Create and connect to inner quiet through mantra; join Clara for the simple practice of chanting to feel calm and grounded. This mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, is a Buddhist chant that translates from Sanskrit as, “Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.” It’s said that the entire teachings of Buddha are contained in this six-syllable mantra. Ideal for beginners, repeat this phrase to simmer in the sweetness of vibration, clear the mind, and release negative karmas.

Style: Mantra + Meditation

Duration: 15-mins

Level: Open-level class

Props: none

Focus: Aum Mani Padme Hum

Location: Lila Familia Production Studio, Vancouver, BC

“Chanting is a way of getting in touch with yourself. It’s an opening of the heart and letting go of the mind and thoughts. It deepens the channel of grace, and it’s a way of being present in the moment”  – Krishna Das.

Mantras are repeated over and over to instill a sense of clarity and calm to prepare for meditation. Similar to how movement rids the body of excess energy and tension, mantras cleanse the mind of the ego’s negative thoughts and desires. Every time you repeat the sound, word, or phrase, you might think of it as charging yourself up with the sound to create a space and awareness from the inside. Mantras are powerful in that they bring an intention and focus to whatever you wish to manifest in your life—be it compassion, kindness, love, detachment, acceptance, etc.

Chanting is a form of Bhakti yoga, the practice of devotion. The power of vibration is contained in each syllable and sends out a message of the quality of life you wish to manifest.

The benefits of mantra on the mind are vast as it influences the brain’s emotional center, the amygdala. The amygdala is part of the limbic system. It plays a vital role in processing fear and anger and coordinating responses to events and the environment, specifically around triggering an emotional response. When we feel angry, fearful, or anxious, the amygdala is activated and initiates a stress response via the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).

Chanting initiates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to deregulate the mind and body. When chanting, delta brain waves are increased. Delta waves assist the person in detaching from their surroundings to focus on the present task at hand and harmonizes the equilibrium between the brain and body.

Meaning of Mantra

Om Mani Padme Hum breaks down into six syllables that express the following:

Om: The primordial sound of the universe that connects us to the divine.

Ma: Represents ethics and releases jealousy.

Ni: Represents patience and releases desires.

Pad: Represents discipline and releases ignorance.

Me: Represents concentration and releases attachments.

Hum: The unity of the collective consciousness that represents wisdom and releases hatred.