I was first introduced to mantras during yoga class. I remember immediately feeling drawn to the music - the sound was mesmerizing.  As I listened to the deep resonance of the man chanting, I allowed myself to sink into the liberating sensation of something shifting within me. From that day on, I knew this was something I needed to understand on a profound level. I felt like mantras were stored within me, waiting to be remembered, and it was just a matter of time before I would incorporate them into my regular routine.

The translation of the word mantras, manas (mind) and tra (instrument) means instrument for the mind. The ancient wisdom and tradition of the Vedas examined the various sounds produced in nature, which are the fundamental vibrations of the world around us. 

The universe is made up of vibrations, with different objects vibrating at different frequencies. Vibration interacts with us, and we interpret that as substance and sensation.

According to the Vedas, the specific sounds of mantras are an expression of the infinite cosmos, of creation. Source vibrates, and that vibration is rhythmic, musical, and elemental.

Vibration is the means through which infinite potential expresses itself as the visible universe. Mantra, is a word that describes this characteristic of the universe.  

It is said, that the ancient seers discovered these vibrations when they were in deep mediation. We can all hear these same vibrations at any moment if we take the time to listen. They are sacred messages and sounds used all over the world today by practitioners and individuals to access a higher power and connect to their true states of being.

Mantras are sound vibrations in which we can mindfully focus our thoughts, feelings and intentions. If you sit quietly when there is no noise, you’ll hear the hum of everything around you: the refrigerator, the air, the hum of the car engine as it comes down the street. If you pay attention to the background hum, with practice you can actually hear all the mantras that have been recorded in the Vedic literature.  

Reciting mantras, whether out loud or in your mind, creates a sense of calm and peace as well as alters your state of consciousness. When practicing mantras out loud, the unique pattern of vibrations can create events in our physical realm. 

Reciting a mantra mentally creates a mental vibration. Ultimately, it takes us into a place of pure consciousness, or spirit from where the vibration arose.

Mantras are a great way to transcend and go back to the source of pure thought, bringing us into the place of spirit, in order to experience unlimited consciousness. When practice regularly, mantras can be used as a profound mediation and therapy tool for healing the mind, the nervous system and emotions. There are mantras for many different areas of life: removing obstacles, learning and studying, creating flow, new beginnings, purifying karma, calling in enlightenment, and so much more.

Over time and with continued use, the Mantras sink deeper and deeper into your consciousness helping you to eventually feel their presence as something known as shakti. Shakti is cosmic existence, divine energy, and is a mysterious force that lives within each of us waiting to be remembered and awakened. When shakti is felt in the body, an expanded and deeper state of awareness becomes possible within each of us. When you wake up with a mantra playing in your mind, it has been reawakened in your cells and the vibration of the mantra has become an extension of yourself.

The most commonly and universally used mantra today is OM, pronounced Aum. Om is the universal sound, it exists in everyone and everything. It is believed to contain every vibration that every existed or will exist in the future. Chanting Om symbolically and physically tunes us into that sound and acknowledges our connection to everything in the world and the Universe. Om is also used as the energetic root for other mantras.

One of my personal favorites is Om Namah Shivaya. Shivas role in the universe is to destroy in order to recreate in its place. Hindus believe his powers of destruction and recreation are used even now in order to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change. The nature of this mantra is the bowing down to your own, higher self, as Shiva represents consciousness in all.

“Why is sound so much more important than a word which is a meaning?

 If you touch a sound you are touching creation.

 If you touch a word you are just going into the psychological structure of human beings.

Do not discount the power of the sound, it has influence on everything.

Mantra is a combination.

If you get the right combination right it’ll open up a door way into creation”

     -Sadhguru

Let’s talk about how to begin a mantra practice.

·         Start with one. Om, is a good place to start if that feels right for you. Or pick one that has meaning for your current situation. Use it consistently and often. Just like learning a new hobby, practice is key.

·         Bring yourself back to your chosen mantras again and again, while letting yourself become open to its feeling and resonance. Eventually, it will become more than just the words and the energy of the mantra will open up in your awareness and cause an internal shift and expansion.

·         Don’t get frustrated. It will take time and commitment. Try not to set expectations around how fast you want the process to happen. It may take several months of repeated recitation before the mantras energy opens up for you.  

·         Just like meditation, proper alignment of the spine is important. I recommend practice sitting up in a comfortable meditation pose. Let your pelvis slightly tip forward, (you can sit with your sit bones on a folded blanket or use a meditation pillow) and let your head align with your spine. Breath, relax, if thoughts come in, return to the words of the mantra.

·         There are many mantras soundtracks on Youtube. Correct pronunciation is important in order for the mantra to open for you. I recommend chanting along with a taped recording when first starting off. Remember, you don’t have to say it out loud if it isn’t a comfortable place for you to start. You can just listen and repeat it quietly in your mind, and when you are ready, begin to use your voice.

Mantras are used in many traditions all over the world. In each tradition, mantras involve chanting to create special vibrations, sounds of the universe that create something from nothingness. Remember, these are powerful vibrational keys. They will unlock and expand things within you. Make sure you treat them with respect and are ready, open and available to accept the shift and changes that come along with their use. And most importantly, enjoy the process as it unfolds in the most beautiful and perfect way for you!