2.8
August 9, 2012

Mind Your Mantra. ~ Ambria Mathew

What mantras do you speak into your life on a daily basis?

Do you find yourself saying “this always happens to me” or “story of my life” when people ask you how you are doing?

Is your response always “good” as opposed to “awesome?”

Do you tend to say “people never like me,” “it’s hard to lose weight,” or “I’m always stressed?”

These are your mantras.

A mantra is a sound syllable or group of words intended for spiritual transformation through vibrational energy. The word mantra is defined as “mananaat thraayathe ithi mantra”—“that which saves from destruction, the one who devotes or thinks of it.”

If we dissect the word mantra or mantram it is (man/manas, “to think”) (tra, “instrument or tool” and trai “to free from and protect”) therefore, an instrument of thought for liberation.

From Aitrareya-aranya-Upanishad we discover:

“The mute consonants represent the earth, the sibilants the sky, the vowels heaven. The mute consonants represent fire, the sibilants air, the vowels the sun? The mute consonants represent the eye, the sibilants the ear, the vowels the mind.”

From The Bible we learn:

“Man cannot live on bread alone, but on the word of God.”—Matthew 4:4

Our words have power, which is why every religious tradition has scripture that people meditate on and recite.

While mantras found their conception in the Vedas, in the slokas, the most beloved of all is the sacred sound of Om. Om is the mantra said to be the sound of the universe, the sound of the Godhead or Brahman, which represents creation. Nearly every yoga practitioner uses and has experienced the peace of this transformational sound. Some yogis use mantra in chanting or kirtan or japa meditation.

Some other popular mantras include:

“Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, tát savitúr váreṇ(i)yaṃ, bhárgo devásya dhīmahi, dhíyo yó naḥ pracodáyāt”—Gayatri Mantra—To attain excellent glory of savitar, the god.

“So Hum”—I am that, I am you, You are me, one in divinity.

“Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevya”—To the divine within us all.

“Om Namah Shivaya”—To the one who conquers the negative and replaces with positive.

“Om Gum Ganipataye Namo Namaha”—To remove obstacles, fear and bring success.

“Om Shanti Shanti Shanti”—For peace.

When we know that our word is powerful and respect the power of mantra we should be more mindful of our words.

You can look back on your life and see the patterns you have lived, and directly associate it with either the positive or negative mantras that you put into your belief system.

Powerful motivational speakers like Tony Robbins, Louise Hay and Wayne Dyer are teaching us the same thing that is contained in the Vedas. Your words inspire your thoughts your thoughts inspire you life. Take some time to review your daily mantra and learn how you speak to yourself, what absolutes do you keep as your personal gospel, how often do you say positive words?

Make changes where necessary to create a life of positive love and light, a life you hope for—a life that inspires others.

Ambria is an International Yoga & Ayurveda Teacher (ERYT). She is the founder of Zoga Yoga, a school that conducts certifications for 200Hr Yoga Teacher Trainings, Ayurveda/Yoga Courses, Reiki and soon Kids Yoga in Canada, NYC and India. She has led trainings, workshops, and been a guest instructor on Vinyasa and Ashtanga trainings worldwide. Ambria writes a popular blog here and hosts an amazing YouTube Channel here.

She is author/illustrator of the popular children’s book “The Yoga Adventures of Priya and Pooch” and continues to look for ways to inspire people to better mind-body wellness. Find her at her website here. Ambria can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

~

Editor: ShaMecha Simms

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