Mantras are a way of entering your being through the vibrations of sound, opening up and connecting with your true self. Using mantras in your yoga practice can bring strength and power to your intentions.
As meditation has grown in popularity, so has the use of mantras. Mantras are a form of meditation, and regular practice of meditation itself has many benefits. Some of the brain changes that occur promote health and well-being, longevity, improve resilience, focus, and increase the amount of gray matter associated with memory and emotional processing. There is no doubt that meditation is powerful, and mantra meditation is equally powerful. Mantras are used to set a specific intention in your mind, and when mantras are used, the mind calms external thoughts and deepens your practice.
“The practice of meditation is a precise and precise technique for exploring layers of ourselves and ultimately experiencing our inner centers of consciousness.” -Swami Rama
A mantra is a word, phrase, or sound used to encourage a specific intention, either by repeating the mantra out loud or in your head. It is a method of meditation because it requires concentration. In the meditation tradition, ancient teachings hold that mantra and meditation are like “two sides of the same coin” that go hand in hand, explains Swami Rama, founder of Himalayan Academy. The word mantra itself comes from two Sanskrit words, manas (thought) and tra (tool). Mantra is a tool for calming your mind, focusing and immersing yourself in meditation and the deep states of our being.
Mantra is a sound vibration through which we can focus our attention. Our feelings and our highest intentions. Girish
One of the reasons mantra meditation is so beneficial is that it allows you to focus on something. If you’re someone who tends to daydream or have farfetched thoughts (and I know I am), meditation can become difficult. Letting go of your thoughts happens to everyone and gets easier with practice. Just like playing the piano or exercising, you need regular practice to show results and improvement. So by using the mantra as the focal point of repetition, you are training your brain to increase attention to a particular point and bring more energy associated with the mantra.
Our consciousness takes on the qualities we hold in consciousness. Jon Janaka
There are hundreds of mantras in different languages today, and they are modern words, phrases, and traditional sounds that have been absorbed into the tradition of yoga and meditation. The first recorded mantras were not actually words in any language, but sounds obtained in deep meditation. They are generic sounds… like “om” (sound familiar?). “Om” is usually sung at the beginning and end of practice. It is the universal sound that vibrates together with all beings. Chanting “Om” during practice is said to calm the mind, grounding your being and connecting you with the universe.
“Over time, this vibration penetrates deep into your consciousness, eventually helping you feel its presence as a sexual force – a powerful but subtle force at work within each of us, drawing us deeper into the Layered states of consciousness.” – Sally Kempton
Mantras can be practiced in different ways. This can be done through chanting or chanting with a group called kirtan. Or say it alone in your head, loudly or quietly. Another technique involves strings of beads called mara beads. The rope has exactly 108 beads for practitioners to run their fingers through each bead and repeat their mantra with each bead. This method is called Japa. The use of japa mantra meditation has been shown to slow breathing, increase overall well-being and help maintain focus.
15 spells
15 spells
Here is a list of 15 mantras to use with your yoga practice to instill a powerful and interconnected yoga practice. Some are in Sanskrit, an ancient yoga language that has been used for thousands of years. The tradition of these spells can even connect with those who practiced the tradition many years before us and us all around the world. Some of the mantras here are written in English and have become more modern mantras, but can also evoke great depth, connection and power for yourself and your interactions with the world.
- “om gan ganapataye namah”
significance:
Say hello to Ganesh.
O Ganesha, the tall god with the curved torso,
Its brilliance is equivalent to thousands of suns.
free me from obstacles,
In everything, at any time.
This is the mantra for removing obstacles. Ganesh is an elephant god who removes obstacles. This spell awakens the root chakra, helping to deepen your connection to home, keeping you grounded and away from obstacles in your path.
significance:
May the rulers of the earth protect the welfare of the people,
In the right way, in the right way.
May all beings be happy forever.
May all the inhabitants of the world be filled with happiness.
A more straightforward translation is above. To me, in simple terms, “May all beings be happy and free” is the meaning of this mantra. This means that all beings in the world are equally sending compassionate thoughts to all.
significance:
truth is my name
This mantra is a seed mantra used in kundalini practice