Introduction to "A Prenatal Project in India"
Column Editor: Giselle E. Whitwell, R.M.T., DoulaEditor's Note: Giselle Whitwell is a practicing prenatal music therapist in the Los Angeles area who has been a music educator for almost 20 years. For the last seven years, she has given lectures and workshops on prenatal music in the United States, Asia, and Europe. To facilitate her work with pregnant women, Giselle is currently in the process of becoming a Certified Childbirth Educator. She welcomes your stories or questions on the role of sound in the prenatal period of development. Please contact her at Winds, P.O. Box 280513, Northridge, CA 91328 or send email to prenatalmusic@yahoo.com
Gajanan Shridhar Kelkar has directed a unique prenatal program in Lonavla, India, for the last 18 years, although this program has been in existence much longer than that. The philosophical foundation of this program is based on the teaching of Swami Vijnananand, who became Mr. Kelkar's mentor and spiritual guide while he attended college. An Ashram was dedicated to the activities and interests of the Swami who not only stressed science but other subjects as well. The prenatal work was one of the earliest programs alongside others related to the wellbeing of mankind. Mr. Kelkar's expertise in engineering and electronics has enabled him to design and construct particular machines used in this prenatal program.Music and sound is interwoven in this curriculum in the form of chants, mantras and prayers, what we would call vibrational medicine today. These forms are ancient and still being practiced today, an integral part of the culture of India. Chanting in general has enjoyed a revival in the USA during the last decades, especially with several recordings by the Monks of Silos and others, but these are Gregorian Chants with Latin text not to be confused with the older Sanskrit chants from India. The latter have been disseminated mostly through the practice of yoga. Frequently, the stretches and postures are followed by a period of brief meditation where Indian chants are heard to support a feeling of peace and tranquility of mind. Meditation sessions are also offered as separate courses by their own right. The music in general supports a relaxed, tranquil state of mind as well as uplifting feelings. The cultures of the world each have created their own native chants.
In addition to the Gregorian and Indian Chants alluded above, the Buddhist, Tibetan and North American Indian Chants have also received wide exposure. Chants are sacred songs, prayers in sound, hymns that have been a source of inspiration and solace not only to those who sing them but also to the attentive and devoted listener. The Vedas, one of the oldest sacred text of India, dating back as far as 3,000 years ago, expresses the concepts embodied in chanting, phrased in language that is difficult to understand. Olivea Dewhurst-Maddock1 has given us a loose translation and summary of the four stages of chanting:
1. There is silence and formlessness
2. The creative Word precipitates the cosmos, and the interaction of all energies.
3. The individual consciousness hears the Word, recognizes it, and returns the separated parts to the whole, by singing the music in a "sacrifice" of song.
4. One reaches fulfillment within reunification.Mantras on the other hand are words, syllables, phrases or simply sounds that are
spoken inwardly or subvocally, and when repeated or spoken out loud may transform into chants. Through repetition they acquire more power due to the quality of resonance, they are able to clear the mind of superficial layers of thought and making one more receptive to the inner voice of Spirit. According to Kay Gardner, the power of mantra vibrates the spiritual body through thought. It is not necessary to know what the mantra means for its effectiveness "for it is the sound itself, without intellectual translation, that touches the spirit."2 The most sacred and well-known mantra is OM or its variation AUM. Each culture and religion has its own mantras such as Shalom (peace) in the Jewish language; Om Ah Hum (The Trinity of Power: Creation, Maintenance, Dissolution) from Buddhism, and Insha Allah (If God wills) an example from Islam, etc.3 The origin of the word mantra derives its meaning from the Sanskrit verb man which means to think, contemplate, or meditate, and tra, to free oneself. When mantric sounds transmit a spiritual awareness it is elevated to the level of Shabda or Sacred sound. Mantras have survived through the centuries via an oral tradition, from teacher to student. Chanting a mantra can harmonize all levels of our being: the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Generally, it will consist of predominantly long, open vowels, designed to impose a new rate of vibration on the person chanting it, creating a new resonance.4 One of the mantra's used in the Prenatal Project of India is known as the Gayatri Mantra, one of the oldest Sanskrit mantras known also in the West through recordings, it is one of the most beautiful and famous ones. There is a healing dimension associated with mantras as cited by a cardiologist Dr. P. Pandya from India who found that a particular mantra was able to reduce the stress level of his cardiac patients. Through his research, he found that the mantra brought not only neurological changes but also psychological ones. Reciting the mantra resulted in the release of endorphins, thereby bringing a feeling of serenity and wellbeing.5 But ultimately, the practice of mantras has a spiritual purpose, to attune ourselves to our divine nature. Dr. Harold Coward described this practice as follows: "By concentrating one's mind on a mantra, the devotee invokes the power inherent in divine intuition and so purifies his consciousness"6Prayers recited out loud or in silence can be considered as the manifestation of the
"Creative Word," they have been a vital part of all religious teaching, and proven to be a powerful means of affecting change in oneself and others through its positive suggestions. One such story comes from within our medical community. A report published in the Journal of Reproductive Health, October of 2001, states that women at an in vitro fertilization clinic in Korea had a higher pregnancy rate when unknown to the patients, total strangers were asked to pray for their success. The researchers found that women who were prayed for became pregnant twice as often as those who did not have this benefit. The team of researchers was lead by Dr. Rogerio A. Lobo, who is Columbia's chairman of obstetrics and gynecology.Music and sound can embody a variety of approaches during pregnancy and birth. The inclusion of prayers, chants and mantras in the Prenatal Project of India form part of a greater whole, honoring their ancient cultural traditions. In such a case it is best not to isolate the parts for we can better comprehend the whole by keeping its integrity. Our western way of thinking inclines us to analyze and separate the parts of a system forgetting at the end to look at the whole context once more. In regard to nurturing and preparing future parents for conception, pregnancy, labor and delivery we need to start thinking again of synthesis, as we all know that the stages from conception to birth and thereafter are closely linked. The program of the Prenatal Project of India is a beautiful example complete in itself that needs to be viewed as such and that is our justification for presenting it here in its entirety.
The power of sound is still unexplored in our consciousness when it comes to application for purposeful means. All sounds whether it is our voiced exhalation, a word, phrase, chant, mantra, or song can become a powerful influence and energy for achieving a desired result, each carrying a specific frequency or vibration. The quality of the vibration will depend on the intensity, desire and will of the one producing it. Because most of us are not fluent with the forms discussed in this introduction, we have found modern equivalent ones such as affirmations and toning practices to create personal vibrational tools for ourselves. Regardless of the form, the intent is to align our physical selves with the more spiritual energies of life.
There are several prenatal stimulation programs around the world but few focus on the spiritual aspect of pregnancy and for this we are grateful to the Swami of India and his vision. We believe that culture plays an important role in nurturing the unborn baby. One cannot exactly transpose ideas from one culture to another without taking into account their belief systems, religion, life style, etc. However, we can learn from one another and find corresponding ways of support for pregnant couples and their babies as they enter this world.
1 Dewhurst-Maddock, Olivea. Sound Therapy. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1993, p. 88.
2 Gardner, Kay. Sounding the Inner Landscape. Stonington, Maine: Caduceus Publications, 1990, p. 48.
3 Dewhurst-Maddock, Op.cit., p. 92.
4 Beaulieu, John. Music and Sound in the Healing Arts. New York: Station Hill Press, Inc., 1987, p. 103.
5 Stark, Mary, editor. Booklet accompanying the CD, The Gayatri Mantra. Galaxy Publications & Recordings. Quebec, Canada, 1994.
6 Ibid.
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