英文原文
How Chanting Can Improve Your Energy, Mood and Health — Sierra Laurel Yoga
Have you ever noticed how good you feel after singing along to your favorite song? Singing acts as a conduit to mindfulness, similar to the state you would obtain through the practice of yoga poses or meditation. It has a sneaky way of making you completely present as you focus on the song you are singing, the catchy melody and the emotions that you feel at the time. This state of mindfulness is key to reducing stress and increasing our energy.
Somehow the ancient yogis knew what scientists today are telling us: that the entire universe is moving. Nothing is ever solid or still. Everything that exists pulsates, creating a rhythmic vibration that the ancient yogis acknowledged with the sound of Om. Chanting allows us to recognize our experience as a reflection of how the whole universe moves—the setting sun, the rising moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, the beating of our hearts. As we chant, it takes us for a ride on this universal movement, through our breath, our awareness, and our physical energy, and we begin to sense a bigger connection that is both uplifting and soothing.
Stress vanishes into thin air
Prolonged exposure to stress hormones disrupts the body’s metabolism causing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar and increased body fat due to increased appetite. Research shows that singing decreases levels of the stress hormone Cortisol, which lowers your heart rate and relaxes us.
Singing causes your body to release another delightful little hormone called Oxytocin, which has been found to alleviate anxiety and stress. It is the release of this hormone in particular that has made singing a key practice in the treatment of depression and as a tool for assisting dementia patients and those struggling with other related afflictions. Oxytocin also enhances feelings of trust and bonding and when combined with reduced blood pressure, reduced stress, and a healthy dose of the feel-good hormone Serotonin and Endorphones, it’s easy to see why singing may just be what the doctor ordered for greater health and vitality.
You can gain relief from long term respiratory difficulties like asthma, bronchitis, etc. from singing.
Many people spend their entire life breathing only from their upper chest and don’t access the full capacity of their lungs, even if they practice deep breathing exercises. This is because they haven’t learned to activate their diaphragm which is a thin flexible muscle that sits below your rib cage. Singing requires you to use this muscle, allowing you to take in much more air as a result and the benefits that you would normally receive from deep breathing are super charged.
What this means for people with asthma and other long term respiratory difficulties is an increase in lung capacity and a freeing of the body’s breathing mechanisms, namely the rib cage and surrounding muscles, resulting in the ability to breathe much more easily.
Even those in medical professions agree with the benefits that diaphragmatic breathing can provide. London’s Royal Brompton Hospital started a ‘breathing through singing’ program for lung patients and found that through regular group singing practice, patients were able to perform more strenuous daily activities as a result.
How to Practice:
Take slow, deep breaths using your diaphragm.
If you aren't sure if you are using your diaphragm notice where you are feeling the in-breath. The diaphragm is located at the center of the torso, dividing it approximately in half in the transverse plane (also called the horizontal plane, axial plane, or transaxial plane). You want to feel the breath here and just below it in the belly.
Start Simple
Start by chanting Om before trying anything more complex. Om is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions.
Pronounce each sound
The syllable Om is composed of the three sounds A-U-M (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u combine to become o). Practice making each sound distinctly.
And Enjoy Yourself!
Happy chanting.
中文翻译
唱诵如何提升你的能量、情绪和健康——塞拉·劳雷尔瑜伽
你有没有注意到，跟着最喜欢的歌曲唱歌后感觉有多好？唱歌是通往正念的管道，类似于通过练习瑜伽姿势或冥想所达到的状态。它以一种巧妙的方式让你完全活在当下，当你专注于所唱的歌曲、动听的旋律和当时的感受时。这种正念状态是减少压力和增加能量的关键。
不知何故，古代的瑜伽士知道今天科学家告诉我们的：整个宇宙都在运动。没有什么是固体或静止的。一切存在的事物都在脉动，创造出一种有节奏的振动，古代瑜伽士用“嗡”的声音来承认它。唱诵让我们认识到我们的体验是整个宇宙运动方式的反映——日落、月升、潮汐的涨落、心跳的节奏。当我们唱诵时，它带我们乘上这种宇宙运动，通过我们的呼吸、意识和身体能量，我们开始感受到一种更大的联系，既振奋又舒缓。
压力烟消云散
长期暴露于压力激素会扰乱身体的新陈代谢，导致高血压、高胆固醇、血糖升高和因食欲增加而导致的体脂增加。研究表明，唱歌会降低压力激素皮质醇的水平，从而降低心率并放松我们。
唱歌导致你的身体释放另一种令人愉快的小激素，称为催产素，它已被发现可以缓解焦虑和压力。正是这种激素的释放，使唱歌成为治疗抑郁症的关键实践，并作为帮助痴呆症患者和其他相关疾病患者的工具。催产素还增强了信任和联系的感觉，当结合降低的血压、减少的压力以及健康剂量的感觉良好激素血清素和内啡肽时，很容易看出为什么唱歌可能就是医生为更大健康和活力开出的处方。
你可以通过唱歌缓解长期呼吸困难，如哮喘、支气管炎等。
许多人一生只从胸部上部呼吸，没有充分利用肺部的全部容量，即使他们练习深呼吸。这是因为他们没有学会激活横膈膜，这是一块位于肋骨下方的薄而灵活的肌肉。唱歌要求你使用这块肌肉，从而让你吸入更多的空气，你通常从深呼吸中获得的好处被超级充电。
这对哮喘和其他长期呼吸困难的人来说，意味着肺容量的增加和身体呼吸机制（即肋骨和周围肌肉）的释放，从而能够更轻松地呼吸。
即使是医疗专业人士也同意横膈膜呼吸可以带来的好处。伦敦皇家布朗普顿医院为肺部患者启动了一个“通过唱歌呼吸”项目，发现通过定期的团体唱歌练习，患者能够进行更费力的日常活动。
如何练习：
使用横膈膜进行缓慢、深呼吸。
如果你不确定是否在使用横膈膜，注意你感觉吸气的位置。横膈膜位于躯干中心，在横切面（也称为水平面、轴向面或横轴面）上将其大致分成两半。你希望在这里和腹部下方感受到呼吸。
从简单开始
在尝试更复杂的内容之前，从唱诵“嗡”开始。“嗡”是一个咒语或振动，传统上在瑜伽课程的开始和结束时唱诵。
发音每个声音
音节“嗡”由三个声音A-U-M组成（在梵语中，元音a和u结合成为o）。练习清晰地发出每个声音。
并享受自己！
快乐的唱诵。
文章概要
本文探讨了唱诵如何通过正念、激素调节和呼吸改善来提升能量、情绪和健康，特别关注中年能量水平。文章解释了唱诵如何减少压力激素、释放催产素，并增强肺部功能，以“嗡”为例提供了实践指导。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容：唱诵就像跟着喜欢的歌唱歌一样，能让你感觉更好，因为它让你专注当下，减少压力，增加能量。它还能帮助身体释放快乐的激素，让你更放松，甚至改善呼吸问题，比如哮喘，让你呼吸更轻松。
佛学的各个宗派视角评价，突出《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角：从佛学角度看，唱诵与咒语修持相通，特别是准提法，强调声音振动与心性结合，能净化业障、增长智慧。《显密圆通成佛心要集》融合显密，唱诵作为方便法门，可助行者快速积累福德，提升修行效率，适合现代人忙碌生活，体现大乘利他精神。
在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题：1. 缓解日常压力，提升情绪稳定性；2. 增强身体能量，应对中年疲劳；3. 改善呼吸功能，支持健康生活；4. 培养正念习惯，减少焦虑感；5. 促进社交连接，增强信任感；6. 辅助心理健康，如抑郁缓解；7. 提升专注力，支持学习工作；8. 净化心灵环境，减少负面思维；9. 积累修行资粮，加速成佛进程；10. 实践简单易行，适合各种人群。