Dr Gemma Perry

Dr Gemma Perry Researcher, educater, meditation and yoga facilitator, investigating and sharing the psychology of mantra meditation 🕉

02/09/2026

“I treasure mud, without which - no lotus”

Jan Gillies
Founder, Inspire! Dementia Friendly Choir

02/09/2026

“I treasure mud, without which - no lotus”
Jan Gillies, founder, Inspire! Dementia friendly choir

31/08/2026

“Om Mani Padme Hum” is a Tibetan Buddhist mantra. It is associated with Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

Translated loosely as the jewel within the lotus. 🪷

The six syllables ( om - ma - ni - pad - me - hum ) are said to be associated with purification of qualities such as pride, jealousy, desire, ignorance, greed and aggression.

27/08/2026

Stunning exhibition Art Gallery NSW
Avatar Forms of Vishnu.

Vishnu is associated with the yogic philosophy that we are everything as well as inside everything, limitless, unchanging and transcendent.

“You are all as much extraordinary phenomenon of nature as trees, clouds, the patterns in running water, the flickering of fire, the arrangement of the stars, and the form of a galaxy”
- Alan Watts

Special to return to home base Macquarie University where we ran our very first experiment on chanting! I gave a guest l...
24/08/2026

Special to return to home base Macquarie University where we ran our very first experiment on chanting!
I gave a guest lecture today on chanting and altered states of consciousness. The students were so brilliant. So smart. So up for sound practices. ♥️

20/08/2026

Om Namah Shivaya is a well-known mantra, particularly important in Vedic traditions.

Namah Shivaya is known as the five-syllable mantra, or Panchakshara:

Na - Earth
Ma - Water
Śi - Fire
Vā - Air
Ya - Ether

So when we chant Om Namah Shivaya it is believed that we are working with and balancing the elements of earth, water, fire, air and space.

Have you ever worked with this mantra? Would love to know your experiences with it.

🔱

Join us in Hobart Udara Movement Studio - Hobart on the 13th September for an evidence-based exploration of how mantra m...
19/08/2026

Join us in Hobart Udara Movement Studio - Hobart on the 13th September for an evidence-based exploration of how mantra meditation changes the brain.

🧠 In this interactive 2.5-hour workshop, you will experience a range of evidence-based mantra and sound meditation practices while exploring the latest neuroscience behind their effects on the brain and nervous system.

🕉️ Discover how different forms of contemplative sound influence attention, stress, emotional regulation, social connection, and altered states of consciousness. Learn why not all sound-based practices have the same effects, and how specific techniques can be used to support different psychological and physiological outcomes.

🧘‍♀️ You will leave with practical, evidence-based meditation techniques that you can incorporate into your own practice or share with your clients.
You will learn:

* The neuroscience of mantra and contemplative sound
* How different sound practices affect the brain and body
* The role of mantra in stress reduction, wellbeing and social connection
* Practical techniques to support brain health and optimal wellbeing
* How to apply these practices safely and effectively in everyday life or professional settings

Link in bio to book: Earlybird til 30 August, apply code: NRSCMNTR

17/08/2026

🧠 One of the most interesting findings from neuroscience research on mantra practice is its relationship with the default mode network (DMN), a network of brain regions involved in internally focused thinking, including self-referential thought and mind wandering.

Research using brain imaging has found reduced activity in the DMN during mantra recitation.

Why is this important?

When the mind is caught up in repetitive thoughts, worries, memories or planning, the DMN is activated, so when it is deactivated (during sound practices) we get a tiny break from thinking about ourselves and ruminating!

A mantra or sound can give our attention something simple and rhythmic to return to. Rather than trying to stop thinking, the practice may help shift our attention away from habitual thought loops.

Try it.

Recently, I was invited to speak in Singapore on the science of chanting. I didn’t reply. Why? The email was in my junk ...
12/08/2026

Recently, I was invited to speak in Singapore on the science of chanting. I didn’t reply. Why? The email was in my junk folder! Luckily, someone knew another way to get to me, found me, and I very much look forward to speaking in Singapore next year.

Today, it happened again! I found an email in my junk folder for a workshop I would have loved to be at… it happened 3 hours ago 😿

So. Please. Am I going to your junk folder? Did you get your sound toolkit? Did you see me fighting through the spam filters to make it to your inbox with some solid info on the power of sound?

And maybe there is some more magic in your junk folder 🤷‍♀️ have a look!

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Brisbane, QLD

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