ॐ When sound becomes medicine

What if repeating a simple sound for just 12 minutes could lower your cortisol by 25%, increase dopamine production by 65%, and physically change your brain structure in measurable ways? Impossible? Not according to ground breaking neuroscience research. Repeating a simple sound for a few minutes a day can shift so much inside us. Research from places like Harvard Medical School suggests that mantra chanting can lower stress hormones like cortisol (a word I'm hearing a lot these days), boost feel good chemicals and even influence the way the brain functions. Of course, yogic traditions have known this for thousands of years, long before science had the tools to measure it.

I was reminded of this recently at a Satyananda Yoga retreat in the beautiful Meander Valley, with the Western Tiers rising as a backdrop in the distance. Each day unfolded in a gentle rhythm, waking up next to the bubbling sound of the river in the pitch dark as I rolled out of my swag. We began with mantra, asana, pranayama and meditation, easing body and mind into stillness and presence. Afterwards, we shared nourishing Ayuvedic meals in silence crafted from the retreat’s abundant vegetable garden, food that tasted as vibrant as the land it came from.

Before the teachings we dedicated time to Karma Yoga. Each person received a simple task and approached it with mindfulness, turning everyday actions into meaningful service. Whether tending the garden, feeding the animals, preparing meals, or helping maintain the space, every act became part of a shared intention to contribute, connect, and care. We then gathered with a sense of

quiet anticipation for our daily teachings. Our guide was a Swami who had devoted more than four decades to selfless service within the Ashram. Her presence carried the depth of a lifetime of practice, and each session felt like receiving wisdom distilled through years of dedication, humility, and lived experience.

During the retreat we also spent time creating yantra (Sanskrit: यन्त्र) geometric diagrams like mandalas that come from the Tantric traditions of India. A yantra is more than just a beautiful pattern it’s a visual tool used in meditation and in the worship of different deities, both in temples and at home. Working with

these shapes felt like another way of steadying the mind, almost like drawing devotion into form. We ended the day by the Havan fire, a sacred practice that invites clarity, connection, and a sense of purification. Sitting in nature, watching the flames move while chanting 108 repetitions of mantra, , felt grounding but exhilarating and strangely primal. It stirred something in me, and I realised how easily mantra has slipped out of many modern yoga spaces.

We might chant the occasional Aum out of habit, yet often without pausing to appreciate the profound resonance and symbolism it carries. Mantra works on many levels. The vibrations stimulate the vagus nerve, calm the nervous system, and help regulate emotions. Different sounds activate different parts of the brain and body, humming, for example, naturally soothes the system, while “sh” sounds encourage softness and release. Sanskrit mantras also use precise tongue placements that stimulate energetic points on the palate, something ancient yogis mapped long before modern anatomy.

Since the retreat, I’ve woven mantra into my daily meditation. I feel lighter, clearer, more connected and even find myself chanting in the car with a smile on my face instead of getting caught up in traffic stress. It’s become a simple, steadying ritual that has brought me closer to the ancient lineage of this sacred practice. If you’re curious, try it. Just a few minutes. One sound. One breath. You might be surprised by how it makes you feel. ॐ