Weekly Mantra Meditation #3

A meditation that uses mantra as a way to anchor your breath and yourself, helping you to focus and not get distracted. Mantra is a wonderful way to help ground and centre you in the meditation, and repeating a mantra helps you stay mindful and present.

Transcript

Hi everyone, I'm Judy Liebrach and welcome to your weekly mantra meditation. Let's begin by just sitting down or lying back comfortably with your eyes gently closed. And you're going to silently repeat a word or short phrase called a mantra. Your mantra can be any word or sound, Prayer or short phrase that you like and that works for you. I love the mantra, A-men. And here's how it goes. On the in breath you can say aa, On the out breath you can say men. So let's try that together now. Breathing in, Thinking the sound aa, Breathing out, Saying silently to yourself, Men. And once more, Breathing in, Aa, Breathing out, Aa, Men. Other mantras that you can use, Words and phrases that work really well can be inner peace, Love, Compassion, Grace, Calm, Patience, Letting go or let go. Gentle, Relax, One, Effortless, Do nothing. Or any short combination of those words. Your mantra can also be from your religious tradition. So for example, If you are Roman Catholic, Your mantra could be, Hail Mary, Full of grace, Which in Spanish would be Ave Maria. If you are Protestant, Your mantra could be, The Lord is my Shepherd, Or Our Father who art in heaven. If you are Jewish, Your mantra could be, The Lord is my Shepherd, Or Shalom, And so on. Before you begin the mantra, It's helpful to just settle down and sit comfortably and quietly and close your eyes. Start by just relaxing your muscles. First in your feet, Letting go. Calves, Relaxing. Thighs, Relaxing. Torso and back, Relaxing. Head, Neck and shoulders, Relaxing. Shrugging your shoulders, Rolling your head and neck around. And then for the first moment or so, Just quietly with your eyes gently closed, Just do nothing. During that time, Thoughts will come and go. Just notice them, Witness them, Simply without judgment and without any effort. And after a moment or so, Silently inside, Say to yourself, I am relaxing. Inhale. Exhale. Think the word relax. And again, Inhale. Exhale. And the word is relax. Inhale. Exhale. Relax. And keep doing this at least 10 times while meditating, Which you can do sitting down or lying down. Or even at your desk. While standing or even walking. Just to feel more calm and serene. Choose the word or the phrase or the mantra that works best for you. For the Bliss Minute, I'm Judy Lebrack, Reminding you all to take one step closer to finding your bliss.