To Chetan about A Research Report of our interest

[Guest guest]

Chetan wrote:

>> ...Reading Vedic Sanskrit would have profound effects on the

physiology >> 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.>>

....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.>> 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.

Dear Chetan ~ thank you so very much for sharing this with us. I want

to say I am astounded, because, in a way, the Western part of me is.

But to me it makes absolute sense, from what I have learned about

Sanskrit as a language (which is only a few nuggets) that even

without understanding the meaning, the effect would be the same just

by reading the Sanskrit. No wonderful reading or reciting the Chandi

or the Rudri feels so good to me.

I would be very interested to know more about this study and Dr.

Travis' research. Are there links you could give us to any reviews or

actual excerpts of the text. I started off with TM, so, for me, the

comparison is a good one. I have had such a terrible morning ... went

to the grocery store (a big shopping trip) and almost collapsed

several times in the store from pain and fatigue. I'm not really sure

how I made it home except that perhaps "God is my copilot," or in

actuality, the Pilot. Reading this uplifted me for some reason.

Thank you again ~ Linda