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Om is more than just a syllable.
By Colleen Fogarty — Written on Dec 18, 2020
Mantras are used in meditation practice to help ground you to the current moment and release your mind from invading thoughts.
Mantra meditation is meant to relax and center you by releasing judgments and worries.
To put it simply: it helps you be present in the moment. And by practicing mantra meditations, you'll help focus yourself even deeper into this sense of calm and release.
If you want to begin mantra meditation, it's important to consider what you want to focus on before you get started.
Some people like to practice this exercise while focusing on reaching a higher connection to the divine within themselves, be it spiritual or religious. And some simply like the health benefits of meditative focus and the increased connection with their own inner peace.
Meditation is much more easily said than done, though.
You may worry that because you can't still your thoughts that you're bad at meditation, but this is something that affects everyone and can get better with practice. Sometimes it feels like you can't help but think, and during meditation, it's common for thoughts to enter your mind.
That's why mantras are a helpful tool for concentration during meditation.
When you focus on a specific word or phrase, it's harder for other thoughts to slip in.
This is not to say that other thoughts won’t still intrude upon your meditation, but having an anchor, like a mantra, can bring you back to the center.
Regularly practiced, mantra meditation can improve your focus, decrease ruminating thoughts, and relieve stress that causes tension in your body and plagues your mind.
However you practice meditation, mantras are a useful tool for helping ground you and maintain your focus while also creating a specific intention for your meditation practices.
Here are some examples of mantras that you can use during your mantra meditation:
1. “Om.”
In Sanskrit mediation, om is thought to be the sound of the universe. Using om as a mantra is recognizing the oneness of yourself with the universe.
2. “I have compassion for myself and others.”
Mantras can be a great reminder to be kind, not only to others but to yourself as well.
3. “Every day is a new beginning.”
A lot of people like to make meditation a part of their morning routine. This mantra would be great for a morning meditation to start your day right.
4. “I am calm.”
This mantra plays on the fake-it-'til-you-make-it idea. Even if you don’t feel calm when you start your meditation, as you get deeper into the practice and use this mantra as your anchor, it will calm you.
5. “Peace.”
Similar to the “I am calm” mantra, repeating the word peace can actually then manifest peace inside you.
6. “May I be happy. May I be well. May I be at ease.”
This mantra follows the powerful rule of three creating cohesion and strength in the affirmation. The “may I” parts preceding the positive states/wishes is like asking and allowing permission for these positive things to come into you.
7. “I am enough.”
This affirmation is to remind you that you are enough and doing your best. You deserve all the good that you receive.
8. “Inhale the future, exhale the past.”
Release all that was, accept what is to come, and be in the present.
9. “Everything I need is within me.”
You don’t need to turn to the external world for validation or fulfillment, in this meditation, you will find all that you need within yourself, you're already complete.
10. “I can and I will.”
This phrase is a great anchor when meditation seems too difficult, and it also reassures you in a broader sense with all of your goals.
11. “I love myself. I believe in myself. I support myself.”
Meditation is a form of self-care. Reminding yourself of that care and compassion during meditation will strengthen these ideas in yourself.
This can even be supported with mudras, or hand gestures you can use during your meditation to help deepen focus and attract what you want as well.
12. “Take care.”
This can mean take care of yourself, or others, or just in general. Simply in meditating, you're taking care, and this phrase as your anchor will bring you back into that practice.
13. “So Hum.”
This is another Sanskrit mantra meaning “I am” to enforce self-awareness and staying in the present.
Remember that mantra meditation practice is for you. You can create any mantra that you feel is the best fit for you. This list can be an inspiration, or you can take from it whatever feels right for you.
Meditation can help you become an overall healthier and happier person.
Practicing with mantras can help you become more skilled at it.
Meditation can be done strictly by the book, or with personalized variants.
Commonly, you may meditate while sitting upright on a level, not too cushiony, surface with your eyes closed or softly gazing at a point on the floor. You focus on your breathing and softly chant your mantra, letting it ease out with your breath.
If a thought comes into your mind, accept it without judgment and let it pass. Bring yourself back into the meditation with your mantra and/or breathing as an anchor.
Of course, sometimes people feel strict meditation is too stringent, which could potentially impede upon the whole point of it. So, some prefer to sit more comfortably, or sometimes they need to practice meditation in an emergency moment, which can push posture to the back burner.
The most important thing to remember is that meditation is for your benefit, so do it however makes you feel most comfortable.
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Colleen Fogarty is a writer who covers self-care, astrology, and relationship topics.