What’s in a Mantra
While I wasn’t formally introduced to mantras until I was rather deep into the study of yoga, in hindsight I see I was really using them all along. In college my teammates and I would drag ourselves to the library, and fold a piece of paper to place on the top of our laptops that read FOCUS. Bam. A mantra. By definition “a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.” While we weren’t meditating we were definitely trying to concentrate, and while it was more for the laughs, it got the job done.
After college, around the time I was exploring yoga for the first time, I put the word DELIBERATE on the home screen of my computer. Similar to my focus sign, this was more about being intentional with my life. I came to the realization that so much of my life had either been prescribed, assigned, or expected of me, and for the first time I had the opportunity to make my own decisions. I really wanted to use this power wisely, I didn’t want to continue the pattern, or the neural pathway, of people pleasing. I wanted to be deliberate with my yes’s and no’s, and I knew I could only do that if I was able to pause. Take a beat before making decisions. Here was a mantra I would come back to daily, and it would gently remind me how I wanted to be. Maybe even who I wanted to be.
Fast forward a few years and mantras came to me in many different ways. During a Vedic meditation training I was given my own personal mantra to repeat while I meditate for 20 minutes twice a day. My favorite yoga teacher would often repeat the alignment cue ‘stretch your stance, stand your ground,’ and during the political whirlwind that was 2020 that felt really great to repeat not only on my mat but as I did my best to stay informed and engaged.
After a powerful reiki session I walked away with the mantra it doesn’t have to be this hard. As someone who was programmed to always be on the lookout for the rainy day, this one created some wonderful ripples. I genuinely believe this mantra called me deeper into the studies of tantra. The deep spiritual belief that we are here to do the hard work of bettering ourselves, while allowing ourselves to enjoy the experience. Which brings up another mantra of mine, still quite heavily in the current rotation- two truths. This one comes from my two years deep dive into tantric, feminine form Ayureda, and for me it’s a gentle reminder when we get stuck between a rock and a hard place… a gentle two word phrase which reminds us that part of the challenge is to find a way to hold two conflicting truths within us. Growing up in a relatively black and white world this one can still be hard. A work in practice. So it stays in the rotation of mantras.
But that’s why we have mantras. Because life can be hard, and we need these gentle reminders to come back to our clear minded selves that knew we would need something to fall back on when challenged. While you can chant it while meditating, or whisper the phrase as you pass each mala bead, mantras can also be the post it notes you place strategically around your house to remind you to feel your feet on the ground, take a deep belly breath and turn the corners of your mouth up. However you choose to use mantras, allow it to be something that brings you closer to where you are striving to be. One step at a time.
