Meditation and Mantras

Meditation takes a variety of forms: mantra meditation, relaxation meditation, mindfulness meditation, Transcendental Meditation, Zen meditation, Healing meditation and many more. Walking, gardening, listening to music can be considered as meditation time as well. Meditation practices are rooted in spiritual practices but many people meditate outside of any religious context.

Meditation has been used for centuries:

To increase calmness and physical relaxation,

To improve psychological balance,

To help cope with illness,

To enhance health and well-being.

Meditation is a powerful tool:

For learning attention,

For regulating emotion,

For increasing self-awareness,

It has been scientifically proven now that during meditation, several measurable biological changes take place in the body. Meditation unites body and mind through a deeply mindful experience. Sound is present when Mantras are used and it will enhance all the perceptions. A mantra is a mental instrument that fine-tunes your meditation and yoga practices.

Using a mantra while you’re meditating helps suppress the thoughts and distractions that arise and gives you a tool to use when you’re not meditating. Mantras are tools you can use to calm your mind anywhere, anytime. It can help you when you are feeling stressed, lonely or anxious. A yoga teacher can recommend a specific mantra for you if you need help. But you can pick a word or a phrase and chant it in a way that works for you, loudly, softly or even internally.

Even single-word mantras like OM can be pretty powerful. Short mantras should be chanted 108 times! 

Om: meaning “It is” or “To Become” in Sanskrit/Hindu. It is considered most sacred in tradition and has the vibration of the universal consciousness. It is also used in Buddhism and other traditions. When each syllable is fully pronounced, you should feel the energy of the sound lifting from your pelvis to the crown of your head. The sound of the Om is said to unblock the throat chakra, which will lead to better communication with others.

Om Mani Padme Hum: meaning “Hail the Jewel in the Lotus” (the jewel being Buddha!)

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti: the starting of Om followed by peace of mind, peace of body, and peace of speech.

Yoga incorporates meditative components.

« Incorporating mantras into yoga practice can help make it sacred and take it out of the physical realm and reach a higher state of awareness,” says Zoë Slatoff-Ponté, author of Yogavataranam: The Translation of Yoga.