Hello and welcome.
Today we will briefly discuss mantras and how they can elevate your meditation practice.
And if you're newer to meditation,
Mantras can be a really valuable tool to help you find the fundamentals such as focus and clarity of mind.
Mantras essentially are words or sounds that are repeated to aid in concentration.
So much like we use the visual field to focus on an item in front of us,
We can use our own sound either internally by silently repeating a particular chant or word or externally by singing or chanting aloud.
Mantra meditation is a really fantastic way to practice if you do find that you have a very busy mind and it takes you a while to get into a meditation.
Aum,
Which is translated to mean the sound of the universe,
Is often found in yoga classes at the beginning to really focus the class or at the end to close out the practice.
And I'd like to practice it with you right now.
So let's go ahead and repeat Aum three times.
Close your eyes.
Sit tall.
Take a nice gentle breath.
And then take a slightly deeper breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
And on this next exhale,
We're going to chant.
So inhale.
Take a nice breath and just sit with that reverberation in the body.
So as you can see,
The mantra meditation is a physical experience as well as a meditative experience.
And because we're focusing on making this sound,
This very specific sound,
We don't have as much time for the mind chatter,
For the to-do lists and all of the things that happened today that we wanted to go differently.
So what we're going to do now is learn a few more mantras and we're going to really stick with these seed mantras.
So these single syllable mantras.
And the mantras we're going to learn are associated with the chakra system.
So the chakras in yoga are energy centers starting from the very base of the spine and moving up the body all the way to the crown of the head.
And this is the way that we're going to practice today.
So as you sit,
I'm going to guide you through each chakra.
I'm going to ask you to focus on the chakra and we are going to chant three times the mantra that is associated with that chakra.
So once again,
Sit tall,
Allow the eyes to close and bring all your attention to the base of the spine,
The very root of you.
This chakra is said to represent groundedness and security.
So as you breathe,
Imagine the breath can reach all the way down to the lower chakra,
The first chakra.
We're going to repeat three times the chant LAM,
L-A-M.
So take a nice deep breath and on the exhale we'll chant L-A-M,
L-A-M,
L-A-M.
Focusing on the root chakra,
Taking a few breaths and then bringing your attention to the sacral chakra just below the belly button at the center of the body.
This chakra is associated with creativity,
Sexuality,
Our ability to dig deep and best understand what drives us,
How we can create in the world.
And the mantra for this chakra,
This energy center,
Is the VAM,
V-A-M.
So focusing on the sacral chakra,
Take a nice inhale.
VAM,
VAM,
VAM.
Allow your breath to go back to normal.
Focus on this beautiful sacral chakra and then bring your attention up to the solar chakra.
This chakra right at the solar plexus is associated with strength,
Your core.
We will repeat the word RAM three times,
R-A-M.
So bringing all your attention here to the solar plexus,
Below the heart,
Above the belly button.
Focus,
Take a nice deep inhale.
RAM,
RAM,
RAM.
Sit with this energy,
Remembering your strength.
And we'll move up to the heart,
To the fourth chakra.
This mantra is YAM,
Y-A-M.
The heart represents love,
It represents the good things in life,
The connectivity,
Our ability to give and receive.
So tune into that energy now.
Focus on the heart,
Take a nice inhale.
YAM,
YAM,
YAM.
And breathe and focus on the heart.
Now bringing your attention up to the throat chakra.
The throat is associated with speech and intention.
And here we will repeat HAM,
H-A-M.
So bring all your attention to your throat,
All the things you want to say.
So articulate in the perfect way.
Take a nice deep inhale.
H-A-M,
H-A-M,
H-A-M.
And breathe and focus on the throat.
Imagine a rich blue energy here.
And then bring your attention up to Manjuli,
The third eye area,
Just between the brow point and above.
This is the sixth chakra,
And this one is about intuition,
Our ability to transcend.
And here is where we bring back OM.
Bring your inner gaze here.
Take a deep breath.
H-A-M,
H-A-M,
H-A-M.
Breathe and focus here on this intuition.
Your ability to see beyond what you can see.
And then bring your attention up to the very crown of the head,
The very center of the head,
The seventh chakra,
The crown chakra,
Our connection to the divine.
And this chant is AH.
So focus on the very crown of the head.
Feel as though your energy is pulling you up toward the sky,
Toward the heavens,
The stars.
Take a nice deep inhale.
AH,
AH.
Inhale and feel all of these energy centers from the root all the way to the crown.
We're going to go through and we're just going to chant one time each mantra.
LAM,
VAM,
RAM,
YAM,
HAM,
OM,
AH.
All right,
Let's begin.
Inhale,
Focus on the root.
LAM.
Sacral chakra,
VAM.
VAM.
Inhale,
Solar chakra,
RAM.
Bring your attention to the heart chakra,
YAM.
YAM.
Bring your attention to the throat chakra,
HAM.
Third eye,
OM,
AH.
Take a deep inhale.
And just feel those sounds reverberating in the body.
Focus on the energy centers,
The balance.
It is not just the sound,
But the rhythm,
The awareness,
The mind-body connection,
All of it.
So for a final time,
We're going to just dive into each one.
So I'll just lead you through the chant alone and we're going to repeat each one three times,
Starting with the root,
Going to the crown.
Sit tall,
Sit proud.
LAM,
VAM,
VAM,
YAM,
YAM,
YAM,
HAM,
HAM,
OM,
AH.
Inhale.
Feel what you feel.
And gently let the breath go back to its normal cadence.
Allow a bit of joy to spread across your face.
Allow that smile.
Feel that balance,
That connection to the body.
And when you're ready,
Blink your eyes open.
Take in the light of the room.
Really beautiful job.
Thank you so much for meditating with me and exploring with me today.
And I hope to practice with you again soon.
