Want to Strengthen Your
Divine Connection?
Practice Chanting Mantras

My body has been in healing mode since the Fall, and whenever I have a bit of time when my body feels great, I start tackling my To Do List with ferocity and passion. Of course, this tires my body out, and I’ve been asking Divine for a way to rest without napping. I am being inspired to renew my practice of chanting mantras. So, I thought I’d share some basics with you.

What is a mantra?

I like this simple definition from http://life.gaiam.com:

According to Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand, mantras are simple chants or phrases, such as “om,” “ham,” “yam” or “ram,” that are designed to create sound wave energy that promotes healing, creativity and spiritual growth.

My experience using mantras tells me that repeating sacred phrases or chants strengthens certain circuits in our brains. When I use a well-loved chant, I actually can feel the electricity move through certain neural pathways. When you stimulate your brain, your change your brain chemistry. Chanting Mantras is one way I flip my joy switch, the amygdala in my brain.

How Do You Use a Mantra?

There are hundreds of different meditation formulas which use mantras. What I find works best is to create a feeling of sacred space around me. This could be lighting a candle and incense in a quiet room, going outside and sitting on the ground near my favorite tree, taking a deep breath and focusing on a joyful memory in the middle of a busy airport. Basically, sacred space is just a state of mind I create wherever I am when I acknowledge my connection to Divine and that I find Divine in everything and everyone.

The second step for me is to take some big, cleansing breaths. This is where I focus on letting go of the cares of the day, the rat trap thoughts I have, if I have any in the moment. Then, I check in with my body by bringing my attention to every body part starting with the top of my head and moving toward my feet. If I feel pain or tenseness, I just breath into that and ask my body to relax more and more.

When I feel a bit more relaxed, I began to chant out loud, repeating the mantras, intending them to be holy, sacred communication with Divine, with Self, with Earth and all her children. If I am in a public place, I often will chant to myself, repeating the words in my mind.

As I enter the state of consciousness where there are no thoughts, I can easily drop the chanting and sit quietly. Sometimes I am inspired to continue to chant mantras. I do whatever feels natural and joyful. After all this is my to connect with Divine. There are no rules in this relationship. There is only the Presence of the Never-Ending Ocean of Love.