And because this moment is all we have, then so long as we
are living, it will always be possible to begin again. In this
moment, to begin again... as if the past doesn't exist —because
it doesn't. This video is for anyone out there who wants to
get into a regular meditation practice but can't seem to
quiet those negative trains of thought. You know that voice
on the inside that seems to stir up fear or criticize your
every move —somehow, oddly, more harshly than your most problematic
of your inner critic and mantra meditation is perfect for
that. By the end of today's video, I want you to walk away
with an understanding of at least three things: what mantra
meditation is, why it's uniquely suited for you, and three
simple (yet powerful) mantras you can apply in your practice
today. These are all mantras I use on a regular basis and
I'm going to tell you why I've chosen these three. So if any
of what I've just said sounds good, keep watching and consider
giving this video "like." Let's begin with a definition. Mantra
meditation is a form of meditation that involves the continuous
repetition of a syllable, word, or phrase either in your head
or out loud. This chosen syllable,
word, or phrase
(of course) is your mantra. Mantra meditation has various subtypes
but what they all share in common is the following process:
you begin with the object of your attention being the repetition
of your mantra. As you repeat your mantra, you will find that
it increasingly becomes more effortless to sustain.
You will eventually settle into a place of open awareness;
a place where instead of actively focusing on the repetition
of sounds, you are simply receiving them like a mirror of
consciousness —receiving the sounds as they vibrate through
you. The place that you're in now is something like a trance.
It's your new normal resting state; a state of inner peace
where the noise of your ego has dissipated. It's a wonderful
place to be... but I want you to know that what I've just listed
is not a step-by-step guide.
It's not guaranteed to happen
for you the first time you meditate this way.
What I've just listed is the description of a process that
organically takes shape over multiple sessions of practice.
This is the sort of thing that you have to practice to grasp
and if you don't get it on your first try, that's okay. Catching
yourself being distracted is part of the practice; and soon,
you'll become so good at cultivating your focus that the
resting inner peace
you feel starts to become more accessible.
This is why we practice the practice.
Now, before I share some mantras with you,
I want to cover three features of mantra meditation that
make it uniquely suitable for beginners and/or people with
a loud inner critic. Number one: the repetition of a mantra
serves as a steady object of attention.
If you're new to meditation, it can be helpful to have one
thing to focus on as you're meditating.
This is your object of attention. Some common objects of attention
include your breathing, something in your line of vision, or
the sounds that you hear in your environment. The benefit
of focusing on the repetition of your mantra
is that it engages multiple senses at the same time.
Not only is a mantra something you can hear, but it's also
something you can feel as it vibrates through you. And with
enough focus,
you can almost even start to visualize the mantra taking
shape in your visual field. Sort of like synesthesia.
All of these qualities make the repetition of a mantra an
effective object of attention —especially if you find it
difficult to concentrate. Number two: the repetition of a
mantra can replace your regular trains of thought. All thoughts
are vibrations; all vibrations are energy.
So therefore, thoughts are energy.
There is no such thing as not being in energy. When you repeat
a mantra, you replace what would have been the energy of your
thoughts with the energy of your mantras. You replace a perhaps
negative vibration with a sacred one.
I know this is where many physicists might get their
panties in a bunch, but just bear with me and try to process
the semantics of it
all. Many of us are afraid to sit with ourselves because our
default mode of thinking carries a heavy emotional weight.
But what if, for just moments at a time, we could replace
the emotionally-charged sounds of our mind with the neutral or
positively-charged sounds of a mantra? Number three: mantra
meditation can promote body awareness.
The premise of this point is similar to the premise of the
first point in that a mantra is a sound you can feel and
one that encourages you to be conscious of your body in relation
to the sound. Inner body awareness involves feeling your
body from within. It's a practice that Eckhart Tolle, one of
the most acclaimed spiritual teachers of our time, writes
about at length. We can discuss in another video
the things Tolle has said about inner body awareness, but
I will just say here that I've noticed a theme among a number
of spiritual teachers. They teach about the importance of
tapping into your body. One of the rationales I've gathered
from this is that body awareness works well to counteract
our egoic thought patterns and stress responses.
It deactivates our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight)
in favor of our parasympathetic nervous system
(rest and digest). In other words, if you were too much in your
mind, you can get anchored by shifting your attention onto
your body. Now. This is the part where I probably should have disclosed
at the beginning of this video that I am not formally trained
in meditation. Those of you who formally are
might have picked up on that, and that's okay. I make these
videos to share concepts and practices that have worked well
for me and I share from experience. I'm hoping that the
way I communicate some of these ideas will register
with at least some of you guys... and if that is the case, then
it makes all of this worth it. I'm not trying to sell coaching
services or anything. That's not my M.O. here, so hopefully you
can give me a little bit of a pass. Now. Here are three mantras
that I personally use. Number one: "Om." Om is the sacred syllable in
Hinduism and other Indian religions. The "Om" sound is simple
to utter, simple to repeat, and creates a deep vibration. All
of these traits make it an effective starter mantra to use.
Number two: "One." It's similar to Om, but it actually has meaning
for me. When I chant it,
I like to tap into the feeling of how I'm really one with
the Universe; one with all that I'm surrounded by —one part
of a collective consciousness
that is far above my pay grade.
Now, it might sound strange that I like to remind myself
of how small I really am, but I actually find it empowering.
Unlike positive affirmations where you stand in front of
a mirror and tell yourself how wonderful you are,
there's a certain sense
of freedom that comes from the recognition that now is all
you really have. And because this moment is all we have, then
so long as we are living, it will always be possible to begin
again. In this moment, to begin again... as of the past doesn't
exist. Because it doesn't. The last mantra I want to share
with you is: "I am a conduit of love."
I picked this mantra because it's the opposite of ego. Ego
is greed. Ego is fear. Ego is the opposite of love. The essence
of this
mantra is similar to that last one in that it reminds me of
the idea of impermanence.
Nothing is forever.
There is no ultimate control.
There's really nothing to be lost because nothing was truly
ever ours to begin with. And so long as this moment is all
we have, I choose to be a conduit of love. A second reason
why I like this mantra is that it pairs well with the use
of prayer beads. If you don't already use prayer beads in
meditation, I would highly recommend it
because it really helps you... at least for me,
anyway, it helps me get into the zone quickly.
I would think because it helps me narrow my focus and it
engages another sense for me. That brings us to the end of
our video.
I've got two and a half questions for you.
Number one:
Will you give mantra meditation a try? Number two: if you already
practice mantra meditation, how do you do it?
What are your favorite mantras to use?
I hope you found this video to be helpful.
If you did, please consider giving this video a "like"
and subscribing if you haven't already. And I will see you
guys next time.