The Science Behind Chanting Mantras and How They Can Change Your Life

chanting mantras

Mantras are spiritual formulas that can transform your mind’s patterns. Despite being one of the most misunderstood yogic practices, mantras are vital to unlocking profound spiritual power. This article aims to demystify mantras, explain their workings, and provide tips for enhancing your practice. Mantras, like food or exercise, affect each person uniquely. While we’ll outline general benefits and tips for chanting mantras, it’s crucial to understand that your mantra meditation is a deeply personal journey. When you chant mantras, you connect with your intuition and spiritual power in a way that is yours and yours alone.

What is Mantra?

Mantras are universal codes wrapped in repetitive chants. Their power lies in the energetic and auditory vibrations of the words. Traditionally written in Sanskrit, an ancient sacred language, mantras require intention behind every sound and syllable.

Unlike yoga asana, which uses the outer experience to bring you inward, mantras work from the inside out. They help deepen your understanding of your life force and the power of the cosmos, starting from within. Mantras stimulate chaos in the body, alter your energetic frequency, and activate your whole body’s intelligence.

 

1. Stimulate Chaos

Chaos might seem counterintuitive in a yoga practice. However, internal chaos means shaking up your energy, allowing fresh ideas to emerge, and clearing away stagnation. Imagine a singing bowl filled with water. As you glide the mallet around, the water moves and jumps, creating energy. Chanting mantras creates a similar effect within your body, helping to change your frequency and open new perspectives.

 

2. Change Our Energetic Frequency

Internal chaos leads to frequency changes. Chakras, with their bija mantras or seed sounds, are keys to unlocking each chakra’s frequency. When stuck in a low vibrational state, mantras can help shift you out of that vibration.

 

3. Activate Our Whole Body Intelligence

According to Kundalini yoga master Guru Singh, you have three brains: the head brain, the heart brain, and the gut-brain. When chanting a mantra, notice where you feel it resonate most in your body. This insight reveals which bodily intelligence is being activated.

 

Naad & Shabd

Understanding mantras requires discussing naad and shabd. Naad refers to melodies with extraordinary vibrational harmonies connecting you to life’s sacredness. It can describe spiritual music, but some believe any music can possess naad.

Shabd is a sound that dissolves the ego and removes blockages, connecting you to your highest self. It merges you with the infinite, eliminating obstacles that separate you from your divine self.

– Shabd: Sound current that dissolves blockages

– Naad: Sacred sound, vibrational harmony connecting you to Universal Consciousness

 

Shabd Guru: Sound As A Teacher

Once you understand the concepts of naad and shabd, you can delve into the practice of Shabd Guru. This is the idea of using sacred sound (naad) to change your consciousness. Shabd Guru uses sound as a teacher, guiding you to your innate wisdom and divine nature. Many of us have limited self-perceptions. Shabd Guru helps to remove these limitations, bringing you closer to embodying your divine self.

Tips for Chanting Mantras from Guru Singh

For those new to chanting, here are some tips to maximize the benefits of your practice:

 

  1. Release Judgment

Chanting is not about singing well. It’s about cleansing your body with your unique voice. Singing is performative; chanting is a healing balm for your soul.

  1. Experiment

Have fun with your chanting. Try different tones and notes, and use this time to discover your voice and heal your throat chakra. Chanting is a playful exploration of your own sound and energy.

  1. Personalize Your Mantra Practice

Adjust your mantra practice to suit your body. Notice how you feel before and after chanting, and modify your practice as needed. This is the essence of Svadhyaya, or self-study.

Playing with Variables When Chanting Mantras

Several factors within a mantra can be personalized. Experiment with these variables to enhance your practice:

– Volume: Whisper or yell your mantras to explore different energetic qualities.

– Duration: Meditate for three minutes or thirty minutes.

– Meter: Notice the beats in your mantras. Some may prefer certain meters over others.

– Pace: Chant slowly and drawn out or quickly and repetitively. Pay attention to breath cycles.

– Sound: Identify where the sound resonates in your body—head, heart, or gut.

Rhythmic Breath: The Bridge Between Mantra and Pranayama

With practice, your mantra chanting can become an extension of your pranayama. Pranayama, or breath control, is a key aspect of yoga. Rhythmic breathing is at the core of pranayama, and mantras often require deep inhales and extended exhales. Think of mantras as the sheet music for your pranayama practice, guiding your breath and enhancing your focus.

 

Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System

Chanting mantras stimulates the Vagus Nerve, which tunes the nervous system. Ideally, chanting activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you rest and digest.

 

5.5 Breaths Per Minute

Optimal well-being involves taking 5.5 seconds for each inhale and exhale. Significant mantras like “om mani padme hum” and the long “om” utilize this breathing pattern. Prioritizing longer breaths will help you relax and find inner peace.

 

Mantra chanting is a powerful practice for aspiring and new yoga teachers. It connects you to your intuition and spiritual power, transforming your inner and outer realities. If you want to deepen your practice, consider exploring the East+West yoga teacher training. Learn more here.

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