Mantra Meditation
The practice of chanting mantras is the repetition of Sanskrit or Tibetan syllables, as a way to enter a state of meditation by freeing the mind.
Although mantras can be recited internally, the act of chanting out loud can be very therapeutic as a way to open up our heart and meet with our voice. Through the beautiful process of synchronizing with our own breath, we immediately feel a sense of well-being within through the calming of the nervous system.
Sanskrit is a vibrational and energy-based language, and therefore, we experience the benefits of the practice without necessarily knowing the meaning of the mantra. The vibrations of the sounds themselves resonate within our entire being and create a feeling of harmony and peace within.
Most importantly, through this practice, we are able to enter a space of inner stillness. The silence that follows after each chanting practice is equally as important as the mantra chanting itself, as it creates the space for one to dive deep within.
*Experiments based on Dr. Emoto’s work have been done to capture the effects of the Gayatri mantra on water. You can see the crystal formations here.
“Chanting opens the heart and makes love flow within us.” — Swami Muktananda
One of the reasons why I love chanting is that I don’t actually believe that there’s a “wrong” way to do it. We have a lot of conditioning around our own voices that can sometimes hinder our experience of chanting, but we all inherently and intuitively know how to sing.
Of course, there are some factors that can really help to improve your chanting experience which I will share with you below, but if you simply take a few moments to chant out loud the mantra OM, you will begin to notice a sense of peace within yourself almost immediately.
A few ways to prepare for your practice:
Pranayama practice, or simply take a few deep belly breaths beforehand
Hum for a few minutes to yourself to gently warm up your vocal cords
Relax your body (through a movement practice such as yoga, qigong, shaking, etc.)
Find a comfortable space for your practice where you will be undisturbed
Keep your spine straight as much as possible
You can begin your practice by chanting the mantra OM for as long as it feels good for you. Once you become at ease, you can eventually start integrating other Sanskrit mantras that speak to you and that you’d like to focus your intention on.
How I can support your practice
Private Sessions.
Through private one-on-one sessions, I can guide you even deeper into your practice and structure it to best meet your needs, schedule, and current conditions. If you’d like to receive a more personalized experience, please get in touch using the button below to begin discussing how we can craft a practice that will be most beneficial for you.
Mantra Journey.
Through Mantra Journey, I facilitate a mantra chanting practice which is then followed by a short silent meditation. As a group, we meet weekly for a small practice (approximately 30 minutes), where I explain briefly the intention of the mantra and teach the pronunciation before leading the chanting practice, and ending in silent meditation. Typically Mantra Journeys are for a period of 5 weeks and are offered on Zoom, which allows everyone to connect from anywhere in the world. Recordings are provided for those who are unable to attend in real-time.
If you’d like to participate in the next Mantra Journey, please sign up to my newsletter to be informed of the upcoming dates and registration details.
Singing Mantras in Nature
Here are few recordings below! To hear more, you can head over to the Mantra Meditation Playlist on my YouTube Channel.