From Crutch To Companion: My Journey With Mantra

For years, I thought mantras were a distraction from meditation. Then I discovered their power as a gentle way to return to the present moment. In this brief introduction, we'll explore what a mantra is, how it works, and why it can become a supportive companion on your meditation journey.

Transcript

I wanted to share a little bit about my thoughts on mantra. My name is Lisa Parenteau and I bring you some meditations under the name of Rooted Growth. I started meditating about 1980 with a silent meditation on the heart called Sahaj Marg. There was a morning meditation, An evening meditation, A cleaning meditation, But it really was focused on experiencing a feeling of lightness in the heart. So when I started to be around people who did meditate and they used mantra, I thought, Oh, Poor souls. You have to put something in between you and your meditation. It wasn't until I tried a workshop at a Kripalu, And there was an invitation to join a chanting session very early in the morning, So I thought, Well, Okay, I'm here, I may as well try it. And I had such an amazing. Sense experience of the vibration that can come from chanting a mantra. Either out loud or silently, And also at the time chanting with a group. Really a memorable experience. And since then, I have. Begun to see mantra, Not as a crutch, Which I believed before, But as an amazing tool to come home. So whatever you choose as a mantra, I often add ones to the meditations that I do. On the inhale, I. On the exhale, Belong. That kind of thing you'll find in my meditations. But there are so many mantras, Sanskrit mantra. In fact, I believe that mantra in Sanskrit means tool of the mind. So I see it today. As an amazing tool to use in meditation to help me quiet the mind, Bring me back. To whatever it is that I'm focusing on. It could be an idea. It could be the sensation of the breath in my nostrils. It could be just the breath. Whatever the focus for that meditation is, It brings me back. It's a homecoming. It's an anchor. It's an amazing tool. So I invite you to try, If you haven't yet, To use a mantra in your meditation. I'd love to hear back what your experience has been with that.