"Good and bad, happy and sad, are all in the mind. The mind can be enslaved, totally trained like an elephant. It's a big huge thing. But with mantra, your mind works for you.~ Yogi Bhajan
Mantras - they are a part of life. They are the words and phrases we say over and over to ourselves. They are the scriptures and hymns we say and sing often. They are the quotes and encouragement we utter when someone, or we ourselves, are struggling. They are words that teach, calm, and enlighten us. They are everywhere and they are powerful. Some of my favorite mantras in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are: "I am a CHILD OF GOD!" "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him." "Families Can Be Together FOREVER!" "I know Heavenly Father loves me!" "Choose the Right."
Mantras are everywhere sports, music, church, school, gym, the store, and in the media. Sorting out the right mantras and letting the negative ones go takes practice. Yes, we have many negative mantras that run through our heads too. "I am a failure." "It doesn't matter, no one cares anyway." "Im so fat, ugly, old, wrinkled, flabby, shabby, messy, sleep deprived or weak." " No one appreciates me." "I have no support, I feel all alone." "I am never going to be good enough." "I am a bad ___" Fill in the blank there mom, spouse, friend. Any of those sound familiar?
The cool thing about positive mantras used when chanting, or in connection with meditation is that they help us rewire our brain to think the positive stuff in difficult situations, instead of defaulting to the negative thoughts.
So did you know that there are eighty-four meridian points, aka pressure points, in the upper pallet also know as the roof
of the mouth?! Every time you speak, you stimulate these meridian points and there by stimulate their associated glands and organs—with your tongue. And
every time you chant a mantra, you are stimulating a particular set of meridian points, the rhythm, and duration of the chant initiates a chemical reaction produced in the brain. The brain carries that chemical change into the body. Thus changing our state of mind and being. This is key when chanting mantras mindfully. We want this change, this rewiring of the mind will help us be at peace, feel more positive, and be in a mindful state where we can make conscious changes to our way of thinking and being.
Mantra chanting isn't easy for everyone. Some people can feel uncomfortable or weird-ed out by saying the same words over and over again in a yoga or meditation setting. Yet, mantras are all around us and we dont think twice about using them in other situations. You don't even blink when you see someone rushing by saying "Im late! Im late! Im late!" Or the teen or 4 year old that tells you every 2 min " I am so hungry!" They are mantras- not always good ones, but mantras none the less. If you find you are one of those people who have a hard time with mantras- or you are trying to explain your love for them to someone who is new to mantras, here are a few tips and ideas.
You can take it or leave it - they are just things that helped me.
* Mantras are also used as a way to redirect the mind- Having a mantra on my mind helps me stay
positive. Instead of doing my daily morning grooming routine constantly thinking about all
the things wrong with my appearance, I
replaced those running negative thoughts with the mantra " I am the light of my soul- I am Beautiful, I
am bountiful , I am bliss!" I did it enough that I believe it, and don't
look in the mirror and see my flaws any more, instead I see my body as a
blessing. THIS WAS A BIG SCORE FOR ME! It was mantra that did it- not
a specific meditation, just a new set of TRUE words to play in my mind during a
time that I was most prone to self criticism and self degradation. LINK to one of many music tracks for I am the Light of my soul
* A quote about mantras helped me be more at ease with them. "Be gentle and easy on yourself as you are beginning. (Mantra) is a form of
yoga after all, and when you are just starting yoga, you can’t expect
your body to twist into a pretzel shape right away! Slow and steady
progress is made through commitment and self-nurturing. The more you
do it, the more you shine."
* But Why "Chant" the mantra? Isn't once enough? You may say something like mantras are great, I just don't like the saying it over and over part. Its the Chanting that turns me off. Why do you have to chant? You can not hide feelings
when you chant. There are days where you chant Sat Nam- meaning "Truth is my
identity" and you just don't feel it! You know something is not right
when you are not feeling it, and it is not enjoyable. These feelings are an
indicator that something is off. You then can ask yourself where are
you not being true to yourself, to God, or Others? The feelings and
emotions that come after chanting a few min stir your soul to change
for the better, and direct your thoughts to a safe non-judgemental
space, where you can address and process those feelings. Chanting mantras can also stir great feelings of gratitude, peace and joy.
Chanting
"God and me, me and God are ONE" and really feeling it is true can
bring the same feelings that come with bearing testimony!
Even if there is no one to hear your testimony, when you speak truth
over and over and believe it - you FEEL it, and it lifts your spirit. Chanting it over and over also helps create new neural pathways so our thoughts and words will be positive. Chanting helps us act and not react. LINK to God and me, Me and God are one
* Understanding the meaning of mantras makes them more powerful. For example, one can chant the Mantra: Aap Sahaee Hoa or the complete Mantra is " Aap Sahaaee Hoaa, Sachay Daa Sachaa Doaa, Har, Har, Har" But it is the translation that makes it meaningful to me. Here it is in English, "You, Divine One, have become my refuge. True is Your support, Great Creative Infinite." But WHY do I chant in Sanskrit or Gurmukhi instead of English? People who learn to speak different languages will often find a song or a phrase they love in that language. Do they sing that song or use that saying in their everyday life in English? NOPE! They don't, they use the phrase or sing the song in their new acquired language. But WHY? Im not sure I have the answer for that. But I can say that once you chant a mantra enough the concepts, the translation, and the feel of the mantra resonate deeply regardless of the fact that it is not your native tongue. Also remember those meridian points we talked about? The language we are using helps us hit the right points in the right order that produce the changes we want. English translations wont be as effective at hitting those same points because the sound current will be different when using English words. Here is a LINK to a mantrapidea that has mantras meanings, lyrics, translation and pronunciation guide, and sometimes meditations that are connected to a certain mantra. Understanding the mantra is a good way to appreciate it and feel more comfortable chanting it.
* We chant mantras all the time
but they are usually negative ones "I'm late- I don't have enough
time!" "I can't do that." "This is so hard." "I hate my body." "I am so busy!" "I am so tired!" "I am
not enough." "I am stupid- or that was stupid of me. " " You are all
driving me crazy!" And on, and on, and on. These are things that most
people say and think over and over every day. Chanting positive mantras for a
few min each day can help us keep that positive mental
attitude through out the day. The time spent chanting helps us be positive when we start to think or say, "Ahhhh! I don't have
enough time!" Because we have spent time developing new neural pathways we catch ourselves in that moment and can say " No, that is
a lie, a trap and tactic of Satan to try and help me feel stressed. The
truth is, I always have enough time for the things that are important.
God can help me order my life so that everything fits that SHOULD be
in my day. " This redirection of the mind happens so easily and freely if
we have spent time chanting the good things. Just like the coach
will redirect the language of a struggling teammate when they say "I can't
do it, its too hard." Your mind comes forward with encouragement
and a positive mantra to replace the negative thoughts. Some good news is, it just
gets easier and easier with practice.
* Chanting mantras is
like singing! Kids DO IT ALL THE TIME!!!!! They take a phrase or a
part of a song and they will sing that part over, and over, and over, and
over! They usually don't sing the whole song. Why? Because they are
chanting- They pick a phrase or two and chant it. Most Kundaini Mantras
are set to a tune. You don't have to call it "chanting" you can call it
singing! When I am teaching a child how to meditate I dont use the
word chant- I say " OK, here is the part where we sing from our hearts- I am Happy! I am Good!" LINK or " Be Still and Know That I Am." LINK
I hope that these points or suggestions will help you be more comfortable about using mantras. But like most things it really takes trying it before you Understand it.
Other reading
Mantras in the Scriptures
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