The Science Behind Mantras
A study by Linköping University incorporated Kundalini yoga and mantra meditation regularly for two weeks to monitor and measure the brain’s default mode network – the area of the brain most active during self reflection. An overactive default mode network is best described as a lot of outside chatter, distractions and an unsettled mind.
The participants were to perform 90-minute yoga sessions six times over the course of the study, with each session ending with an 11-minute mantra meditation. The same group also performed a finger-tapping exercise, on which they were instructed to slowly press buttons on a four-button keyboard as a control.
The study found that the yoga and meditation practice drastically calmed the default mode network, thus increasing self awareness in the participants. Studies like this make mantra meditation a valuable life skill for calm, focus and anxiety.
On the next page, we’ll tell you how to practice mantra meditation yourself.
