Mantra

Today I am at the half way point of my 40 day Sadhana, practice, and as I sit at my computer looking for inspiration, I find none. At this point when my mind is not occupied, or fixed on something, I noti the Hanuman Chalisa's words pop up in my mind without order. I can observe it automatically recall the chant. I must admit that during these past two and half weeks, there have been days that I have had to force myself to my little altar to chant, or days where i've lazily layed in bed instead and quickly chanted my self to sleep, but whatever came up I made sure, up to now, that each day I made space to chant the Hanuman Chalisa at least once. 

What I noticed is that when I first started it was more of a duty, on days that I have a lot of free time especially. I knew I had to make 10 minutes out where I'd sit and chant so I would do it. Then something shifted, the 10 minutes where I sit and chant became something I looked forward to, as if my head needed it for space and for grounding. 

It feels like after two weeks and half of repetition, the chant has become part of me, and that it's not a matter of making space, its part of my life. Some days I cling to it for inspiration, or for relief, some days I drag myself to it, but because of the steadiness and commitment I have made to it, it is now a part of me and there is no way out of it. It's as if the words flew around me the whole day and covered me in a yellow sheath.

It is very interesting that when you commit to doing something everyday, no matter how hard it can be at times, something inside shifts and you begin noticing patterns you fall into, habits, that you can shed off. 

Here is a little insight you might want to consider and take on, for my personal practice I chose the Hanuman Chalisa, which can be a complicated and long chant, but mantras are sometimes easier and more accessible and are a good place to start, as they don't take so long, and you can always add more as your practice advances :)

A mantra is a sacred sound held within the heart and repeated either vocally or silently as a meditation device.

'Man' mean heart, mind; 'tra' means instrument or device. Japa (repetition) mantra is to repeat a word or set of words enough to absorb the depth of meaning through sound, vibration and reflection. Ajapa (spontaneous) mantra happens of itself such as when you listen to the sound of the breath as So'ham or hamsa.

A good Mantra to start with is the Shanti Mantra:

Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya |   -Lead us from the unreal to the real

Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya |   -Lead us from darkness to light

Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya | -Lead us from the Fear of Death to the Knowledge of Immortality

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||