Pranayama is a yogic practice where the subject prolongs and controls the breath, which helps to bring the conscious awareness in breathing; to reshape breathing habits and patterns. OM is one of the fundamental symbols used in the yoga tradition. It is Combination of A, U (O) and M, which symbolizes the three states of consciousness i.e., waking state, dream state and deep sleep respectively. Though, the sound of OM represents the primal vibration. The OM chanting is an important exhalation exercise.
This study was aimed to provide scientific evidence for beneficial effect of OM chanting on memory. The study study was conducted at Akshara group of institutions, Manthani, Telangana State, India, after obtaining institutional human ethical committee clearance. A total of 60 healthy and wiling female school children aged 12-15 years, were included in the study after obtaining informed consent, following inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Subjects were asked to sit in sukhasana and to inhalation deeply and then while exhaling should produce sound (chant) OM with the ability to continue until further exhalation is not possible. Intervention group participants, performed OM chanting once in a day for 30 minutes daily, between 6:30 AM to 7:00 AM, for 12 weeks under the supervision of yoga teacher. No significant difference was observed in demographic data of the participants. Spatial and verbal memory scores before intervention (baseline values), are not significantly different between control and intervention groups. Significant improvement in both spatial and verbal memory was observed in intervention group when compared to control group. The study further supports the beneficial effect of OM chanting on memory, and recommends adopting OM chanting in routine day life style for a better cognition and quality of life.