3-2, 2-3-4) etc.
Illustration of the chanting pattern of a vedic text:
Namah Shambhave Cha Mayobha-ve Cha Namah Shankaraya Cha Mayaskaraya Cha Namah Shivaya Cha Shivataraaya Cha
(Meaning I bow to. Shiva, the creator of auspicious, delightful and beneficial events and deeds; I bow to the one Who is exceedingly auspicious).
Now one can find how this text is chanted:
Namah Shambhave (1-2)
Shambhave Namah (2-1)
Namah Shambhave Cha (1-2-3)
Cha-Shambha.ve Namah (3-2-1)
Namah Shambhave Cha (1-2-3)
Shambhave Cha (2-3)
Cha Shambhave (3-2)
Shambhave Cha Mayobhave (2-3-4)
Mayobhave Cha Shambhave (4-3:2)
Shambhave Cha Mayobhave (2-3-4)
This article was published in Naadhabrahmam – March 2011
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, August 23, 2021