Happy Tuesday Yogis!
If you're connect with Shanti Presence on Facebook, then you've already gotten a hint about this already. I'm gearing up for 30 days of Loving-kindness meditation in October, and I thought it would be cool to do 21 days of Mantra meditation before then. I guess you could say I caught the meditation bug which in my opinion is the best kind of bug to catch!
There are so many benefits to chanting Mantras. It is a great form of meditation. Regular sitting meditation may not be everyone's cup of tea, and mantra meditation is a really great and powerful alternative (Or great addition) to sitting meditation. I'll often do mantra meditation before my usual mindfulness meditation.
It is said that the sound and pronunciation of sanskrit mantras can lead to a transformation within - but I believe that all mantras are powerful whether it be sanskrit, english, whatever your native tongue may be. The repetition of mantras is powerful heart work.
As with anything we do, it is all energy. And the type of energy we put out in the world is the type of energy we will receive. The vibrations of your practice will have a ripple effect. You may begin to see the world through fresh new eyes. You may begin to be more conscious of the things you do and say. These are just some of the shifts that can happen from consistently practicing a powerful mantra. Not just even with mantras though. With anything you do with diligence and love for an extended amount of time, you are sure to see a shift in your life.
So! The Mantra we will be chanting is this one:
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
I really love this Mantra. It is a mantra of Love and happiness. A rough translation of this mantra would be May all beings be happy and free. So we are chanting for the freedom and happiness of all sentient beings Including ourselves! I thought this would be a great mantra to work with right before doing Loving kindness meditation. And don't worry, I'll be providing resources for proper pronunciation on Monday.
Details: Starting on Monday September 10th, we will begin our meditation together. You don't need to set out that much time to do this. Maybe just 5 minutes. Maybe you chant while you are washing dishes. Maybe you do it before you go to bed. Each individual is different and each person should do what is good their hearts. You know if you need more discipline or less discipline. It's not up to me to determine that.
Why 21 days? Some people say it takes 21 days to form a habit. I don't know if this is true, but I do know that doing anything consistently at least starts to form some sort of habit, and in order to see the benefits of your practice, one day just isn't going to cut it.
Over the next couple of days I will be giving you some background info on mala beads. Because as we know, mala beads are a GREAT accessory for mantra meditation. I'll be going over how to hold your mala during meditation, and other things that will help you understand how to get full use out of your mala.
At the end of 21 days I'll be having a giveaway for everyone who at least *tried* to do this practice. How will I know if you tried? I won't. But I like to believe I have an honest audience. Satya (truthfulness) should be a daily practice yes?
I think that's all the info I have for now. I will be blogging about my experience, and I encourage you to leave comments on those posts and let me know how it is going for you.
Sound good? I'm excited.
Leave a comment below and let me know if you're going to take the challenge. May we all come out of this with a little more love in our hearts.
Shanti <3
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