Mantra Meditation Guide: Benefits, How to Try It & More!

Mantra Meditation Guide: Benefits, How to Try It & More!

Choosing a Mantra for Meditation

Before starting about how mantra meditation is good for you, let us understand what the term mantra means. Mantra is a Sanskrit word that means releasing your mind. Man – Mind & Tra- Release.

Mantras are meant to be repeated while you practice meditation to help you release and ease you from all the worries. If you feel you lack concentration or are not in the correct state of mind, mantra meditation can really make a lot of difference.

There are various reasons why people perform mantra meditation. Some use the mantras to stimulate their mind by making themselves more aware of the current state of mind and improving concentration. Reciting mantras help people stay focused and may show you great results if practised regularly.

What Is Mantra Meditation?

Mantra meditation is the practice of helping your mind stay more focused and remain at peace with the usage of sound, phrases or words that are repeated softly or loudly. The reason why people practice mantra meditation is for inner spiritual growth, or for relaxing your mind. In Sanskrit, it is also known as Japa meditation which means to mutter a word/phrase repeatedly.

What Are Mantras?

Om is a type of mantra that is said repeatedly. The vibrations while reciting the word helps you relax and improve concentration. Mantra is a chant that is followed by many people around the world and is a part of many religions and spiritual journeys.

Mantras can be like “I am powerful,” “I am focused,” or “I let go and surrender” and can be repeated silently or loudly.

Best Mantra for Meditation

Our minds often is cluttered with a million things. We find ways to de-clutter our minds. Some lean towards mantra meditation that keeps them going through the day and helps them grow into a person who is more peaceful and can concentrate better.

Here are some amazing mantras that you can try if you follow this practice:

1.      Om

2.      Hare Krishna

3.      Om Namah Shivaya

4.      Aham Prema

5.      I am That I am

6.      Om Mani Padme Hum

How Does Mantra Meditation Work

Mantra meditation’s goal is to expand your awareness while you observe your thoughts, it makes you live more in the present, it helps in wandering your mind lesser, it helps you live more mindfully, you start developing a great sense of compassion, regulates your brain, and so much more.

Mantra meditation must be practised in a place that you feel most comfortable in. Avoid any distractions to help the mantras really work for your inner-self.

Mantra Meditation Benefits

Practising mantra meditation only has great benefits. One cannot say that they practice this and not feel or observe the benefits of it. Making a person lives more mindfully and with more awareness of their surroundings are the most basic things one can feel developing while practising mantra mediation.

Let us have a look at the list of endless benefits mantra meditation has for us:

• Deep connection with the mind to unlock your worries
• Calmer approach
• Spiritual well-being
• Better state of mind
• Living in the moment
• Mindful living
• Alleviate stress, jealousy, anger or any other negative feelings inside you
• More room for self-care and self-love
• Compassionate
• Relaxes your nervous system

Purpose of the Mantra During Meditation

The purpose of mantra meditation can vary from person to person. A person could be under severe mental stress or is very disturbed in life and wants to protect the state of mind and welcome more positive thoughts.

Another person could opt for mantra meditation for battling insomnia or sleepless nights with disturbed or no thoughts, someone else could be practising mantra meditation to find a spiritual purpose or connection.

Daily mantra meditation can help people overcome various things that are going on in one’s life. Especially with the pandemic and covid-19 going on, we all are looking at living more mindfully and in peace without getting affected by the negativity around us.

Mantra Meditation Techniques

There are various techniques to practising mantra meditation. Every person finds it beneficial in their own ways while practising it.

Here are some mantra meditation techniques that you can follow:

• Visualizing
• Chakra Meditation
• Devotion Meditation
• Guided Meditation
• Yoga Mantra Meditation  

How to Perform Mantra Meditation?

The fact that you are interested and reading about mantra meditation, means you are ready to learn the techniques and how to perform mantra meditation correctly. It is no rocket science, anyone and learns to perform this and lead a more relaxed and mindful life.

Let us dive into the techniques on how to start –

Get Comfy – find a place where you feel positive and relaxed and most importantly a place that is quiet. Choose the posture or position that you wish to practice it in. It could be while you are sitting on the floor, chair or lying down on your bed or yoga mat.

Time yourself – If you are new to this, start slow and for a lesser period of time. Set a timer for yourself, be it 5 minutes or 30 minutes.You can even choose a relaxing sound in the background to take you in a meditative state of mind.

Watch how you breathe – breathe slowly & simply focus on your pattern of filling your lungs with oxygen.

Start the mantras – as you breathe, begin to chant your mantras now. You can either say it softly or loudly, however you like it.Match your breathing pattern while you chant your mantras.

Avoid Distractions – refrain from looking at your phone or negative thoughts. Your mind will wander, but bring it back into the meditative state of mind and focus on your breathing and mantras again.  

Close your session – Once the timer starts to beep, don’t jerk up and end it abruptly. Give your body a few moments to soak up all that you did and observe how you feel. Do you feel relaxed? Do you feel calm? Do you feel positive? Slowly, get up from the meditation and reflect on your thoughts.

Related Blog: How to Perform Mantra Meditation (Step by Step)

Mantra Meditation Vs Mindfulness

Mantra Meditation is a practice where as mindfulness is a quality. Mantra meditation is a practice where one uses a technique or method to perform the meditation to achieve a sense of mindfulness or remain focused. Mindfulness is a way of living that can be obtained through practice. A person can have a mindful quality that benefits their mental well-being and self-esteem.

Mantra Meditation Vs Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation is a very well known form of meditation. If you wish to have the ability to provide more clarity in your life along with relaxation, then Transcendental meditation is one way where you silently repeat mantras with your eyes closed. This is not a religion or a lifestyle. It is a method for finding peace and calm in your life.

The difference between the 2 is that both are required to repeat mantras during the session. In Transcendental meditation, the use of sound is used to help you calm and mantra meditation requires you to use phrases or words or visualization to practice meditation.

Mantra Meditation Vs Breath Meditation

Breath meditation is a great way to reduce the stress that can help you sleep better and avoid health problems. Focusing on your breathing pattern is the most important part of meditation. In this type of meditation, you can focus on silently counting your inhale and exhale. The wave of energies starts to flow in when you focus on breathing. Mantra meditation helps you be more focused on the mantras you chant which avoid the distraction of negative thoughts. Mantras help you as a reminder to keep saying that word or phrase repeatedly while focusing on your breathing too.

Books to Learn Mantra Meditation

While plenty of knowledge is available on the internet, there are some who always lean towards reading a book to know more. Mantra meditation books are magical and fascinating to see what various authors have to say about the practice.

Here are some books for mantra meditation that are a good read –

1.      Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley Farrand

2.      Mantra Yoga & Primal Sound by Dr David Frawley

3.      Power Of Words by Savananda Radh

4.      A Gnostic Prayer Book by Surekha Minati Keerthana

Mantra Meditation: Related FAQs

We have explained various benefits, types and techniques of mantra meditation and how life-changing the practice can be especially for people who are always under stress and have mental health problems. Here are some frequently asked questions that can help clear your doubt even more on mantra meditation.

Q1. Does Mantra Meditation Work?

Mantras have proven to find purpose in life and feel peaceful, and mindful. Mantras turn negativity into positivity and make a person feel alive from within. The powers of mantras are strong and can give you great results if practised daily.

Q2. How to Create a Mantra for Meditation?

Choosing a mantra is easy. You can’t go wrong as there is no wrong or right in choosing the mantras. Simple mantras like om, powerful words, positive phrases, or words starting with I AM, these few ways are easy to create your own mantra.

Q3. What are the Vedic Meditation Mantra Examples?

Om, Soham, Om Mani Padme hum, Gayatri Mantra

Q4. How to Pick a Mantra for Meditation?

What is your purpose for practising mantra meditation? Find out why and choose a mantra as per your goal.

The Bottom Line

There are many people who meditate globally. It has been practised for centuries all around the world. Be it feeling relaxed, compassionate, or simply relaxed state of mind, one can attain all of this by practising mantra meditation. Choose the mantra that reflects with you personally and helps you stay focused.

Now that we have covered a lot on how the mantras and meditation benefit, we hope you consider trying them and involving them in your daily lives. Once you start noticing the changes in your lives, this will be a part of your life and your loved ones too. Mantras have been helpful in unlocking your own potential and directing you towards the path of positivity.