The Sanskrit word mantra can be broken into two parts: “man,” which means mind, and “tra,” which means transport or vehicle. In other words, a mantra is an instrument of the mind—a powerful sound or vibration you can use to enter a deep state of meditation. In mantra meditation, you repeat a particular sound or short phrase that activates the relaxation response and calms you. The mantra can be as simple as the words peace or Ram. Harvard physician Herbert Benson has studied the power of this practice and has experimentally proven that, with as little as eight minutes of mantra meditation, it is possible to activate the relaxation response always present in your body. According to him, relaxation response is the ability of the body to induce decreased activity of muscles and organs. It is an opposite reaction to the fight-or-flight response. There is a beginning (introduction to the practice), a middle (the practice of the mantra meditation with soothing nature sounds), and an end.