Welcome.
If you have come to this practice,
Chances are that there's something standing between where you are and where you want to be.
An obstacle,
A block,
Something that feels unmovable.
Maybe it's external,
A situation,
A challenge,
A circumstance.
Or maybe it's internal,
Fear,
Self-doubt,
A pattern that you can't seem to break.
Whatever it is,
You are in the right place.
For thousands of years,
People have called upon Ganesha,
The elephant-headed deity of the Hindu tradition,
To help clear the path.
Ganesha is known as Bijnahartha,
The remover of obstacles,
And Vigneshwara,
The lord of obstacles.
But here's something important to understand.
Ganesha doesn't just remove obstacles.
He is also said to place them.
This might seem contradictory,
But there's deep wisdom here.
Some obstacles are meant to stop us.
To protect us from paths that aren't truly ours.
Others are meant to strengthen us.
To build the qualities we'll need for what lies ahead.
And some are simply debris that needs to be cleared away.
Ganesha's gift is discernment.
The wisdom to know which obstacles to push through,
Which to walk around,
And which to release entirely.
The mantra we'll use today is one of the most powerful in the tradition.
OM GAM GANAPATAYE NAMAH Let me break this down.
OM,
The primordial sound,
The vibration from which all creation emerges.
GAM,
The bija or seed sound of Ganesha,
Containing his essence.
GANAPATAYE,
To Ganapati,
Another name for Ganesha,
Meaning the lord of all beings.
NAMAHA,
I bow or I offer myself.
So this mantra is a respectful invocation.
I call upon and honor Ganesha,
The lord of all beings.
Before we begin chanting,
I invite you to get clear on what obstacle you're working with.
Not to analyze it endlessly,
But simply to name it.
Bring it into the light of your awareness.
Find your seat.
Let your spine be tall but not rigid.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Begin to let go of everything that is at this moment.
Another breath.
Feeling the ground beneath you,
Supporting you completely.
And once more.
Arriving fully here.
Now,
In the privacy of your own heart,
Name the obstacle.
Just acknowledge it.
This is what I'm facing.
This is what I'm working with.
No judgment,
Just honest recognition.
We'll begin with the seed sound,
GAM,
To invoke Ganesha's presence.
Then move into the full mantra.
Now,
The full mantra.
Let me chant it once,
So you can hear the melody.
And when ready,
You can chant aloud,
Whisper,
Or repeat silently.
Trust your instinct.
Let the mantra settle.
Let it do its work in the depth of your being.
The obstacle you named at the beginning,
It may not have disappeared.
But something has shifted.
Perhaps your relationship to it.
Perhaps your trust in your own ability to move through it.
Ganesha teaches us that obstacles are not punishments.
They are not evidence that we are on the wrong path.
Often,
They are the very teachers we need.
As you return to your day,
Carry this knowing.
You are supported.
The path will open.
Not always in the way you expect,
But always in the way that serves your highest growth.
Trust the process.
Trust yourself.
Trust the remover of obstacles.
Take a deep breath.
Place your hands together at your heart.
Bow your head gently.
OM GAM GANAPATAYE NAMAH When ready,
Open your eyes.
