03-05-2006, 08:13 AM
<b>Reading Vedic Sanskrit would have profound effects on the physiology </b>
Research showing that the physiological effects of reading Sanskrit are similar to those experienced during the Transcendental Meditation technique has recently been published in the International Journal of Neuroscience.
Fred Travis, chair of the Department of Psychology and first author of the study, predicted that reading Vedic Sanskrit aloud but without awareness of the meaning would have profound effects on the physiology.
Dr. Travis had his 18 subjects read a passage from the Bhagavad-Gita in Sanskrit and in modern foreign languages (Spanish, French, or German). In each case they could pronounce the sounds but didn't know the meaning. He measured EEG, heart and breath rate, and skin conductance during a session reading the Bhagavad-Gita in Sanskrit, during a session reading the same verse in a modern language, and during a 15-minute session of the Transcendental Meditation technique.
He found that the pattern of skin conductance levels and EEG power and coherence during reading Sanskrit was similar to that during practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique but significantly different from reading a modern language.
Skin conductance levels decreased during reading Sanskrit and the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, but increased slightly during reading a modern language. EEG power and coherence were both significantly higher during reading Sanskrit and the Transcendental Meditation technique compared to reading a modern language.
Dr. Travis said that the similarity of physiology during reading Sanskrit and the Transcendental Meditation technique is especially noteworthy because one reads with his or her eyes open and engages in active perceptual and cognitive processes, while the Transcendental Meditation technique is done with one's eyes closed and entails a reduction of mental activity. This suggests that the state gained during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique may be integrated with active mental processes by reading Sanskrit.
Dr. Travis also recently contributed a 1,000-word entry on the Transcendental Meditation technique to the Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. The entry begins with the Vedic tradition and ends with the Maharishi Effect.
Research showing that the physiological effects of reading Sanskrit are similar to those experienced during the Transcendental Meditation technique has recently been published in the International Journal of Neuroscience.
Fred Travis, chair of the Department of Psychology and first author of the study, predicted that reading Vedic Sanskrit aloud but without awareness of the meaning would have profound effects on the physiology.
Dr. Travis had his 18 subjects read a passage from the Bhagavad-Gita in Sanskrit and in modern foreign languages (Spanish, French, or German). In each case they could pronounce the sounds but didn't know the meaning. He measured EEG, heart and breath rate, and skin conductance during a session reading the Bhagavad-Gita in Sanskrit, during a session reading the same verse in a modern language, and during a 15-minute session of the Transcendental Meditation technique.
He found that the pattern of skin conductance levels and EEG power and coherence during reading Sanskrit was similar to that during practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique but significantly different from reading a modern language.
Skin conductance levels decreased during reading Sanskrit and the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, but increased slightly during reading a modern language. EEG power and coherence were both significantly higher during reading Sanskrit and the Transcendental Meditation technique compared to reading a modern language.
Dr. Travis said that the similarity of physiology during reading Sanskrit and the Transcendental Meditation technique is especially noteworthy because one reads with his or her eyes open and engages in active perceptual and cognitive processes, while the Transcendental Meditation technique is done with one's eyes closed and entails a reduction of mental activity. This suggests that the state gained during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique may be integrated with active mental processes by reading Sanskrit.
Dr. Travis also recently contributed a 1,000-word entry on the Transcendental Meditation technique to the Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. The entry begins with the Vedic tradition and ends with the Maharishi Effect.