Welcome to Mantra Medtation
I have always been passionate about music, sound and in particular the use of the voice. After some years of yoga asana practice I discovered mantra meditation. For me this is a beautiful blend of passions in using the sound of the voice and meditation.
Today mantra meditation is one of my most favourite techniques of meditation. I simply love using the voice as a tool for meditation and self discovery. For me using the voice in meditation is one of the most effective and powerful tools for meditation.
At the same time I am fascinated by all the different aspects of mantra meditation, such as the benefits of mantra chanting, how it can be used as a tool for transformation and the science behind mantra meditation.
I have created this site to put together an information source dedicated to mantra meditation which will include information on mantra meditation, mantra yoga, healing mantras, hindu mantras and meditation sounds.
I hope you enjoy this site and the information presented and our journey together into the realms of mantra meditation.
Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed
Discovering your mantra for mantra meditation
You may be wondering which mantra to use for your mantra meditation practice. Because yes indeed, there are many many different types of mantra meditation practices.
There’s japa mantra meditation, there’s bija mantras and a whole range of other mantra meditation practices.
But which mantra to use if you want to do japa mantra meditation? This is a meditative mantra practice where you repeat the same mantra. Generally speaking, once you start with this practice, you stay with the same mantra and don’t change. How to know which mantra to use?
Obviously, I could talk a lot about the Vedic use of mantras here. However I don’t want to narrow the scope here to such a degree. Because mantras are more or less, a universal phenomenon.
You can even choose your own words if you want. Or you can choose to subscribe to a particular tradition outside of the Indian Vedic, Yogic and Tantric traditions.
That said, I prefer to take a universal approach.
If you are looking for your mantra, there are a number of questions you can ask yourself to help you find your mantra:
…Do I feel a resonance to any particular spiritual, philosophical or religious tradition
… Do I feel a resonance to any particular sounds and words? If so where do these sounds come from?
… Do I feel drawn to creating my own mantra?
… Do I feel guided in a particular direction to find my mantra?
The answers that arrive can be something of a guide for you to follow.
For it is your decision and your path to finding your mantra.
Research these questions and see what answers come to you.
You may well find the discovery of your mantra comes easily to you…
I’m not going to talk more about potential results from these questions as I would like to leave this with you.
In future postings I may. But you may well have found your mantra meditation practice by then…
Mantra Meditation – easy measuring with mala beads.
An important question in starting a mantra meditation practice is how long or how many mantras to recite.
As I’ve discussed before it is best to start small and built up. You don’t want to burn out before you’ve really started your practice.
But how to measure your mantra meditation practice?
You can do this either with time or with the number of mantras repeated.
What is the point of measuring your mantra meditation practice?
Its simple, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. And this goes for meditation too!
You may think you’ve done a fabulous job of concentrating for all of ten minutes. But then discover it is only 1 minute!
So if you are measuring your mantra meditation practice, you can track your progress.
If you are choosing to measure with time, this is fairly easy. You can take a timer or put the alarm on a mobile device of some sort.
But there is another way to measure a mantra meditation practice which is more traditional. This is by using the mala beads.
Mala beads are a type of necklace with beads. Usually the number of beads is 108 as this has a special significance in mantra meditation.
Mala beads are made in a variety of materials such as amethyst and quartz crystal or woods such as sandalwood and tulsi.
The wonderful thing about mala beads is that you don’t have to worry about keeping track of the number of mantras you have recited. Mala beads are made with a special knot at a particular place on the necklace which signifies when you have come to the end of one round of 108 repetitions of the mantra.
If you are a beginner you may want to start off with just 1 round of the mala beads. Or if you have chosen a short mantra maybe 3 rounds.
Once your practice has started you can build up your rounds of mantra repetition.
It’s up to you which way you want to measure you mantra meditation practice – either with time or with mala beads.
Personally I really enjoy using mala beads. You enter a different realm of the mantra meditation in using a mala bead necklace and all the worries of counting depart, but the choice is yours.
Decide which instrument is most appropriate and works best for you to maximise the results of your mantra meditation and good luck with your practice.
Mantra Meditation – the hard facts
I’m going to tell you something difficult about mantra meditation today. It follows on from my post on continuity. But its a little harder and stronger than how I last addressed it.
It is a very unpopular notion that I am going to put forward. But unfortunately it is true. It is this.
Your mantra meditation, if you really want to get results and reach your objectives, whatever they may be is going to require a magical ingredient. It is a rare and precious magical ingredient that is not commonly found.
It is called “hard work”.
Yes, that’s right, unfortunately you are going to need to find this magical ingredient and infuse it into your practice if you want to get results.
This magical ingredient of “hard work” also means time, energy and commitment. They all go hand in hand.
Why is this magical ingredient rare?
In today’s times, everyone seems to think they don’t need to work to do something, to achieve something, to reach an objective. They seem to think that things just happen. People are adverse to hard work nowadays.
Its also because we live in a “fast society” where everyone wants everything yesterday, quickly and we are all in a hurry with little time to invest.
The odds are stacked against us culturally from the society that we live in.
But the hard fact is, that to achieve a result you have to put the hard work in. To create a massive change in your mind or whatever it is you are trying to transform in your mantra meditation practice requires work, time and effort and energy.
Just think about what a black belts training in any martial art has to go through to reach the coveted black belt. They all go through years and years of non stop training, hard work, pain and on going effort. But look at the results. At the end of all of that they have reached a basic level of mastery.
I’m not saying you have to take it to this extreme. I’m using this as an example. I’m also not saying that you won’t see results until you’ve been meditating for years.
Actually you will see results. But the results will come slowly, step by step. You will have a moment of wow – I really notice a difference in that. It will give you the motivation to go on and keep pursuing your objective.
Add up all these little changes and at the end, you will have big change.
But initially, after the excitement of starting your new mantra meditation practice wears off, the hard truth will sink in. It is indeed going to take quite some time to tame that mind or whatever it is that is your objective. So be prepared for this.
Accept that it will take time, energy and dedication. Commit yourself to your mantra meditation practice and the process. Invest in yourself by giving yourself the time, energy and commitment to your practice and your investment will reward you with dividends.
Mantra meditation and continuity
When you are first starting out in mantra meditation there are little things you can do to make your practice that much easier on yourself. Here are a few pointers on continuity and these tips will again help you to maximize your results in your practice.
Have continuity in your practice. It is good to get into a meditation habit which makes your mantra meditation practice that much easier on yourself to stick to, especially when there are times where you don’t feel so motivated or tired, or whatever maybe the case that stops or hinders you from getting your butt on the meditation cushion.
Firstly it is best to practice each day at the same time and same place and stick to it. A regular time and space makes it much easier for your body, mind and soul to have a rhythm to your practice. So if you can stick to one time and not keep changing it, that will make it a lot easier. Meaning if you start practice at 7.00 stick with that time and not 8.00 one morning, then lunch time the next day and before bed the next day.
It is much better to start of in small increments and build up slowly and have enthusiasm for your practice than jump in and try to do an hour, find it hard, feel discouraged and quit after 6 days! It is also more important to do little and often than 1 hour a week and meditating in fits and spurts.
If you are a beginner, start of slow and build up. Start off with a very small amount of time such as 5 minutes. Each week add another 5 minutes to your total meditation time. So the following week will be 10 minutes and then 15 minutes etc. If you feel you need to pause at say 15 minutes for a month as you adapt then allow yourself time to do that.
Do be easy on yourself and accept that learning something new and forming a new habit may take some time. It also takes a commitment, energy and dedication. You do need to work at it.
So choose your time and decide when to start, then commit yourself to your mantra meditation practice and start!
Getting the body ready for mantra meditation
Yes of course mantra meditation is more of a mental and energetic type of meditation but there are still ways to prepare the body to make mantra meditation that much easier and more effective for you.
If you do practice a mind body discipline such as yoga or tai chi, it can be a good idea to do this before moving into the more still types of meditations. It warms up both the body and the mind to be placed in a better position to start a meditation practice. This would be the best practice scenario. It is not by any means mandatory.
Assist the body for concentration by preparing a comfortable sitting position. Use whatever props you need to make the position comfortable for you to stay still, such as cushions, bolsters, rugs or a chair if you need. The aim is to be comfortable without the need for fidgeting with a spine that is in alignment.
The best sitting positions are those that easily hold the spine in alignment. In whatever position you go for, aim for an aligned spine. An aligned spine facilities better energy flow and concentration for meditation.
Cross legged sitting positions are good. So to are all the variations of these such as the lotus and half lotus if you have the flexibility.
Otherwise try the yoga position where shins are parallel to the floor, knees folded and one sits on the flats of their feet. Cushions can be put under feet and buttocks to make it more comfortable.
If you can manage cross legged sitting positions, one of the easiest ways to get spinal alignment with minimal effort is to simply have the posture in such a way so that the hips are tilted forward.
To do this use a cushion and be sitting at the forward edge of the cushion. Position the sitting bones off the edge of the cushion while the rest of the buttocks are on the cushion. Due to the position of the sitting bones, the hips are naturally tilted forward and this forward action puts the spine into natural alignment. Very little effort or energy is needed to maintain this alignment.
If sitting on the floor doesn’t work for you, use a chair. Preferably a hard chair that supports your posture to maintain an aligned spine and not a sofa chair that aids sleeping!
Hands can rest on the knees facing up or down or in the lap facing in an upward cupped position, in chin mudra where the tips of the thumb and forefinger come together or another mudra of your choice.
Be sure to find a comfortable position that you can hold for the duration of your practice and then stick to it. You may experience a little discomfort in the posture if your body is new to sitting positions such as these. However never put the body in major pain. Major pain is not the objective. Always listen to your body’s needs and act accordingly.
With time your body will build up stamina to be able to spend more time in meditation positions and this is part of the discipline. Being able to control the body translates into learning to control the mind as well which is part of the practice.
A good position will help to facilitate a good meditation practice and maximize your results. Eventually your body will find comfort and a home in the meditation position as your mantra meditation practice progresses.
Reasons to schedule your mantra meditation practice first thing in the morning
Many mantra meditation practitioners consider first thing in the morning to be the best time to meditate. First thing meaning after showering so you are clean (the temple is prepared) and before eating (energy is not diverted to digestion). The reason to practice first thing in the morning is for several reasons.
Firstly the ancient sages believed there was a particularly special time in the morning when the atmosphere was at its most purist and undisturbed This was considered to be the easiest time to meditate as one is not subject to any interference before the day gets under way and becomes busy. This time is between 3am and 6am. However if you can’t make it up to meditate so early as close to this time is best.
Secondly the mind is highly receptive to thoughts and emotions first thing after we have awoken. Hence if the mind is highly receptive to something, give it something worthwhile to be receptive to!
Mantra meditation gives you the chance to check in with yourself before interacting with others and your day. You can check in emotionally, energetically and also see what thought patterns are running through the mind.
Checking in with yourself through the mantra meditation practice gives you a greater level of awareness before starting your day so one can be aware of feelings, energies and thoughts and what you may be transmitting throughout the day.
Here if you are not feeling so good, you can take a look and change your state if you so desire. Your state can be transformed through your mantra meditation practice into something higher so you are transmitting a higher energy throughout the day and have better results on where you place your focus.
So a mantra meditation practice gives you the opportunity to rebalance and be aware of how you are before starting your day.
Starting your mantra meditation practice first thing in the morning is also a way to nourish yourself spiritually. By dedicating time to yourself first thing in the morning you are giving yourself precious “me time”. When you have been “spiritually nourished” you will feel more robust when the demands of the day strike and when challenges arise.
Personally speaking, I believe that a mantra meditation practice also charges you up. It enlivens and awakens me. I feel like I transform my energy from sleepy grumpy to alive, awake and ready to go! To me it feels like I am changing my frequency from something lower to higher which is more suitable to live my day with and get better results.
Lastly practicing mantra meditation before starting the day means you get the opportunity to set the day up for yourself in the way you would like it to unfold. Meaning, you can program your day.
By this I mean you have checked in with yourself, transformed your state, spiritually nourished yourself and orientated your mind, emotions and energy when the mind is at its most receptive to the direction you want to take for your day ahead to reach whatever your objective is for that day.
Many strong reasons to start your mantra meditation practice first thing in the morning. Personally – I highly recommend it.
Preparations to maximize mantra meditation
To make sure you get the maximum results from your mantra meditation practice there are a few things to consider before embarking upon your practice.
Where you do your meditation practice, the space that you use is important. Of course you can practice anywhere, but especially if you are a beginner, it can be highly beneficial to prepare a dedicated space to your practice.
Ideally you want a space dedicated solely to your mantra meditation practice and other spiritual practices. If you have a spare room you can use that is great. If not, think about a particular corner or place in a particular room.
The ideal space is one free from distractions and interruptions to provide you with the optimal environment to meditate in. Distractions need to be removed as much as possible for the duration of meditation to make sure the mind is supported in focusing on the meditation practice. Distractions such as the noise of televisions, radios, mobile phones, computers, talking, traffic etc should be removed as best as possible. Mobiles, television, radios should all be switched off. That way there will be no excuses not to focus on the practice!
Speak to your friends and family and explain your new objective and ask for their support in providing a quieter space when you need to meditate. Then you can agree a time or put a note up on the door during mediation practice. Failing that get up before everyone else and meditate at a time before the noise starts!
Once you have decided upon a space make sure it is meditation friendly. Tidy up the space and banish all clutter. Clutter weighs heavy on the mind and energetic systems and stops the energy moving freely in the space. Making the environment clutter free will help your mind focus more easily on the meditation practice.
After the meditation space is cleared other elements can be inserted into the environment to create an atmosphere for meditation. Depending on personal preferences, candles, incense, essential oils and sacred objects such as crystals, alter items or whatever has special meaning for you may be used. Candles are useful as they help to focus the mind and at the same time create a cosy and intimate sacred space.
Fragrance works along similar lines. In fact fragrance can be a great way to prepare yourself for meditation. Reserving a particular scent only for meditation will become the trigger for your brain to remember it is time for mantra meditation practice and get into the zone for meditation. Fragrances such as incense and oils can be chosen according to their characteristics. Pick an oil or fragrance that corresponds to your desired meditation outcome.
Once you have prepared your space you will be inspired to practice in a welcoming and inviting meditation space and this will enhance the experience and results of your mantra meditation practice and make you want to return for more.
What is Mantra Meditation?
Some of you may be asking “what is mantra meditation?” So lets start by trying to understand what mantra meditation is.
The term “mantra” is a Sanskrit word. Sanskrit is the ancient language of India. The term mantra is derived from two words “man” and “tra”. “Man” in Sanskrit means “to think” while “tra” which is derived from “trai” and means to protect or free from the bondage of “samsara” which is the cycle of reincarnation. So the term mantra can be interpreted to mean the thought that liberates and protects.
Although the term mantra is derived from Sanskrit, the practice of mantra meditation is not confined only to the Indian Yogic, Vedic and Tantric traditions.
A mantra may be a single syllable, a word or a phrase or a series of phrases with or without meaning. The sound or combination of sounds is repeated over and over and this is in essence the practice of mantra meditation. So mantra meditation is a type of meditation that utilizes mantras as a meditation tool.
There are many objectives to mantra meditation. Many who start mantra meditation use it as a technique to concentrate the mind. Or practitioners may choose mantra meditation as a way to find a sense of peace, decrease stress and tension. Some practitioners may chant a particular mantra for prosperity, luck, a romantic partner, health and even money. Mantra meditation can also be used as a tool for healing. Other practitioners choose mantra meditation as they enjoy working with the voice and sound as a meditation technique. Or mantra meditators may indeed be on the path to realizing enlightenment and have chosen a mantra meditation practice to reach this objective.
As there are many objectives to mantra meditation there are also many types of mantra meditation. Once you have understood your objectives for your meditation you can choose a mantra meditation practice and that meets your particular requirements.