This meditation helps take your awareness from a state of constriction to a state of expanded consciousness. The So Hum meditation is a simple but powerful technique that uses the breath and the repetition of a mantra to quiet the mind and relax the body. Close your eyes, take three deep breaths in and out through your nose, and begin. If you have mala beads, you can use them to count the repetitions of mantra, working your way up to 108 times. To get ready, find a comfortable seated position either in your meditation space or any other quiet, undisturbed area where you feel safe. If you have not yet had experience with this simple, yet powerful practice, here are two simple mantras to try. Mantra has been called the sound-body of God: It is God in the form of sound. The name of God is not different from God. Each word we use has its own power and produces its own reaction.Ī mantra is no ordinary combination of letters and syllables, but a living force. Both our spiritual and our mundane life are possible only because of words. When letters and syllables come together, they form words. According to ancient Indian belief, in the beginning there was sound, which reverberated as Om (Aum), and from that sound everything came into existence. It is written that God originally manifested as sound. In fact, it has the power to create an entire universe. The breath which repeats itself and symbolizes life itself, is also mantra. When we walk on the earth, our footsteps produce sound, and that is mantra. When wind blows through the trees, the rustling sound is mantra. When water flows, the gurgling sound it makes is mantra. Mantra is sound, and sound is echoing in everything in the universe. The idea is that mantra is intrinsically related to sound. This ancient technique originates in Tibet and India. Just by repeating the name, that which cannot be seen will be seen." "Just by repeating the name, that which cannot be understood will be understood. The idea is to use sound to focus your mind on something bigger than yourself. Mantra repetition is a powerful tool for yoga practitioners who wish to deepen their study. It was the smile of true contentment and joy. What struck me the most was the times during her practice when she would become silent for a moment as a smile spread across her face. I would often stop what I was doing to look at her, careful not to stare too long. I was fascinated by this woman and her mantra. At the same time each evening, a woman would sit on a meditation cushion in the far corner of the temple with mala beads strung over her right wrist as she rhythmically repeated her mantra: Om Namo Narayanaya. My karma yoga assignment was to clean the temple every evening after dinner. Pujas, rituals, mantras, and Upanishad scripture study were going on all the time. In addition, the spiritual energy there was high, so it was also fascinating to observe the traditions of the temple and its grounds. Many other languages were spoken there French, German, Spanish, and Hebrew-I could only follow half of the conversations that took place! Not to mention, all the Sanskrit. The name Hari denotes his compassion towards bhakthas in warding off their sins which are the root cause of misery.My first visit to the yoga ashram was full of new experiences. Hari refers to His capacity to rid bhakthas from their sins if they are sincere in their repenting for the sins they committed. Krishna refers to his capacity to ward off difficulties faced by the bhaktas. Govinda indicates his sarva sabdha vachyathva which in turn indicates his auspicious qualities represented by the words. Paramatma, Supreme Lord, indicates Krishna’s Sarvothamathva. The word Namaha repeated twice represents our complete surrender to Him. That Supreme Soul (Paramatma), Govinda, destroys, removes the suffering of all who surrender to Him. Lord Shiva, after teaching this mantra to Parvati, states that one who performs Japa of this mantra daily, will not only be rid of sins, but also will reach Vishnu Loka in course of time.Īgain and again we offer our obeisances unto Lord Krishna, Hari, the son of Vasudeva. Doing Japa or reciting the above sloka with awareness, several names referred to Sri Krishna in the sloka will ward off all our difficulties and troubles by pardoning us from sins which are the root cause for all our sufferings.
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