Mantra is for kids

The Sanskrit word “mantra” means “thought instrument from -man, to think or mind and -tra, instrument or transport. I love this definition from Ravi Srivastava, “It is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or group of words believed by practitioners to have psychological and spiritual powers.” Originally Vedic, today mantra can be found in all world religions.  Chanting the name of God in whatever form brings us into alignment with our Highest Self.  This means clarity, peace of mind, relaxation and releasing the internal voice that blocks.  Mantra acts to rewire the brain taking us out of our habitual thought patterns.

A mantra can be in any language. A mantra can even be one you do not realize you say, like, “I hate myself.” The repetition wires that thought in your mind. To rewire, replace it with another mantra- a powerful one that acts as a vehicle delivering you straight to the truth of your existence- that you are God.  You can use mantra to short circuit negativity. Negative thoughts are like hiccups, like skips in a record, repetitious and painful. Mantra pulls our mind out of this skip to play smoothly once again.

When we neurochemically condition the body to memorize compassion as well as the mind and when that happens, when the mind and body are working together and the body knows as well as mind, you activate that third part of the brain, the cerebellum, the seat of your subconscious mind. You’ve practiced it so many times its an automatic behavior, its who you are. And when you get to that point… now you’re in a state of being. The way we transform the world, we transform ourselves.

Dr. Joe Dispenza

In this talk, Dr. Joe Dispenza illustrates brain rewiring using computer animation and actual footage of neural reformation.

The Healing Power of Sound

“Chanting the divine name is the most sublime way to develop inner love. The divine lover pursues God through his divine name. Chant the mantra with great feeling. Chant with all your heart and the bliss will come. No negativities can withstand the bliss of the Lord’s name.”

Baba Muktananda

Mantras that invoke the name of God are very powerful indeed- they create resonance in your body- resonance in recognition of truth and also in body attuning, of body tuning. Sound itself can be used to soothe our senses and heal.   Our bodies are composed mainly of water and operate on energetic impulses via a complex nervous system.  Energy and mass (matter) are interchangeable, different forms of the same thing (E=mc²). The structure of energy is spherical and attunes to various frequencies whether harmful or helpful.  Sound can be used to energize or soothe. Some therapists like Eileen McCusick, author of Tuning The Human Biofield, even use sound to heal past traumas. Her work is based on ancient and more recent discoveries about the structure and patterns of sound. John Stuart Reid, scientist and engineer for Sonic Age America and Sonic Age UK, rediscovered the geometry of sound with the Cymascope, an instrument that records sound in water. Imagine that this also happens in every cell of your body in response to sound.

Sanskrit mantras have a tone and quality that harmonize with the subtle and energetic bodies and are therefore extremely effective at calming the body and mind.  Each letter of Sanskrit is considered a bija, or seed sound, so it carries powerful and sacred sound geometry.

Below is a Youtube video of Deva Premal and Miten chanting the Gayatri mantra with sound visualized through the use of the Cymascope.

For more on the geometry of sound, I invite you to watch this relaxing video, Cymatics, Nature and Geometry.

Using mantra at home

I sing mantra for my kids at naptime and bedtime. It calms instantly and sends them to sleep. Mantra guides the body into a deep, relaxed state, stilling the mind and its constant firing of thoughts, preparing it for meditation. Its wonderful to use mantra while doing repetitious handwork, like knitting, weaving or spinning. Mantra during housework is also a good practice. Imagine washing dishes as a spiritual practice, or sweeping.  Now you can understand how the Broom Master, Chundaka, reached enlightenment with the daily sweeping of the palace, and repeating the mantra, “No dirt. No dust.”