Scientific Benefits of Vedic Meditation

“Vedic Meditation is a simple, natural and completely effortless technique practiced while sitting comfortably with eyes closed”

– Gary Gorrow

Introduction

Vedic meditation, popularised as Transcendental Meditation (TM), is a set of 5000-year-old techniques that originated in the ancient Indian texts (Vedas). According to these ancient Vedic texts, the real purpose of meditation is to connect with the deep inner Self, which can be achieved with the help of Vedic techniques that affect different levels of senses and consciousness (Sharma, 2015). Vedic meditation most accurately describes a set of diverse techniques that fall under one of the eight branches of Ayurveda, the “science of life.” The latter is a comprehensive system of natural healthcare stemming from Vedic times. Meditation assists in caring for one’s mind and falls under the psychological branch of Ayurveda called Graha Chikitsa, which focuses on psychology and mental health.

Much of the research into Vedic Meditation currently lies in Transcendental Meditation (TM), a 20-minute practice repeated twice daily. Unlike other mindfulness practices, it does not include contemplation or thoughts about compassion. Instead, Vedic Meditation calms the mind and stimulates sensitivity to internal stimuli leading to a contentless, silent state of awareness (Alexander et al., 1989). Meditation is practised in a seated posture in a quiet place. It begins with the repetition of a mantra (i.e. sound), which blocks unnecessary thoughts and immerses the practitioner in a deep meditative state (Clark, 2022).

Transcendental Meditation (or Vedic Meditation) was popularised in the 1960s and 1970s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the most famous and influential yogi in recent decades. He was a cult figure in the Western world, and it was he who explained and formulated the ancient Vedic traditions and knowledge so that they could be understood and appreciated by the modern mind. Maharishi was probably the first yogi who mastered the modern means of sharing knowledge and experience and took the teaching of yoga to another level. He made the teachings of ancient Indian yogis and Vedic values available to people worldwide and has changed the lives of millions by simplifying and streamlining mantra meditation with the help of bija mantras. Today, Vedic Meditation is part of the daily sadhana practice of yogis all over the world (Frawley, 2022).

Vedic Tools for Concentration and Meditation

It is well known that one cannot meditate with a distracted and inattentive mind. Thus, concentration is the first and foremost requirement for achieving a meditative state (Frawley, 2022). Attention control is a fundamental principle of yoga practice and meditation to calm the mind’s fluctuations. Below we will discuss the main Vedic tools for concentration and meditation.

1. Drishti Yoga and Mantra Yoga

Concentration and meditation tools are grouped into two main categories: those that use perception and light and those that use sound and mantra.

Drishti Yoga (also known as the yoga of seeing) refers to the first group of tools and is about fixing the gaze. The latter can be perceived as fixing the gaze on surrounding objects, lights, shapes, parts of your body, and colours or fixing the gaze on inner things such as chakras and heart (Frawley, 2022).

The gaze is crucial for concentration, as the mind and attention usually follow the eyes. Seeing various objects around can easily shift attention. So, focusing the gaze on one point contributes to the “withdrawal” of the vision from the distraction. At the same time, concentrating attention inward and on bodily sensations helps prevent other senses from being distracted, therefore allowing the mind to focus on a particular thing (What is Drishti? – Definition from Yogapedia. 2022), (Gard et al., 2014).

Mantra Yoga emphasises the second group of concentration tools, using sounds, words, and bija mantras that start with Om. The latter creates a constant sound vibration that allows the mind to concentrate quickly and ignore any internal or external distractors. These sounds or the set of syllables effectively suppress mental speech (the predominant form of conscious deliberation). Therefore, they constantly block and redirect negative or intrusive automatic thoughts leading to psychological distress (Lynch et al., 2018). This approach is more important since our mind is always occupied with sounds and words. Words are also a combination of sounds that store and convey the information and experience we receive through perception (Frawley, 2022).

These two methods can be combined. A suitable way of developing concentration, which combines fixation of the gaze (Drishti Yoga) and a mantra (Mantra Yoga), is to fix the gaze on a candle or ghee lamp without blinking while mentally repeating the seed mantra.

2. Mind & Sound Vibration

The vibrational pattern of our mind is based on sounds and words. Each word is associated with certain emotions, experiences, feelings and thoughts. The latter gives additional meaning to words and roots them in a deeper memory. Moreover, the inner voice also controls the mind. Therefore, the calm inner sound, which can be achieved through mantras, can calm the mind. Unlike the inner thoughts or words, the repetition of mantras does not evoke emotional responses; instead, it causes a unidirectional reduced activation of cortical networks leading to a basic state of rest (Berkovich-Ohana et al., 2015). This also allows connecting the mind, external and internal speech, and achieving connection with higher cosmic sound vibrations (Frawley, 2022).

3. Silence

Mauna, or the practice of silence, is an integral part of yogic practices. It is a fundamental part of pratyahara and pranayama. It is even considered a more critical component of the more profound yoga practice than asanas. Without outer and inner silence, one cannot achieve the stability of the mind, which is the basis of meditation. 7

As you can see, when we say Mauna, we mean both inner and outer silence. As stated earlier, inner sounds often determine the state of mind. Moreover, internal sounds can be more emotional, erratic and disturbing because they are faster and not controlled by others (unlike external sounds or our interactions with people). So, stilling thoughts during meditation is just as crucial as a quiet environment. (Frawley, 2022), (Roberts, 2022)

Limited, kind and truthful speech or mantra chanting is the foundation of real sadhana and is considered one of the best spiritual practices (Frawley, 2022).

Therapeutic Effects of Vedic Meditation

Vedic Meditation (Transcendental Meditation) has various therapeutic benefits that significantly improve the quality of life and prevent serious diseases. In the Vedic tradition, the intellectual understanding of both the subjective and objective realms is deeper and more comprehensive than that of modern science. The tools of Transcendental Meditation are not primarily intended to cure the disease but to raise the practitioner’s awareness and consciousness to their highest state, which reduces stress and prevents the vicious cycle of stress-related illnesses (Walton et al., 2004).

Below we will discuss the most common therapeutic effects of Vedic meditation.

The Effects of Vedic Meditation on Mental Health

Transcendental meditation dramatically affects the mental health of practitioners. Via altering the response of the autonomic nervous system to stressful events and changing the perception of stress, TM: (Bellehsen et al., 2021)

1. Reduces the anxiety and stress level
2. Improves the sleep patterns
3. Increases self-control and optimises the socio-emotional responses
4. Calms the psychological responses to stressful triggers

All these changes lead to better academic and job performance as well as prevent burnout (Elder et al., 2014), (Rosaen et al., 2006).

In addition, TM is an effective tool for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) management. In only three months of regular practice of Transcendental Meditation, half of the practitioners will significantly reduce the PTSD symptoms (Bellehsen et al., 2021).

The Effects of Vedic Meditation on Cardiovascular System

Transcendental Meditation (TM) is an effective alternative treatment method for blood pressure reduction. Its effect on blood pressure is comparable to physical activity, a balanced diet, and weight loss. 16 TM or Vedic Meditation improves the blood pressure in several ways:

1. It altering the perception of stress, TM prevents the harmful behaviours that lead to elevation of blood pressure (poor medication adherence, alcohol and tobacco use, or non-adherence to a specific diet) among patients with an existing hypertension
2. Via altering the perception of stress, TM prevents the harmful behaviours that lead to elevation of blood pressure (poor medication adherence, alcohol and tobacco use, or non-adherence to a specific diet) among patients with an existing hypertension

Vedic meditation also reduces the risk of various cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and kidney diseases by improving blood pressure (Gathright et al., 2019), (Bai et al., 2015). It also improves the symptoms and quality of life of patients with Cardiac Syndrome X (Cunningham et al., 2000).

The Effects of Vedic Meditation on Pain

Transcendental Meditation positively affects chronic pain such as headaches and back pain (Jong et al., 2019), (Orme-Johnson et al., 2006). A possible explanation for this is that TM alters the brain’s response to pain by resolving the psychological state leading to chronic pain and increasing endogenous endorphins. It has been proven that the physiological state plays a decisive role in perceiving different types of pain (Orme-Johnson et al., 2006). While endorphins relieve pain and improve overall well-being (“Endorphins: The brain’s natural pain reliever – Harvard Health”, 2022).

Conclusion

Vedic meditation is a unique form of silent mantra dating back to 3000 BC. This ancient practice promotes self-awareness and improves the practitioner’s health and overall well-being through proven effects on brain function, stress-related physiological processes, and perceptions of stress. Its therapeutic effects include but are not limited to lowering blood pressure, preventing various chronic conditions, and improving psychosocial health.