What Are Mantras And Why You Should Try Them

"Don't you know yet? It is your light that lights the worlds"

Rumi

I would like to dedicate this blog post to Vanessa who I describe as one of my so to say "spiritual teachers" and friend. She has influenced me a lot and I had the privilege to discover the world of mantras, sound healing and vibrations through her magical classes. I did experience mantras before but never in such a meaningful way. Through her, I was able to learn a lot about vibrations and sounds, different mantras connected to Hindu gods and how they can support us in very different ways. At this point in my life, I can not imagine it without mantras and am forever grateful to Vanessa. I practice a different mantra every Sunday morning. Depending on how I feel and what my needs are, I chose a different one and 99% of the time, it helps me and I end my Sunday morning mantra meditation feeling at peace and filled with gratitude and love.

The mantras I am sharing with you on the following posts are mantras which I have learnt from Vanessa. I have had very positive experiences with them and really love them. It does not necessarily mean, that you will enjoy them as much as I do but I hope you will give it a try and if they don't work for you, you may find another one that does :-) You can also create your own mantra by the way, it can be as little as just a few words that you repeat every morning or evening for example.

I come from a very musical family and I myself love music and singing, maybe that is why I am drawn to mantras that you sing. But don't worry, you don't have to be a perfect singer in order to sing mantras. You do it for yourself and it's not so much about the quality of your singing but more about the repetition of the words and the vibrations you are sending into the world. But let's look at what mantras really are and why I want to encourage you to try them out!

What are mantras

Originally comes from Hinduism and Buddhism, is a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation. The word mantra is derived from two Sanskrit words and means "manas" (mind) "tra" (tool). Mantra literally means a tool for the mind.

A mantra is a thousand years old sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit believed by practitioners to have psychological and/or spiritual powers. Some mantras have a syntactic structure and literal meaning, while others do not.

To me, a mantra is like a little prayer is say our sing out loud to myself repeatedly. Through the chanting of the mantra, you are creating vibrations in your body which can feel cleansing, energizing, calming or healing. It is very similar to prayers of other cultures and religions. For example in Christianity, we recite the rosary using a rosary to guide us. We recite the Ave Maria x times just like we do with mantras. For mantras, we use something called japamala, or mala, just like we use a rosary to recite the Ave Maria.

While chanting mantras, it is always advisable to chant it 108 times but the question is why 108?

Why is this number sacred?

To recite a mantra 108 times is said to help bring harmony together with the vibrations of the universe.

In yoga, the number 108 refers to spiritual completion. That is why malas are composed of 108 beads, why pranayama is often completed in cycles of 108, and why sun salutations are often performed in nine rounds of the 12 postures (totaling 108). This number also interfaces the sun, moon and earth: the natural difference of the sun and the moon to the earth is 108 times their diameters.

If you are interested in learning more about mala's, stay tuned for a post on how to create your own mala, its meaning and benefits and how to not only use if to chant mantras but also how to use it in meditations.

Why are mantras so powerful

The idea of a mantra is to use its sounds to focus your mind on something bigger than yourself. A mantra is related to sound and sound is echoing in everything in the universe.

Mantra is a sound vibration through which we mindfully focus our thoughts, our feelings, and our highest intention. Over time, that vibration sinks deeper and deeper into your consciousness, helping you to eventually feel its presence as shakti—a powerful force working inside each of us that carries us into deeper states of awareness. Read more here.

Physical benefits of mantras

• They relieve stress. The rhythm and sound of the chanting moves energy throughout the body. The movement of energy regulates the chemicals in our brains. It blocks stress hormones and releases endorphins

• They regulate heart rate

• Mantras enhance positive alpha, gamma, delta, and the brainwaves—the brainwaves that kick in during relaxation

• Chanting increases immune functions, and lower blood pressure. The sound of the mantra literally drowns out the negative voices in our heads. When the negative thoughts are suppressed, the mind has room for positive thoughts

• It is a free and easy way to manage thoughts and achieve physical and mental welfare

• Mantras ease fear. People with phobias often adapt mantras to center on during times of fear

How to practice a mantra

I thought it might be helpful for me to share how I practice a mantra. I am describing here my own way and once again, I encourage you to try and find out what works best for yourself :-)

1. I think it goes without saying that I switch off my phone before I start :-) As a start, I always take some time to listen to my inner self and try to find out what it is that I need in this moment (love, health, letting go, peace, healing, acceptance etc) or if I want to "pray" for someone or something. Then once I know what it is that I want to achieve, I look for the mantra song or text. It is important to understand the meaning of your mantra. It allows you to build your own story around it and makes it even more powerful and magical. In the following posts, I will always explain the meaning and when to best use it. It depends on what you are looking for, what you need or what you wish to give to the universe.

2. Once, I know which mantra I want to practice, I then take some time to create the right atmosphere. This step is also very important, at least for me. However, not everyone feels the same way. Most of the times, I practice the mantras in the morning with a candle, an incense stick, a flower (if I have), some shells and then depending on the mantra, I place either one of the Hindu gods next to the candle, a heart shaped stone or whatever I have around and feels right. You can also just use a beautiful photo or a card that has a special meaning for you. I normally then sit on the floor in front of these beautiful pieces under the window to be able to see the sky but you can also lay down if you prefer. Let your intuition guide you here.

3. Before I then start, I sit down, close my eyes, take three deep breaths first, sing three times "OM" and three times "OM shanti". Then I kind of "speak" to the universe, explain why I am here today, what I wish to receive, set my intention. Here it is very important to always phrase it in a positive way so instead of saying "I don't want to feel fearful anymore" say "I would like to feel more secure and regain trust and faith". I always say it out loud, it helps me to internalize it and to really tune it. I almost have a conversation if you want to call it that way, with the universe and ask them to guide me.

4. Then I close my eyes and practice the mantra and really try to tune in and just say open and see what comes to me, what feelings, emotions, colors, vibrations, how my body feels etc. Whatever may come, I try to accept it and not force anything. If I have trouble switching off my mind from the "to do's" etc, I just come back to the breathing and the mantra, that normally helps.

5. When I have finished the mantra, I like to keep my eyes closed for a little longer and try to feel my inner self, my body, what has changed? Does anything feel different now? Then I thank myself for having taken the time for myself, bow down a little, put a smile on my face and then slowly, with a deep breath, come back and open my eyes. I then take some time to say thank you to the universe or to the god - it is important to always end with gratitude .

With this, thank you for having taken the time to read this blog and stay tuned for more blogs on specific mantras which I practice regularly.