Impact of Gayatri Sadhana Camp on Stress and Well-being Parameters: A Mixed-method Study

Abstract

A BSTRACT

Background
Meditation using mantras is widely practiced in India and the world. Among the ancient Vedic mantras, the Gayatri Mantra (GM) holds profound significance. Despite its importance, limited scientific studies explore its effects. However, the research on the comprehensive effect of GM sadhana, including its components as explained in the traditional text, has been underexplored. Therefore, this study explores the effect of GM-based practices in a camp on the stress and well-being indicators of individuals by employing a mixed-method study design.

Methodology
The study involved 32 participants (18 males, 14 females; mean age = 50.44 years) attending a residential camp of Gayatri Sadhana. Psychological assessments were conducted using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, Scale of General Well-Being, Peace of Mind Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale, at the beginning and end of the camp. In addition, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interview schedules to understand the participant’s experiences with the Gayatri Sadhana program.

Results:
Result showed a significant improvement in positive affect, general well-being, peace of mind, and a significant reduction in stress and negative affect among all participants ( P < 0.01). The qualitative interview responses revealed mental health benefits across various domains. The findings from the standard questionnaire strongly correlated with the qualitative responses from the interview schedule.

Conclusion
Gayatri Sadhana appears to possess the potential to alleviate stress and enhance the general well-being of individuals. This study sheds light on the benefits of this ancient mantra-based practice and suggests its relevance in promoting overall well-being.

Full text

24 © 2024 Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
 Meditation using mantras is widely practiced in India and the world.
Among the ancient Vedic mantras, the Gayatri Mantra (GM) holds profound
signicance. Despite its importance, limited scientic studies explore its eects.
However, the research on the comprehensive eect of GM sadhana, including its
components as explained in the traditional text, has been underexplored. Therefore,
this study explores the eect of GM‑based practices in a camp on the stress and
well‑being indicators of individuals by employing a mixed‑method study design.
Methodology: The study involved 32 participants (18 males, 14 females; mean
age = 50.44 years) attending a residential camp of Gayatri Sadhana. Psychological
assessments were conducted using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience,
Scale of General Well‑Being, Peace of Mind Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale,
at the beginning and end of the camp. In addition, qualitative data were collected
through semi‑structured interview schedules to understand the participant’s
experiences with the Gayatri Sadhana program. Results: Result showed a
signicant improvement in positive aect, general well‑being, peace of mind, and a
signicant reduction in stress and negative aect among all participants (P < 0.01).
The qualitative interview responses revealed mental health benets across various
domains. The ndings from the standard questionnaire strongly correlated with the
qualitative responses from the interview schedule.  Gayatri Sadhana
appears to possess the potential to alleviate stress and enhance the general
well‑being of individuals. This study sheds light on the benets of this ancient
mantra‑based practice and suggests its relevance in promoting overall well‑being.
 Gayatri Mantra, peace of mind, stress, well-being
Submission: 06‑11‑2023, Revision: 21‑12‑2023,
Acceptance: 24‑12‑2023, Publication: 25‑01‑2024


Nitesh Sharma1, Jyoti Kumar1,2, Viralkumar Patel3, Rahul Garg1,4,5
Access this article online
Quick Response Code:
Website: www.jacsonline.in
DOI: 10.4103/jacs.jacs_152_23
Address for correspondence: Dr. Nitesh Sharma,
NRCVEE, 401, 3rd Floor, 5th Block, Indian Institute of Technology
Delhi, New Delhi ‑ 110 016, India.
E‑mail: nitesh.dsvv@gmail.com
as complementary therapies for the management of
mental health problems (Goyal et al., 2014; Galante et al.,
2014; Hofmann et al., 2010). The practice of meditation
includes a variety of techniques, but depending on their
approaches, they have been classied into two main
categories: (i) Concentrative meditation, which involves
focusing the attention on a single object such as mantra
Original Article

Meditation is one of the ancient techniques that has
been practiced for thousands of years in many
cultures and religions across the world (Sanchetee and
Shreyas Pragya, 2020; Wang et al., 2019). The practice
of meditation often involves attentional training (Zeidan
et al., 2010) towards the development of deeper insight
into the nature of mental processes, consciousness,
identity, and reality (Walsh, 1983), leading to the
achievement of inner awareness and relaxed state of mind.
Due to the global increase in mental disorders (Steel
et al., 2014), meditation practices have gained popularity
1National Resource Centre
for Value Education in
Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology Delhi,
Departments of 2Design
and 4Computer Science and
Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology Delhi, 5Amar
Nath and Shashi Khosla
School of Information
Technology, Indian Institute
of Technology Delhi,
New Delhi, 3Yagyavalkya
Centre for Yagya
Research, Dev Sanskriti
Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar,
Uttarakhand, India

This is an open access journal, and arcles are distributed under the terms of the
Creave Commons Aribuon-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows
others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as
appropriate credit is given and the new creaons are licensed under the idencal
terms.
For reprints contact: WKHLRPMedknow_reprints@wolterskluwer.com
How to cite this article: Sharma N, Kumar J, Patel V, Garg R. Impact
of Gayatri Sadhana camp on stress and well-being parameters:
A mixed-method study. J Appl Conscious Stud 2024;12:24-32.
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Sharma, et al.: Gayatri Mantra and well‑being
25
Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies ¦ Volume 12 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January‑June 2024
or breath and (ii) Open‑mindedness meditation, which
involves awareness of the continuous passing ow of
thoughts, emotions, and sensations without identifying
oneself with them. Meditation like Zen, Vipassana,
and Mindfulness are some of the examples of open
mindedness meditation (Sanchetee and Shreyas Pragya,
2020; Davidson and Goleman, 1977).
Mantra meditation, a form of concentrative meditation, is
a method of repeatedly chanting certain sounds known as
mantras for developing inner peace and achieving higher
spiritual awareness (Lynch et al., 2018; Parthasarathi,
2020). Mantra meditation has its roots in spiritual
practices of many ancient traditions, including Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, and others (Lopez, 1995). The earliest
mantras were composed in Vedic literature thousands of
years ago. Among the traditional Indian Vedic mantras,
one of the most popularly chanted mantras has been the
Gayatri Mantra (GM) (Acharya, 2003). GM is one of the
most signicant hymns in the Vedas (Dudeja, 2017). GM,
along with Yajna (a religious re ritual performed with
the chanting of mantras), has been considered to be one
of the most benecial practices for the well‑being of the
individual and the society from the Vedic period (Acharya,
2001; Dwivedi, 1917; Rastogi et al., 2021). The
practice of GM has been an integral part of daily life
among the people of the Indian subcontinent (Acharya,
2003). In Indian tradition, the ultimate goal of spiritual
practice (sadhana) is to achieve the highest level of
universal consciousness (kaivalya) (Vivekananda, 1915;
Saraswati, 2008). Mantras have long been used for the
attainment of spiritual goals (Pandya, 2010).
Earlier studies have found that mantra meditation has a
moderately positive eect on mental health and stress
reduction (Álvarez‑Pérez et al., 2022; Lynch et al.,
2018; Tseng, 2022). Specically, GM chanting has been
reported to improve the quality of life (Thrisna‑Dewi
et al., 2020), reduce stress (Sharma and Singh, 2014),
reduce anxiety (Sudha, 2020; Ketut‑Candrawati et al.,
2018), and improvement in electroencephalogram (EEG)
waves (Thomas and Rao, 2016). However, the previous
studies have mainly focused on the single component
of the GM chanting or listening. They did not include
the other prescribed components of the GM Sadhana as
described in the traditional literature (Acharya, 2003).
It is argued here that the comprehensive eect of the
GM Sadhana thus has remained underexplored. This
study has tried to study the comprehensive eect of the
GM Sadhana, along with its components as organized
in a Gayatri Sadhana camp, on well‑being parameters.
Sadhana camps provide good opportunities for study
on comprehensive GM Sadhana as they include all the
components of sadhana in an organized manner.
Gayatri Sadhana and its components
The Gayatri Sadhana involves chanting the GM thrice a
day (trikaal sandhya), i.e. in the morning, at noon, and in
the evening. Observation of inner disciplines (sanyams)
and regulated sadhana routines are strictly followed
during Gayatri Sadhana camps. Comprehensive Gayatri
Sadhana camp designed by Pandit Shri Ram Sharma
Acharya includes: (a) Sadhana (personal spiritual
practices). (b) Swadhyaya (self‑study or reading spiritual
texts), (c) Sanyam (self‑restraints), and (d) Sewa (seless
services) (Acharya, 2003; Acharya, 2010).
Sadhana
The spiritual sadhana of Gayatri is done using the
following processes.
i. Atma shodhan (Self-purication) – It is a
sanctication process performed with the intent of
purifying the mind and body before the beginning of
sadhana. It involves pavitrikaran, achaman, shikha
vandanam, pranayama, and nyasa
ii. Dev poojan (Prayers) – It is the process of prayer
for invoking the Gayatri as a deity goddess and
establishing a connection by worshiping
iii. Japa and Dhyana (Silent mantra recitation and
concentration) – This process involves the silent
recitation of the GM along with the concentration on
the mental image of the deity Gayatri or the rising
sun. Its objective is to invite divinity in oneself and
illuminate one’s inner self
iv. Surya-Arghyadanam (Oerings to the Sun) – After
completion of japa, the water contained in
the pot (kalasha) kept at the place of worship
during mantra japa has to be oered to the
sun with the intent of surrendering individual
consciousness to the universal consciousness (Virat
Brahm)
v. Gayatri yajna – It is done with chanting of Gayatri
mantra and oering herbal incensory materials in the
holy re of yajna as aahuti. It is performed for the
universal peace and purication of the environment.
Swadhyaya (self‑study)
Swadhyaya is a method of purifying and molding
thoughts. It deals with the study of one’s self (one’s
aspirations, thoughts, attitude, and conduct) in the light
of elevated thoughts of enlightened personalities, yogis,
or spiritual gurus through lectures, spiritual discourses,
or reading their books. It prevents the mind from falling
into a spiral of negative thoughts, and it leads to the
righteous path (Sao et al., 2013).
Sanyam (self‑restraints and self‑discipline)
Acharya Shriram Sharma has described four types
of sanyams (continence) to be observed during
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Sharma, et al.: Gayatri Mantra and well‑being
26 Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies ¦ Volume 12 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January‑June 2024
Gayatri Sadhana for success, and they are: (i)
Samay sanyam (use of time in a well‑planned and
systematic manner for spiritual progress) (ii) Vichar
sanyam (restraining mind from useless wandering and
channelizing it into constructive work or for progress
in spiritual sadhana) (iii) Arth sanyam (thoughtful use
of money, and not being spendthrifts) and (iv) Indriya
sanyam (restrain over senses, especially taste, and lust,
by having very simple sattvic food in the diet and by
observing celibacy during sadhana). The practitioners
following sanyam are prescribed to eat sattvic food
during sadhana, which constitutes light, fresh, juicy, and
easily digestible foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole
grains, and other vegetarian food items which are said to
promote good health and calmness in mind, essential for
sadhana. (Dhanya et al., 2019; Bansal and Srivastava,
2022; Mukundananda, 2021).
Sewa(selessservice)
It literally means seless service. Sewa is an essential
component of Gayatri Sadhana, where one must
voluntarily oer altruistic services for the welfare of
others with compassion, cooperation, and dedication.
Sewa has been described as practical spirituality by
Mahatma Gandhi (Rao, 2011). This noble process of
selessness helps in the purication of the mind and
emotions (bhava shuddhi) and leads to transcendental
experiences (Johnstone et al., 2016).
Daily routine in Gayatri Sadhana camp
The day in the camp starts at 3:30 am in the morning
and ends at 8.30 pm in the night. The daily routine
during the Gayatri Sadhana camp is shown in Table 1.

Study design and setting
This research employed a mixed‑method study design
consisting of two distinct phases. In the initial phase,
quantitative data were collected by the use of standard
psychological scales, followed by the collection of
qualitative data through semi‑structured interview
schedules in the second phase. The study was carried out
at the Gayatri ashram Sagwara, Rajasthan, India, during
the period of an organized camp of Gayatri Sadhana
from December 21, 2020 to December 29, 2020 at the
center. The participants stayed full‑time in the ashram
during the 9‑day Gayatri Sadhana camp.
Participants
A total of 32 participants (18 males and 14 females; age
range 15–74 years; mean age = 50.44 years) participated
voluntarily in this study. The sample size determination
was based on the eect sizes calculated from a similar
study conducted by Arya et al. (2017), where the eect
sizes for well‑being on the Flourishing Scale and the
Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE)
were found to be 0.61 and 0.81, respectively.
Considering a median eect size of 0.60, an alpha level
of 0.05, and a power of 90%, the estimated sample size
for paired dierences was determined to be 32 using
G*power. The sample size in the present study meets the
required sample size of 32.
Participants’ demographic details, including their age,
educational qualication, marital status, and occupations,
are given in Table 2.
Data collection
Presadhana data were collected a day before the
beginning of the camp and postsadhana data was

 Activities in Sadhana camp
3.30 am Wake up and take a bath (the day in the camp starts at 3.30 am)
4.15–5.45 am Gayatri Mantra Meditation (rst session) (group meditation in meditation hall)
6.00–7.30 am Gayatri Yajna (performed by all participants for universal peace)
7.45–9.45 am Yoga‑asana class
10.00–11.00 am Spiritual discourse (session 1) (discourse on the importance of Gayatri Sadhana in life)
11.00–1.00 pm Lunch break and rest
1.00–2.00 pm Gayatri Mantra Meditation (second session)
2.00–4.00 pm Spiritual discourse (session 2)
4.00–4.30 pm Evening meal
4.30–5.30 pm Rest
5.30–6.30 pm Gayatri Mantra Meditation (third session)
6.30–7.00 pm Swadhyaya (study literature for spiritual growth and self‑renement)
7.00–8.00 pm Sewa in the ashram premises (voluntarily cleaning the ashram, helping in the kitchen,
preparing meditation hall for morning sadhana, etc.)
After 8.30 pm Sleep
Lunch and evening meals consisted of pure vegetarian sattvic food consisting of fruits, juices, vegetables, and chapatis
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Sharma, et al.: Gayatri Mantra and well‑being
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Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies ¦ Volume 12 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January‑June 2024
collected at the end of the 9‑day camp. Participants were
requested to ll the psychological scales. Data were
collected from the participants using an online form
consisting of a consent form, demographic details, and
selected psychological scales. Apart from psychological
scales, participants’ subjective responses on their
experiences in the sadhana camp were also collected by
the semi‑structured interview schedule at the end of the
program. Approval for the conduction of the study was
sought from the center. This study was a preliminary
pilot exploratory study and a part of the broad study
project titled “Psycho and neurophysiological study of
GM meditation on well‑being.” The ethical clearance for
the study project was obtained from the institute’s ethics
board (No.P021/P074). Informed consent was obtained
from all the participants and the study was conducted in
compliance with the ethical standards of Helsinki. The
participation in the study was on a voluntary basis.
The standard scales used for data collection are
described below.
Measures used
Scaleofpositiveandnegative experience
The SPANE scale measures positive feelings such
as good, pleasant, happy, joyful, and contented, and
negative feelings such as bad, unpleasant, sad, afraid,
and angry with a total of 12 items on a Likert scale
of 1–5 (from very rarely or never to very often or
always) (Li et al., 2013). The scale assesses positive
feelings (SPANE‑P), negative feelings (SPANE‑N),
and an overall balance eect (SPANE‑B). The
Cronbach’s coecients for SPANE‑P (a = 0.80) and for
SPANE‑N (a = 0.81) were found to be acceptable in
the present study and also in the previous study (Arya
et al., 2017). This scale has been adapted (Mishra and
Dixit, 2017) and validated in Indian population (Singh
et al., 2016).
Scaleofgeneralwell‑being
The scale of general well‑being developed by Longo
et al., 2018, was used to measure general well‑being
through 14 common constructs as indicators of
well‑being, for example happiness, vitality, calmness,
optimism, life purpose, self‑worth, development,
connection, etc., All 14 items were phrased positively
and rated on a Likert scale from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (very
true), indicating experiences in life overall. Cronbach
alpha for this scale was 0.89 in this study. This scale
has been previously used in the Indian population (Sahni
et al., 2021).
Peace of Mind Scale
The Peace of Mind Scale (POMS) developed by
Lee et al., 2013, was used to measure peace of mind
through a single‑factor model presented by POMS. The
scale consists of a 5‑item scale that measures aective
well‑being. The items reect the experiences of internal
peace and harmony. Cronbach’s alpha value for this scale
in this study was 0.88. This scale has been validated in
the Indian population (Singh et al., 2016) and has been
previously used in studies on Indian samples (Chandran
and Unniraman, 2019; Sahni et al., 2021).
PerceivedStressScale
The Perceived Stress Scale is a 10‑item scale developed
by Cohen et al. (1983). It is the most widely used
psychological instrument for measuring the perception of
stress. It is a measure of the degree to which situations
in one’s life are appraised as stressful. The Cronbach
alpha for this scale is 0.79 in the present study. This
scale has been previously used in Indian settings for the
assessment of stress (Pangtey et al., 2020) and has been
validated in the Indian sample (Jaiswal et al., 2021).
Semi‑structuredinterviewschedule
A semi‑structured interview was conducted at the end
of the program using a set of open‑ended questions
comprising three key inquiries: “What was the purpose
of joining this program,” “What was the eect of this
program on your mental health,” “Which activity did
you like the most in this program?” The open‑ended
questions printed on the sheet were provided to all the
participants and the participants had to respond to them
in their writing on these sheets.

Participant’s characteristics Number of participants (n
Age range (years) 15–74
Mean age (years) 50.44
Gender
Male 18
Female 14
Marital status
Married 24
Unmarried 7
Widowed 1
Educational qualication
Postgraduate 9
Graduate 15
Intermediate (10+2) 1
High school 6
Below high school 1
Occupation
Government jobs 8
Homemaker 6
Retired 6
Social work 3
Business 5
Students 4
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Sharma, et al.: Gayatri Mantra and well‑being
28 Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies ¦ Volume 12 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January‑June 2024
Data analysis
Data from the responses to the questionnaires at
pre‑ and postsadhana were analyzed using paired t‑tests
on IBM SPSS Statistics software version 26, developed
by IBM Corporation, (New York, United States).
Before applying the t‑test on the data of each scale, the
Shapiro–Wilk test was performed to determine whether
the variables followed a normal distribution, which
was found to be the case (P > 0.05), showing the data
are normally distributed. The eect size for the paired
dierences between the two means at baseline and after
the intervention was calculated using Cohen’s d, which
was found to be above d > 0.66, as shown in Table 3.

Results from questionnaires
The result from the questionnaires is presented in
Table 3.
Table 3 shows the pre‑ and postcomparison of
well‑being and stress‑related measures. The paired t‑test
results showed that there was a signicant increase in
the scores of positive aect (SPANE‑P) (t = −3.448,
P = 0.002), SPANE‑Balance (t = −3.674, P = 0.001),
general well‑being (t = −4.336, P = 0.000), and peace
of mind (t = −3.040, P = 0.005), all P < 0.05. There
was also a signicant reduction in the negative
aect (SPANE‑N) (t = 2.719, P = 0.011) and perceived
stress (t = 4.463, P = 0.000) from its baseline scores, all
P < 0.05.
Qualitative results from interview schedule
The qualitative data received from the interview
schedule were analyzed using the content analysis
method, which determines the presence of certain words
or themes within the given data. (Downe‑Wamboldt,
1992; Krippendor, 2018). An inductive approach was
chosen in which themes were strongly linked to the
data and not to predened concepts. Data analysis was
performed in the following steps: reading the responses
of the participants, identifying the unique information,
as well as the presence of recurring responses from
each question. Thereafter, writing down the initial
codes. Codes were then sorted on the basis of similar
content and aggregated to form themes and subthemes
on the basis of the frequency of similar responses which
are reported along with participant’s quotations and
participant’s number (e.g., P1 or P2), as presented in
Table 4.
The eect of Gayatri Sadhana camp on mental health
from the participants qualitative responses is presented
in Figure 1.
Correlation of qualitative data with psychological
assessment scales
On analysis, it was observed that those participants who
reported improvement in their peace of mind, sleep
quality and reduction in anxiety and stress, also had
an overall average reduction of stress score (−5.58),
negative aect (−2.21), improvement in peace of mind
score (+3.06), well‑being score (+7.72), and positive
aect (+3.03) on the psychological assessment scales.
The ndings derived from standard questionnaires
correlates well with the qualitative responses. Therefore,
it appears those who had improvement in their
psychological well‑being scores also had experienced an
enhanced state of well‑being after the camp.

This study has found a signicant improvement in
t
Scales and factor Presadhana Postsadhana n t P 
Mean  Mean 
SPANE‑Positive 23.19 3.43 26.09 2.95 32 −3.448 0.002* 0.91
SPANE‑Negative 14.13 3.31 11.66 4.14 32 2.719 0.011* 0.66
SPANE‑ Balance 9.06 5.30 14.44 6.41 32 −3.674 0.001* 0.91
SGWB 52.25 9.63 60.06 9.38 32 −4.336 0.000* 0.82
POM 18.22 4.41 21.03 4.04 32 −3.040 0.005* 0.66
PSS 16.63 4.74 10.97 7.07 32 4.463 0.000* 0.94
*Signicant at P<0.05. Cohen’s d: Eect size. SPANE: Scale of positive and negative experiences, SGWB: Scale of general well‑being,
POM: Peace of Mind Scale, PSS: Perceived Stress Scale, SD: Standard deviation
 Showing the eect of the Gayatri Sadhana camp on mental
health
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Sharma, et al.: Gayatri Mantra and well‑being
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Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies ¦ Volume 12 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January‑June 2024
mental well‑being scores after systematically practicing
the GM sadhana as per the traditional ritualistic method
including all the components as prescribed by the ancient
Indian scriptures and advocated by the great practitioners
of the GM. The study was conducted in a Gayatri
Sadhana camp which was fully residential for 9 days,
including all components of sadhana in an organized
manner. The result showed a signicant improvement in

Serial number   
A Motivation
for joining
the program
Mental and
physical health
benets
Twenty‑four out of 32 participants expressed their primary motivation for joining the
program was to improve their physical and mental health. Few participants dened
their goal as “to gain the health benets.” (P1) and to gain “mental and physical
purication” (P3). One participant (P7) expressed obtaining “Peace of mind” as the
main reason for enrolment
Spiritual
progress
Further, six participants stated spiritual progress as their primary motive for attending
this sadhana program. One of the participants stated her motive for joining the camp as
a desire to obtain “peace of mind and maintaining a connection with the spiritual guru
and the divine mother Gayatri” (P21)
B Mental
health and
well‑being
Enhanced peace
of mind
One of the questions asked was: What was the eect of this program on your mental
health? to which 16 out of 32 participants reported experiencing enhanced peace of
mind after the end of the sadhana camp. One of the participants stated this feeling by
saying, “I am feeling a sense of peace” (P9). Another participant stated, “there is peace
in my mind” (P31)
On further analysis, it was found that all sixteen participants who reported enhancement
in their peace of mind on interview questions also had an average reduction of
stress (−3.86) and negative aect (−2.07), the average improvement in peace of mind
score (+3.36), well‑being score (+7.21) and positive aect (+3.29) on the standard
psychological scales at the end of the camp
Reduction in
anxiety and
stress
Fourteen out of 32 participants reported a reduction in either anxiety or stress, fear,
anger, and worry. One of the participants stated such feelings after the sadhana camp by
saying, “A reduction in stress, anxiety, anger, insomnia, and fear has occurred in this
camp.” (P9). Another participant expressed his feeling as “felt a reduction in stress,
worry, and restlessness” (P16)
All participants who reported experiencing a reduction in either of these distress (stress,
anxiety, fear, anger, and worry) also had an average reduction of stress (−8.39)
and negative aect (−3.69), average improvement in peace of mind score (+4.30),
well‑being score (+9.16) and positive aect (+3.69) on the standard scales at post camp
Improved sleep
quality
Four participants reported a decrease in insomnia and sleeplessness, accompanied
by an improvement in the quality of their sleep. One of the participants expressed
this experience by stating, “I am experiencing good sleep” (P5). Similarly, another
participant reported a reduction in stress‑related outcomes and insomnia by stating, “A
reduction in stress, anxiety, anger, insomnia, and fear has occurred in this camp” (P9)
On analysis, it was found that all participants who reported improved sleep quality also
had an average reduction of stress (−3.5) and negative aect (−0.25). Furthermore,
an average improvement in peace of mind score (+2.25), well‑being score (+9.5), and
positive aect (+5.0) on the standard scales
C Wholesome
experience
of the
sadhana
program
Overall program
satisfaction
All the participants had positive feedback about the activities in the program, but their
preferences for liked activities varied among them. The majority of the participants, 18
out of 32, reported that they liked all the activities oered in the program, encompassing
the Gayatri mantra meditation, yajna (a ritualistic re ceremony), yoga, spiritual
discourses, and evening prayer. One of the participants expressed his satisfaction by
saying, “All activities were very good” (P13)
Preference for
specic activities
Thirteen out of 32 participants expressed a strong preference for the Gayatri mantra
meditation, yajna, and yoga practices. One participant personally stated that she enjoyed
morning “Gayatri mantra meditation” and “performing yajna” after waking up in the
morning (P24). Another participant expressed his view by saying that “morning mantra
sadhana, yoga, and yagya felt very good.” (P7). Some participants (n=5) also expressed
their preference for spiritual discourses. One participant explicitly stated that he
“enjoyed the cherishing moments of sadhana experiences and group discussions” (P19)
Desire for longer
camp duration
One of the participants reported that such a type of sadhana camp should be run for a
longer duration (P26)
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Sharma, et al.: Gayatri Mantra and well‑being
30 Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies ¦ Volume 12 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January‑June 2024
peace of mind, general well‑being, and positive aect,
along with a signicant reduction in perceived stress and
negative aect. All the self‑report measures indicated
that the Gayatri Sadhana camp program may have been
eective in improving the well‑being of the individuals
which may be potentially attributed to the impact of the
sadhana practices during the camp.
The reason for the ndings in this study may be attributed
due to the practice of mantra meditation, which has been
previously reported to bring about relaxation in the mind
and body through parasympathetic dominance (Inbaraj
et al., 2022). Another possible explanation could be
attributed to the subtle energy produced by the chanting
of the GM, which is said to activate the subtle glands
and vital energy centers (chakras) of the body (Acharya,
2000). The activation of these subtle glands is said to
produce a signicant positive eect on the mind. Apart
from it, the GM is a prayer for wisdom and good
health, and its repeated chanting with devotion may
bring changes in the psyche accordingly (Acharya,
2011). Besides mantra, the sattvic food served is also
said to promote happiness and satisfaction in the
mind (Mukundananda, 2021). Further, the practice
of swadhyaya is also reported in purifying the mind
and preventing it from falling into the clutches of
negative thoughts (Sao et al., 2013). The practice
of sanyam (self‑restraints) prevents the mind from
external disturbances and channelizes it toward spiritual
progress (Acharya, 2000). The yoga‑asana provides
exibility, mental balance, and strength (Wiese et al.,
2019). All these components of the sadhana practiced
comprehensively in the Gayatri Sadhana camp may have
contributed to improving the mental well‑being of the
individuals.
Furthermore, in order to gain insight into the
participants’ experiences in the Gayatri Sadhana camp
in qualitative terms, a semi‑structured interview was
conducted. In response to the open‑ended questions of
the semi‑structured interview schedule, the majority of
the participants reported their motive for joining this
program was the improvement in their physical and
mental health. Some participants mentioned the spiritual
sadhana and spiritual progress as their main reasons.
The participants reported a remarkable improvement
in their mental health domain, such as experiencing
enhanced peace of mind, reduction in anxiety and
stress, and improvement in their sleep quality. Apart
from improvement in mental health, most of the
participants liked all the activities of the program, and
some participants expressed their desire that such a type
of program should be organized for a longer duration.
Their expression indicates that the participants felt that
they benetted from this Gayatri Sadhana camp in the
improvements of their mental well‑being. Furthermore,
it was observed that the participants who reported
improvement in their peace of mind, sleep quality, and
reduction in anxiety and stress, also had an average
reduction of stress score, and negative aect, along
with improvement in peace of mind, positive aect, and
well‑being scores on the standard scales. The subjective
responses on interview schedules showed a strong
correlation with the scores of the self‑report measures.
The ndings of the present study are similar to the
ndings of the previous study done by Arya et al., 2017.
They found a signicant improvement in well‑being
parameters following 5 days of Sahaj Marg meditation.
Another study found improvement in mindfulness
and well‑being by meditation retreat compared to
vacation (Blasche et al., 2021). Similarly, Vipassana
meditation retreat also showed a signicant decrease
in depression and anxiety and an increase in the level
of mindfulness (Cohen et al., 2017). Meditation and
yoga practices were also found to be helpful in the
signicant reduction of stress during the COVID‑19
pandemic (Sahni et al., 2021; Sharma et al., 2022)
and benecial for physical and mental health (Sharma,
2020). The results of the present study are largely
consistent with the ndings of the existing literature on
meditation practices.
The ndings of the present study suggest that Gayatri
Sadhana possess the potential to alleviate stress and
enhance the general well‑being of individuals. This study
sheds light on the benets of this ancient mantra‑based
practice and suggests its relevance in promoting mental
health and overall well‑being. Further studies with
suitable randomized controlled trials are needed to study
this eect further.
The strength of the study lies in the employment of the
mixed method for data collection, which helps in a deeper
understanding of the phenomenon to answer the research
question. Apart from strengths, there are several limitations
that oer important directions for future research. First,
there was a lack of a suitable matched control group to
completely explain the eectiveness of Gaytari Sadhana
camp. The second limitation was that there were no
follow‑up assessments to assess the long‑lasting eects of
this program, which could have brought better insight.
Future studies could be done by employment of the
control group and large sample size, along with follow‑up
assessment to better understand the long‑lasting eect
associated with this program. Other studies could also be
done by the use of some physiological parameters such
as EEG, heart rate variability, changes in blood pressure,
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Sharma, et al.: Gayatri Mantra and well‑being
31
Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies ¦ Volume 12 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January‑June 2024
and stress hormones, along with the psychological
parameters, to draw a deep insight from the results in
the future.
Acknowledgment
The authors acknowledge the valuable contribution of
Shri Bhupendra Ji Pandey, Shri Harimukh Ji, and Shri
Prakash Nagda ji from Gayatri center Sagwara, Rajasthan,
who facilitated the successful conduct of the study.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conicts of interest
There are no conicts of interest.
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