When we are starting the process of self-transformation, it is important to do it comprehensively on three levels: physical, energetic and consciousness level. It is really important to understand that all three aspects are interrelated. For example, energy problems enslave the physical body and affect our consciousness. Mantra yoga is a very effective unique tool for self-transformation on all three levels.
In this article, I’ll share with you what mantra yoga is, what are its benefits, and give you some tips on how to start your practice.
How Does Mantra Help Our Self-Transformation?
As I already said, mantra is a unique yoga tool that affects three levels at once: body, energy, and consciousness. It was empirically proved that the sounds of Sanskrit have healing power, that is, the very sound of the mantra heals the body.
Mantra also contains energy, which gets into resonance with your body when you’re chanting mantras. And the influence of the mantra on our consciousness is due to a simple principle: “we become what we concentrate on.”
Everyday people concentrate on what is important to them. But, unfortunately, usually, it is a concentration on something negative. Thus, we all have concentration skills, we just need to learn how to use this concentration correctly. And it is mantra yoga that allows us to learn this skill.
What Is Mantra?
Mantra is not just a random set of unintelligible sounds in an unknown language. Each mantra contains sacred energy that is coded into the sound.
Most often, mantra does not have a specific and single translation. Thus, the practitioner must find out the meaning of the mantra he/she is practicing. And the level and depth of this understanding always align with the level of self-transformation in the process of practice.
For each practitioner, the meaning of the same mantra can be slightly different, due to individual karma and level of transformation.
By concentrating on mantra, its meaning, and thinking about it, we transform our personality. As I already said – we become what we are focused on!
Thus, by concentrating on the mantra that is associated with a particular deity, we concentrate on the energy and qualities of that deity. This energy will come into our lives, and the qualities of the deity will become our own qualities. By concentrating on something energetically pure, we purify ourselves. Or by concentrating on something great, we cultivate the best qualities of our soul.
For example, by concentrating on Shiva mantra, we adopt the qualities of Lord Shiva.
Varieties of Mantras In Mantra Yoga
All mantras were received by the ancient sages in a state of superconsciousness or expanded consciousness with a specific purpose. Depending on the purpose, mantras can be divided into three groups:
1.Liberation Mantras
The essence of these mantras is the liberation of the mind from the limitations of the human form and the ultimate liberation.
Liberation mantras are safe and can be practiced by everyone. Their intention promotes the evolution of the Universe and self-transformation. These mantras do not have any selfish material goals based on greed.
2. Blessing Mantras
The essence of these mantras is to bring prosperity and fulfillment of various desires into everyday life.
Blessing mantras work with certain energies, both the energies of saints, deities and the energies of various spirits.
3. Healing Mantras
These mantras are aimed at healing specific diseases.
Different Ways to Practice Mantra Yoga
#1 Mantra Chanting
The most common way to practice mantra yoga is by actually chanting the mantra. And it is quite a powerful tool for cleansing our mind and our aura of the negative energy. Mantra chanting allows us to clear our subconscious mind of destructive attitudes that each of us has. This practice changes our energy. If by practicing asanas we can transform our energy in 1-2 hours, then by mantra chanting the same result can be achieved in 15-30 minutes.
#2 Mantra Concentration
Another way to practice mantra yoga is meditation with a concentration on a mantra. Concentration on the mantra energy will help you to enter into resonance with the energy of the mantra. Regular practice of such meditation will allow you to maintain energy at the proper level.
#3 Mantra Chanting Combined With Pranayama
You can also chant mantras while practicing pranayama.
For example, the mantra “Soham” is often used in pranayama practice. Listen to your breath, it involuntarily utters the sound of “So” on the inhale and “ham-m-m” on the exhale.
#4 Integrating Mantra Into Your Regular Life
You can turn your whole life into a permanent practice of mantra yoga. To do this, you need to constantly keep the mantra of your choice in mind. Repeat it to yourself, thinking and delving into its meaning, trying to comprehend it not only on an intellectual but also on a spiritual level.
Our mind often clings to the objects of the outside world. By being attached to them, it is drawn into an endless thought process that makes us not only waste energy but often concentrate on negative things. The constant repetition of the mantra will allow us to occupy our restless mind with a concentration on the higher vibrations.
#5 OM Mantra Practice
It is believed that if a person has accumulated experience in the practice of the mantra “Om” during this life, then full concentration on this mantra at the moment of leaving the physical body will allow him/her to be reborn in the higher worlds, even despite the presence of negative karma.
Even in the moment of death the principle “we become what we concentrate on” works. And if a person concentrates on the divine sound of the mantra “Om”, from which our entire Universe once arose, then his consciousness at this moment resonates with the divine energy and acquires divine qualities.
Reincarnation is based on the principle of “we always attract what we radiate”. Therefore after death, a person will be incarnated into a world that corresponds to the qualities of his/her consciousness at the time of death. That is why people who have the divine qualities of consciousness, can incarnate into Higher Worlds.
Moreover, since at the moment of death there is a natural dis-identification of consciousness with the mind and body, then with the proper level of awareness and experience in mantra yoga practice it is possible at this very moment to achieve the state of Buddha and liberate yourself from the cycle of rebirth.
Thus, the practice of mantra yoga not only allows us to transform our consciousness during our current life but also can contribute to an adequate transformation, which is equally important.
Mantra Yoga And Purity of Mind
It is also worth considering that mantra practice requires a certain purity of mind and the ability to concentrate. At the beginning of the practice of mastering the art of mantra yoga, mantra is used as a means of bringing the mind into balance by concentrating on the pronounced combination of sounds.
You basically concentrate on mantra chanting, discarding all other thoughts, and creating certain vibrations that change your mindset. This practice clears your mind from unnecessary thoughts.
When Will Mantra Start To Work?
When there is no resistance to the process, and the repetition of the mantra does not require effort, the practitioner goes to the silent repetition of the mantra, which reveals its true essence – the understanding of the intellectual level, and direct knowledge.
Mantra begins to change your physical reality (to cure diseases, change the course of things, etc.) when you start to maintain a proper life and develop certain qualities that resonate with the vibrations with the mantra you practice (such as compassion, unconditional love, etc.).
How To Make Words Powerful?
You have to understand that in order to see real results from your mantra practice your word should gain strength. What does it mean? You see, unfortunately, most people don’t pay too much attention to what they say. Therefore, their words lose their power to manifest reality.
Therefore, it is very important to always follow your word, say what you think, fulfill promises, tell the truth. You basically need to align your feelings, thoughts, and actions.
In order for the power of the word to become unshakable, it is also very important to remain in the silence of the mind, to be free from attachments and emotions, not to be attached to the results of your actions and to be responsible for every word you speak.
The purer your mind, the less chaotic your thoughts, the better the ability to concentrate on one thing, and the more powerful your mantra practice becomes.
The Bottom Line
The miraculous effect of the mantra lies not so much in the right combination of words, intonation, melody, and rhythm as in faith itself. And faith comes from the alignment of the mind with the Universe, God, Tradition, Teacher, or all together. When faith becomes an axiom, then the mantra begins to work.