om spirit om spirit
How to craft your own powerful mantra to call in the energy that pervades all life.
By Stephanie Spence
Y
oga has become a part of
your life. You’re experiencing
the benefits and are loving the
changes you’re seeing in all
aspects of your life. You’re the
real deal. But, what if you’re hiding a secret?
I was. After years of practice and dwelling
in divine bliss after committing to daily
practice, I was ashamed to admit I just wasn’t
getting the ‘chanting thing’. Was I simply
not able to understand this science that is
meant to engage the mind through focusing
on sound, duration and repetition – or worse
yet, devoid of the ability to access this state
of deep wellness and bliss? Neither. I was
simply shy.
Friends at yoga retreats and workshops
would chant into ecstatic dance till their
hearts seemed to explode into a room of
writhing bodies that shared smiles, tears,
sweat and love. Although I love to dance
in a club, ballroom or in my kitchen, I was
uncomfortable gyrating in some creative
free-form way that seemed to expose a part
of my soul I simply preferred to keep private.
All the while, though, I felt like I was missing
out on some aspect of yoga that could add
depth to my growing yoga life.
Chanting mantras
While in yoga teacher training I learned a
great deal about Japa, which is the Sanskrit
word for the act of repeating mantras.
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