How to Start a Mantra Practice
So, how do you get started finding a mantra?
In some practices, such as Transcendental
Meditation, students hire and study with a
trained mantra and meditation leader to learn
and receive specific, personalized mantras. But
there are plenty of ways to practice mantra
independently and free of charge. (For ideas
on other mantras to try, see “A Beginner’s
Guide to Common Mantras,” on page 49.)
Consistency is key, says Kempton,
regardless of your chosen mantra. “You
enliven a mantra through regular practice over
a period of time—months or even years.” she
says. “It’s a bit like rubbing a flint against a
stone to strike fire. The friction of the syllables
inside your consciousness, the focus of
bringing yourself back to the mantra again and
again, and especially the attention you give
to the felt sense of the mantra’s resonance
inside your awareness will eventually open the
energy in the mantra, and it will stop being just
words and become a living energy that you’ll
feel shifting your inner state.”If you’re interested in incorporating mantra-
based practices into your yoga and meditation
routines, start by asking a teacher to suggest a
mantra for you to try.
Mantra and meditation teachers
recommend to begin by lying down or sitting
in a comfortable position and silently repeat
the mantra, once on the inhalation, once on
the exhalation. Don’t fixate on it (you’ll know
if your brow starts furrowing). When thoughts
or feelings enter your mind, try to simply
notice them, and then return to silently reciting
the mantra. See if you can set aside 10 to 20
minutes a day to practice. Several traditions
suggest staying with one mantra for several
months before switching to another, in order
to deepen your practice and cultivate a sense
of ease, presence, and peace.
“As a beginner or intermediate practitioner,
it’s important not to assume that you have the
power to enliven a mantra through a thought
or awareness,” says Kempton. “You have to
practice, often for quite a while, before a mantra
really opens for you.”Years into her spiritual chanting practice,
Malia, who credits the Sanskrit mantra Ram
with saving her life, has experienced deeper
connection with the mantra. “It’s almost as if
these mantras start to feel like your friends—
even lovers,” she says. As she tours the
globe performing in sacred-music and yoga
festivals, she shares her love of mantra and
its healing effects. “Sometimes I wish
I could stand on the top of a building and
shout it out to the world: Mantra is free! It has
no side effects! It’s simple and so easy!”Susan Moran is a freelance journalist in Boulder,
Colorado.52
june / july 2018yogajournal.com.sg