Impact of various styles of mantra chanting in novices based on physiological and cognitive variables

Abstract

BACKGROUND newlineRecitation of Mantra (repetition of sacred words or phrase) has been a universal practice newlineand considered as a method to slow down the thoughts, attain one-pointed concentration newlineand bring about various psycho-physiological changes. However, there were no studies newlinereported to study the various styles of mantra recitation on physiological and cognitive newlinevariables. newlineAIMS AND OBJECTIVES newlineThe present study is aimed at assessing the autonomic, respiratory and cognitive functions newlinefollowing Mantra recitation. newlineMETHODS newlineParticipants newlineIn this study, there are two parts viz., physiological and cognitive variables. In the study with newlinephysiological variables, forty novices male, age group of 20 to 25 years participated in this newlinetrial. Likewise there were 35 participants including men and women in the age group of 20 to newline45 years. newlineDesign newlineIn design with physiological variables, all participants in the study were assessed on four newlineseparate sessions in the laboratory and all of them were assessed before, during and after newlineLoud Chanting (LC), Lips Movement (LM), Silent Chanting (SC) and No Chanting (NC). newlineSimilarly, in the study with cognitive variables, all participants were given orientation for newlinechanting of Mahämrutyunjaya Mantra (MM) for 10 days. There were six sessions newlineincluding baseline. All the participants were recorded for their Baseline Recording (BL) on newlineday 1 following an orientation of ten days and a wash out period of seven days and the post newlinerecording in every seven days subsequently viz., Loud Chanting (LC), Lips Movement newline(LM), Silent Chanting (SC), Audio Listening (AL) and Silent Sitting (SS). For the post assessment, recordings were done after 20 minutes of the intervention as each session lasted newlinefor 20 minutes. newlineAssessments newlinePhysiological Variables newlineHeart rate variability (frequency and time domain measures) newlineHeart Rate (bpm) newlineRespiratory Rate (cpm) newlineCognitive Variables newlineSix letter cancellation test (SLCT), newlineWechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and newlineMindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS).