Hello, fellow travelers on the road to well-being!
Have you ever noticed how certain sounds seem to speak to you and can change how you feel almost instantly? Whether it be the sound of waves lapping along a beach or the sweet melody of your purring cat, sound is powerful! Sound can effortlessly change how you feel. Gratefully, you can harness that power through mantras and chanting in your yoga practice. Introducing mantras and chanting into your practice can bring you to a new level of healing and self-exploration.
We know the connection between sound, our mind, and our body is powerful. We believe that wellness is not simply about postures; it is also about the energy that exists inside of us and all around us. That is why we are thrilled to explore some of the incredible benefits of using mantra and chanting regularly in your yoga practice.
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Beyond Asanas: Why Sound Matters In Yoga
You might have felt the physical benefits of yoga: enhanced flexibility, strength, and balance. However, yoga is much more than a physical activity. It is a system that includes the whole system to create harmony within your being. This is how sound fits in.
Think about it like this: our bodies are really vibrational beings. Every cell, every organ, and every thought carries a dimensional energetic frequency. A mismatch in those frequencies would lead to disease. Mantras and chanting offer us specific vibrations and rhythmic patterns that assist in gently re-tuning our internal instruments.
What Are Mantras & Chanting Exactly?
Before moving on to the how, let’s tackle the what.
Mantras are holy sounds, words, or phrases, mainly in Sanskrit, that are repeated to communicate a specific goal, mood, or divine force. Each mantra will produce a unique energy signature. Consider them audio keys that open various doors to different levels of your mind.
Chanting is the repeating act of saying mantras rhythmically, either aloud or quietly. It might be as simple as repeating a single sound, like “Om,” or it can consist of larger phrases. The energy in the mantra is not only derived from the words but also from the direction of your goal and your ongoing vibration.
How Mantras & Chanting Improve Your Yoga Practice
Are you ready to see how we can bring these old practices into your new yoga practice? Let’s go!
1. Taming Your Mind (Finally!)
Quieting the mind is the greatest obstacle that many of us face in yoga and life, pulling us in a thousand different directions. Our thoughts race; thinking fast can either keep you stuck or take you away from being present. Chanting is the ultimate anchor. It gives you sound and vibration, something specific to focus on, making it even more manageable to quiet the busyness of your mind and to drop into a deeper meditation. You get to let your busy mind be lulled by the present.
2. Deepening Your Breath
Chanting provides breathing benefits such as automatically engaging the diaphragm and extending exhalations. The way we naturally lower our breath and activate our diaphragm is a deep breathing action that engages your vagus nerve and promotes the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and digestion. What was the result? A strong sensation of calm, reduced stress, and improved ability to relax into positions.
3. Cultivating Focus & Concentration (Dharana)
In yoga, Dharana means concentration. And chanting is a great method to practice that. The sustained focus of repeating a mantra allows your mind to practice becoming committed and present, not just on your mat, but also in your everyday life. Being more focused can also improve how conscious and intentional your physical practice is as well.
4. Releasing Stuck Energy
Sound bypasses the logical mind and travels directly to the emotional body. Chanting can help you clear emotional blockages, “anxieties,” and even past traumas that are held in your energy field. The vibrations can be thought of as a massage for your emotional landscape, bringing feelings to the surface so they can be acknowledged and released.
5. Connection To The Greater Whole
For many, mantras and chanting have a way of tapping into a concept of the divine or universal energy or even just a heightened aspect of themselves. Whether it is a spiritual connection or simply a connection to your own strength, the combined experience of chanting creates a certain collective vibration that gives you a sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself.
Including Mantras & Chanting Into Your Practice: A Few Simple Ideas
So how can you begin to weave some of this into your own yoga practice? It is easier than you might think!
- Begin With “Om”: The most universal of all mantras is “Om” (Aum). The sound “Om” is thought to be the primordial sound of the universe. Start and end your practice by chanting Om a few times and feeling the vibrations resonate through your whole body.
- During Warm-up Or Cool-down: As you gently move through your warm-up stretches or relax in your cool-down with the breath, try silently repeating a simple mantra like “So Hum” (meaning, “I am That”). “So,” as you inhale, “Hum” as you exhale.
- In Holding Poses: While holding a pose that you are in for a longer duration, instead of letting the mind run free range, focus on a mantra. This can help to keep you present to the experiences of the pose.
- As A Meditation Practice: Before or after engaging in your asana practice, spend a few minutes seated chanting. You can choose a particular mantra that fits your current needs or intentions.
- Consider Exploring Different Mantras: Once you feel more comfortable with the practice, explore different mantras and their meanings. There are mantras for peace, abundance, healing, courage, and more. Pick something that speaks to your heart.
Final Thoughts On Mantra & Chanting
Remember that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to utilize mantras and chanting. The important thing is to approach this with an open heart and mind. It doesn’t matter if you sound good, if you’re doing it “right,” or if anyone is watching—all that matters is the intention and vibration.
At Maa Shakti Yog Bali, we consider that every yoga practice is a personal journey. We invite you to explore the sound you create and the healing power of sound to find out how including mantras and chanting can improve your life on and off the mat. If you’re ready to go deeper in your practice, consider our immersive 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Bali—a transformational journey that blends asana, breath, mantra, and much more in the heart of paradise.
What are your experiences with sound in your yoga practice? Leave your thoughts in the comments below—we would love to hear from you!
