10 health benefits of chanting the Gayatri Mantra

Originally written in the Vedas, the mantra is made up of 24 syllables that are meant to have both a psychological and physiological effect on our body. Here are 10 reasons chanting the Gayatri Mantra is good for your health.

Calms the mind

The chant of the mantra starts with Om. The enunciation of this sound sends a vibration through your lips, tongue, palate, back of your throat and skull, which is said to be extremely calming to the mind and helps in the release of relaxing hormones. What’s more, the syllables of the Gayatri Mantra are so devised that they help a person concentrate and thereby calms the mind.

Improves immunity

The pressure on tongue, lips, vocal cord, palate and the connecting regions in the brain generated by the continuous enunciation of the Gayatri Mantra creates a resonance in and around your head. These vibrations stimulate the hypothalamus (a gland that is responsible for regualrising the release and functioning of a number of bodily functions including immunity) that then functions more efficiently. Experts say that this gland is also responsible for the release of happy hormones and therefore is the key player in the mind body connection — so the happier you are, the stronger your immunity.

Apart from that chanting helps stimulates your chakras or the extrasensory energy centres. These chakras align themselves with certain essential lymph nodes and organs of the body that help in the proper functioning of the entire body. This in turn helps strengthen your immune system[1] as the vibration align all your chakras, keeping your body disease-free.

Increases concentration and learning

A study published in the International Journal of Yoga[2] found that people who chanted mantras had better concentration and memory. This is because when you chant the Gayatri Mantra the resultant vibration first activates the three chakras that are present on your face and head — namely the third eye, throat and crown chakras. These three chakras help improve concentration as they directly relate to the brain and penial gland (crown chakra), eyes, sinuses, lower head, the pituitary gland (third eye chakra) and thyroid gland (throat chakra). When activated the vibrations help stimulate the associated glands– improving concentration and focus. You may also like to read about yoga asanas to help balance your chakras.

Improves your breathing

While chanting the mantra you are required to take deep controlled breaths that when done regularly, helps improve your lung function and therefore breathing. Apart from breathing deeply it also helps oxygenate the entire body therefore keeping you healthy.[5]

Help keep your heart healthy

As per the results of a study published in the British Medical Journal [5] chanting a mantra significantly slows down a person’s breathing, which helps synchronize and regularise your heart beats, helping it stay healthy. According to the study, the synchronised beating and functioning of the heart along with the baroreflex sensitivity(a mechanism that helps keep your blood pressure in check) are parameters that help keep heart disease at bay.

Improves the working of your nerves

As you chant the mantra the pressure that is exerted on your tongue, lips, vocal cord, palate and the connecting regions in and around your brain create a resonance or a vibration that helps strengthen and stimulate the functioning of your nerves. Apart from that it also stimulates the proper release of neurotransmitters that help in the conduction of impulses.

Helps beat damage caused due to stress

Chanting also helps beat stress-related oxidative damage[4]. Not only does it help your body build a stronger immune response but it also helps reverse the damage done by constant stress on your body. And since regular chanting helps keep stress at bay, the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra keeps you healthy.

Strengthens the mind and keeps depression at bay

Since the chanting of this mantra helps stimulate your brain, keeping you calm and more focused. The Gayatri Mantra also gives a person relief from stress making them more resilient. According to a study published in the International journal of Yoga, the chanting of a mantra helped stimulate the functioning of the vagus nerve, which is a common form of treatment for people with depression and epilepsy. Apart from that the vibrations from chanting the mantra stimulate the penial body and help in the release of endorphins and other relaxing hormones, that help keep depression at bay.

Gives your skin a glow

The vibrations also stimulate vital points on the face that help increase circulation and get rid of toxins from your skin. Apart from that the deep breathing also helps oxygenate your skin making it look younger and glowing. Here are some health benefits of deep breathing.

Helps relieve the symptoms of asthma

While chanting the mantra, one is required to breathe in deep and hold their breath for a short period of time. This helps strengthen the lungs and can help as an adjuvant therapy for asthma.[6] Here are some home remedies to manage asthma.