Chanting mantras during meditation or yoga savasana is often recommended by yoga practitioners, but why? Let us answer that question for you.
Chanting Mantras During Meditation
We chant mantras during meditation as there is a transformative power that individuals feel physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s something that is felt internally by individuals at varying degrees of intensity. Mantras enhance meditation to provide mental, physical and spiritual healing through repetitive chanting.
While meditating, whether that’s after a yoga session or just generally, many individuals feel the sense of ‘returning home’. That is – back to their core. This meditative state is often hard to remain fixated upon without a mantra with outside distractions such as sounds and light, as well as inner distractions like our mind chatter.
Types of mantras
There are many different mantras that we can chant during meditation. If you’re new, simply opening YouTube and searching for a great mantra is a wise choice.
While there are so many mantras, there are only two core types:
- Spiritual mantras. This is where you’re part of a religious or spiritual movement where mantras have been passed through lineages from teachers, masters and ‘gurus’ upon generations. This is where mantras, commonly Sanskrit, will be learned from others including tonality.
- Secular mantras. We prefer this approach especially for beginners so you’re able to find healing and calmness through mantra meditation WITHOUT being limited through a single belief, idea or status. This is where you can create your own mantras or learn from others freely and without judgement.
Experimenting with both types of mantras will better help you find which type is best suited for you. If you’re heading to Indonesia anytime soon, then consider going to one of the numerous Bali Kirtan bands which frequent the mountains and serve the transient yoga community.
Mantras at the core
Essentially, chanting mantras during meditation is positive energy. By experiencing this positive and inspiring energy, we can better positively influence our conscious mind with thoughts that will help us navigate the challenges of the world. As noted by many in the self-help industry, our thoughts affect our words, our actions and our beliefs.
There are certain benefits that one can experience through reciting and repeating mantras. Research conducted from the EOC Institute highlights reduced stress and releasing endorphins. Indeed, it’s clear why we choose to do savasana at the end of every yoga practice.
Who to learn mantras from
So then, who can you learn mantras from? It really depends on how zen-like you wish to go, as well as your gender and your motivation. Some people want empowering (warrior-like) mantras that can help build energy and momentum. Others simply want to decompress their mind, body and emotional baggage.
Our recommendations are to simply skim through YouTube catalogues and attend local kirtan events. Find others who are in the space of chanting mantras publicly where you can find some great recommendations.
Next steps
Mantras clearly have strength during meditation. They help you not only stay focused but provide positive and uplifting energy that nourishes the soul.
The challenge is finding a mantra that resonates the most with you. The next challenge is reciting the mantra, and as is commonly the case with Sanskrit mantras, often takes a few days, but once you do, you’ll have that mantra for life.
At the end of the day, we’re all looking for more personal power and positivity. Meditation brings that to our life. Add in mantra meditation and you’ve got a winning combination.
