Mantra is a Sanskrit word which is a sacred word or any kind of utterance. It can be a sound or just a syllable. Mantras have been chanted for years and people who chant these mantras believe that they help in spiritual healing and have a positive psychological effect on the body. Some mantras are meaningful while others do not have any meaning and are just sounds.
Mantras are very old, dating back by 3000 years in India. Nowadays, they are present in Buddhism and Sikhism too. Even in Japan, mantras are used for psychological wellness and they are called Shingon. There are different historical views about mantras. Some schools say that mantras are meaningless and are only instruments of mind while others say that mantras have linguistic meaning. However, both these schools believe that mantras have a melody and they influence the listener.
Mantras for Mental Relaxation
There are a lot of mantras that help you relax mentally. One of the albums made by Ravi Shankar, an Indian musician, is quite popular among people who believe in mantras. This album is called ‘Chants of India’. It was released in 1997 and contained different mantras with Vedic origin. One of the popular chants is the Mangalam Chant. Mangala means auspicious or fortunate. This chant is also associated with Durga, a Hindu goddess. It is believed that her touch would bring your luck and happiness. This chant, when translated to English, says that may there be peace in everything in the world. You have to repeat the chant tens of times and when you wish for peace to be in every element of the world including your mind and heart, you will surely feel much healthier spiritually and emotionally.
The second mantra that I have mentioned as my favorite is the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra. A legend says that Markandeya only new that mantra and there is no one else who knew it in the whole world. One time, the Moon was in trouble and he cursed King Daksha. That is when Markandeya gave this mantra to Daksha’s daughter. There are a lot of different names for this mantra.
My Favorite Mantras
You can chant whichever mantra you want but I have a few favorites. When we chant the mantra for over a hundred times, a repetitive pattern is created. This really helps in bringing mental and spiritual comfort to your body. Whether you are meditating or you are on a pilgrimage, these mantras will keep you mentally stable. You will soon start enjoying the mantra as the words are very soothing to ears and have a very serene effect on your body.
Here are two of my favorite mantras recorded in the jungle of Koh Phangan during the 300 hour Lila Vinyasa teacher training. I am sharing them with you.
We chant each one 108 times.
Either use them as you meditate or chant with us (another form of meditation).
I hope you enjoy them!
