Mantras help us to quiet the mind, while helping us to create and channel our intentions. The world is made up of sound, and every sound has a vibration.
Although we cannot see them Physicists have proven that everything in our world is made up of sub-atomic particles of vibrating energy. The bodies that we live in are not solid at all, we are in fact vibrating energy! This is simply a fact of quantum science.
Here is an example of how sound and vibrations affect us physically …
Imagine standing in Times Square, the sounds of the subway underneath your feet, horns honking, people talking, cars, construction, radios blasting, perhaps your cell phone ringing. Whew!
You probably noticed your body tensing just reading the last sentence I wrote. A mantra is designed to create a specific vibration, and in so doing have a very specific and profound effect upon the chanter or the listener.
Yogis have been chanting mantras since the time of The Vedas. The Vedic period dates back to 4500 – 2500 BC. Mantras are sacred sounds that come from the Sanskrit language. Sanskrit is a beautiful and melodic, but what’s really amazing about it is that it is deliberately constructed so that each letter of the alphabet corresponds with a particular type of energy. The sounds then that we make when we chant have a profound affect on our nervous systems and bodies.
We know that all matter is in fact not solid. We are all made up of nothing but vibrating energy. In this way it is easy to see how music has such a proufond affect upon our mental, physical, emotional and even spiritual bodies. (sheaths or Koshas)
The Mantra below is one you will probably recognize from class and is an invocation for harmony and blessings for all of creation. At the end we say Om; which is actually pronounced AUM as many of you know, and is a mantra all by itself. Om (Aum) is an affirmation of the infinite divine consciousness that connects us all. It ends with Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, meaning peace, peace, and peace. It asks for peace in things beyond our control, peace in things within our control, and peace from the biggest obstacle to enlightenment our own ego. Peace is the goal, and is at the heart of our own true nature.
Lokha samastha sukhino bhavanthu
Lokha samastha sukhino bhavanthu
Lokha samastha sukhino bhavanthu
Om, shanti, shanti, shanti
Translation:
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
Om, peace, peace, peace
May our practice of yoga (union) contribute to that happiness and freedom!
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Here is a pretty cool (and long) quiz to determine what chakra is the most open. I think these are fun, and apparently you all do as well! Click HERE to take the quiz!
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