Most people have heard of mantras before, but not many truly understand what they are or how powerful they can be. More than just “words to live by,” a mantra is a way to interrupt the natural tendencies of the mind to achieve peace, healing, and harmony.
What Is the Purpose of a Mantra?
The mind has a tendency to continuously flow from one thought to the next, over and over. The thoughts you have are triggered either through stimulation of your senses by the outside world or by your own memory. In this way, your thoughts can flow outward or inward, and it’s the mind’s habit to wander as far away as it can on the periphery—and keep going. Mantras are a technique to break that tendency your mind has to go in all directions instead turning it in a circular motion.
Imagine you are playing an LP record. You put the needle on the edge in the last groove, and it will continue to move toward the center as the music plays. That needle is like a mantra. You put it anywhere on the record, which is your mind, and then start to repeat the mantra. Gradually, the mantra brings you to the center of your mind and your being.
When this happens, you are coming closer to your inner self. So a mantra is a way of pulling your mind from far away on the periphery to the inner center in a circular motion. It does this by not allowing your mind to go from one thought to another, the way it normally does. Instead, it goes from one thought to the same thought, over and over again. One of the best uses of a mantra is to repeat it as a mechanism to replace and dissolve negative thoughts or state of mind at a given point of time.
How Do Mantras Work?
According to the old scriptures, there are 108 sound frequencies found in the universe, which are created by the movement of the celestial bodies in different constellations. All sounds have a frequency, so when you repeat a mantra, you are inevitably making combinations of these 108 frequencies. If you have repeated the mantra enough and generated enough sound frequency, the frequencies you’re creating connect with those found in the universe. This connection brings healing and harmony to your mind, body, and environment.
What’s more, mantras can help manifest positive changes in your life by connecting to the frequency of desire through a mantra that is very targeted to a certain intention. For example, you might have a mantra with the intention of abundance, better relationships, or improved health. In this way, a mantra is not just meant for pulling your mind back into your inner self, but also creating a connection with the universe.
The Different Mantra Types
There are several kinds of mantras. Some are purpose-based or targeted toward a particular intention. For example, the Lakshmi mantras are very specifically for abundance. These mantras are the same for each person.
There are also planetary-based mantras; each planet has its own. These are typically used when there is an issue with a planetary influence in a person’s astrology chart. They repeat the mantra for that planet in order to create harmony with the energy and frequencies of that planet in order to have fewer issues because of its influence.
Related: What Is Transcendental Meditation?
Some mantras have been repeated by people millions of times, and those mantras get really charged with the energy of the frequencies. When a charged mantra is being given, it’s usually prescribed by a mentor, guru, or master for the purpose of spiritual growth. You get initiated into that mantra by someone who has done it themselves and has attained the power of that mantra. The quality of a mantra that is being transferred to you in this situation is very strong and powerful.
Lastly, everybody is born with about six to 10 sound frequencies, which I call your own personal sound signatures. These sound frequencies can be identified individually for a person, and then they can repeat them for overall benefit, harmony, and healing. They can also be used in a very directed way toward a purpose.
To determine these sound signatures, I ask very basic birth information from a person and give them their own personal seed mantras. If you’d like to find out what yours are, you can contact me (see below) and I will provide them for free to all Sonima readers.
How to Use Mantras
There are three ways of performing a mantra. One is by chanting loudly. The next is repeating it to yourself at a very low volume, so that you are both saying it and listening to it, but only you can hear it. Lastly, you can just mentally repeat it. This last method is useful because you can use the mantra at any time, even when you’re in public or doing work—no one will be able to tell.
Some people who want to use a mantra in a more dedicated way can try malas, which have 108 beads. These beads correspond to repetitions of the mantra to ensure that you say it at least 108 times. When you’re saying the mantra with a mala, you either do so mentally or out loud in a low volume. You can also set an amount of time, 10 or 20 minutes, and chant the mantra without a mala.
Chanting has a different impact because it vibrates inside and outside your body, which makes you very present in the moment with the sound. When you are repeating it to yourself then the mantra, you, and the purpose for which it’s being repeated all three become one. When you mentally repeat it, of course, your mind will wander, but it will be sustainable for a longer period of time. In short, each method has its own benefits, but all three ways are good.
How Should You Choose a Mantra?
First, choose the purpose of your mantra. Why do you want to have one? This is the most important question to answer. Now the tricky part is, where do you find the mantra? I would advise anyone interested to get their mantra from a reliable source, whatever that means to you. Sure, you can find them on the internet, but the ideal way to get a good, specific mantra for yourself is to ask somebody who knows about them, such as a meditation teacher. It’s possible to do some research on your own, but if you want to see the most benefit, it’s best to talk to someone who is really familiar with them.
>>To receive your free sound signature mantras, contact meditation master Sanjeev Verma at info@sanjeevsv.com.
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