Mantra meditation is a very powerful technique. It is a form of meditation that uses sound to open the heart and mind. This is the Meditation Technique of Devotion, a deeply spiritual and sacred practice for a lot of meditators; however a person doesn’t need to be “religious” to experience the gifts that Mantra Meditation can offer.
Mantra meditation allows your mind to focus and concentrate more completely on sound, and clear away other thoughts, emotions and distractions which divert our energies. We are able to learn and preserve our mental and emotional energies, enabling us to develop a direction and focus in our actions. We become more aware of the simple aspects of life, transforming our previous attitudes about work towards an uncomplicated and non-competitive life, creating a balance of being physically active and capable with your external actions and maintaining a condition of perpetual meditation internally.
Mantras (sounds) can be whatever you choose; they don’t even need to be Sanskrit Mantras (an ancient language of India used more often in yoga). A mantra is a sound repeated over and over again until it becomes one into you consciousness and free your mind from its regular doing, elevating you to an altered state of awareness; a state that can connect you with your soul and its most deep level, achieving a state of universal consciousness.
With mantra mediation, one can use whatever sound he likes, such as saying “I am” during inhalation, and “at peace” during exhalation. Mantra is often taught using Sanskrit words or phrases, most common of which are:
OM
The sound of the universe; vibration of all living things
So Ham
This is a beautiful and powerful mantra, honoring both the light and the shadow; the integration of opposites; life and death, light and shadow, inhalation and exhalation; the yin and yang.
Sat Nam
Truth
Om Namah Shivaya
Transformation; creation born of change; the phoenix rising.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Join with the divine will; I surrender to
Aham Brahmasmi
I am the creative force
Tat Tuan Asmi
I am that I am
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Peace, peace, peace
Common Mantras in English:
I am
I surrender to Your will (God, Goddess, Universe, What IS)
Love
Peace to all
I open to What IS
All is well
Preparation for Mantra Meditation
It is always important to prepare yourself before doing mantra meditation. Getting yourself in the right mind set and setting a spiritual atmosphere will help a lot in the practice of mantra meditation.
* Let a sense of spirituality and enthusiasm for your inner quests fill you.
* If possible, shower and dress in clean, white, loose fitting clothing.
* Pull back long hair and brush the teeth if possible. A comfortable and clean body promotes a clear mind as well.
* Sit in the sacred space you have set aside for your spiritual practice.
* Create a simple altar for you space. Inspirational pictures for you can be used, light a candle, or some incense to keep the air sweet and the atmosphere meditative.
* Surrender your egos. It is about purifying yourself and letting go of preconceived thinking, and opening yourself to boundless, unconditional love –Divine Grace.
* Sit in a comfortable position which allows your spine to be straight and erect.
* Offer a prayer from deep within your heart.
How to do Mantra Meditation
If you are doing a Mantra that has one syllable, such as OM, begin by concentrating on the rhythm of your breath. Say to yourself OM as you inhale, then as you exhale count. Inhale OM, exhale one, inhale OM, exhale two, and so on until the number ten, and then start over again.
For longer mantras such as the mantra So Hum, begin with deep, relaxed breathing, calming the mind and the body. Deeply connect to the rhythm and absorb the rhythm of breath. On the inhalation, mentally repeat So, and on the exhalation, mentally repeat Hum. Flow with the silent sound and breath, and allowing the sound to become one with your consciousness, visualizing life force energy moving into your body and down your spine when you inhale, and energy flowing up the spine when you exhale.
Enjoy the practice of this mantra technique without requiring yourself to achieve anything. Enjoy the process and in time your breath and Mantra will become one.
KABBALAH MEDITATION
Kabbalah is the oldest, yet the most significant wisdom of all time. It is the wisdom of Kabbalah that enables us to achieve a higher level of our existence. If one understands his real purpose in life, one can achieve limitless possibilities. He can also experience deep serenity and perfection. Kabbalah meditation is supposedly able to provide solutions to problems, and creates peace in place of disorder. And on top of all that, Kabbalah meditation can give us the answer to the most-sought after question of our existence, “who am I?”
Kabbalah literally means “to receive”. And incidentally it is its great purpose. Kabbalah meditation practice will teach us how to receive. And what do we want to receive from life? Kabbalah meditation will make us learn to wish for the non physical things from life and how to receive them.
Kabbalah’s source is the ancient book The Zohar. It is not an ordinary book written with ink on paper but historians are convinced that The Zohar is the Holy Grail. The Zohar, a twenty-three volume collection of wisdom, is said to be the Tree of Life known by all religions. It is the one used to create miracles and claims to end worldly destruction and even death.
The Zohar works basically like a light bulb. Kabbalah meditation is like turning on a light switch in our lives. The Zohar in the Kabbalah meditation emits light on the dark spotsin our lives like sickness, sadness, and death as well.
People who are new or who haven’t heard about Kabbalah meditation would think that it is a religion. Definitely, Kabbalah is NOT a religion. But Kabbalah meditation is about the light. And the light is not restricted to a select few, but it is for everyone regardless of religion and race.
Kabbalists say that Kabbalah meditation answers men’s three most crucial questions: who we really are, where we came from, and why we are here. To put it more simply, Kabbalah meditation will simply provide you the necessary tools to attain joy, deep sense of accomplishment, and makes you experience life under the Higher Being’s Light.
Kabbalah was viewed as mysticism in ancient times. People thought it to be too mystical. However, Kabbalah is now considered as a science -- the science of the soul.
Visiting online sites will take you to some online courses on Kabbalah meditation. The site www.kabbalah.com will give you a thorough tour on the history of Zabbalah as well as the modern Zabbalah meditation practice. It may sound more into the spiritual aspect but it basically works the same way as the other meditation techniques do.
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