Re~Lax Mantra

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This week we explored .. The Re-Lax Mantra 

A mantra is a word, sound or syllable that can be repeated silently or out loud, over and over, in time with the breath. The constant repetition of a mantra over time begins to weave into the sensation of the breath, so our mind becomes fixed on the slightly hypnotic sound and rhythm of the words.  This is what stills and centers us.

If, in meditation, you find it difficult to stop the mind from jumping about, then try repeating a simple mantra to help block the multi-track communication channel, so the mind cannot feed alternative thoughts.  This enables us to block distractions by concentrating on something else .. words replacing words.

Most of us are unaware (until we meditate) of the constant stream of inner dialogue that is going on in our mind stream .. the mind talks to itself endlessly, and while we may be unaware of exactly what we are saying to ourselves, it is this dialogue that is the basis on which we form our experience of the world.  Our mental commentary influences and colours our feelings and our perceptions of reality.

Mantra that have meaning or significance to us, can have a resounding impact on our meditation .. through the gentle soft positive words of 're-lax' we give strength to our intentions and find a deeper understanding and association with the word.

"RE-LAX" MANTRA MEDITATION 

* Adopt your preferred posture, this could be sitting, lying down or kneeling.  Make sure you are relaxed and comfortable before you start, perhaps starting with a short Meditative Exercise to settle and focus.

* Start by bringing your attention to your breath.  Allow the breath to move to its own natural rhythm, do not try to change or control the breath in any way.  Simply become aware of the inhalation and the exhalation .. and the gentle rhythm of the breath.

* When ready, begin to incorporate the mantra "RE-LAX" with your breath, repeating silently to yourself as you BREATHE IN "RE", and as you BREATH OUT the second syllable "-LAX".  Don't try to force your breathing into any particular pattern .. just keep breathing normally and match the recitation of the mantra to your breath.

* If you become distracted with a sound, a thought, or a sensation, just remember to be kind and gentle with yourself .. and on your next inhalation start again with "RE" .. "LAX" ..

* Continue to repeat this mantra for as long as you need to or feels comfortable to do so.

* When you have finished your meditation practice for today .. notice how you feel.  Do you notice a deeper sense of calmness and ease? Is your breath smoother and deeper than before you started?  How is your mind stream?

Other modern mantra you may like to tray include .. ''LET GO', 'DEEP PEACE' or 'BE STILL'.

"wherever you go .. go with all your heart"

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21 Day Mantra Meditation Journey

You might like to join Deva Premal & Miten on this 

You might like to join Deva Premal & Miten on this the third 21-Day Mantra Meditation that launches today.  And it is FREE ..

"Today is the Buddha Full Moon, the day Buddha was born, became enlightened and left his body. We are honoured to share The Spirit of Mantra with you all on this auspicious day. May our chanting contribute in some way to the happiness of all beings!" 

I like to share other meditation offerings and special events .. and you can find these on the TRIBE page! 

Please let me know if you have any special local (Melbourne - or Australia - or online) meditation event worth sharing with our tribe.

A note from the Universe

Life has been so busy of late .. I am behind on so many of my dearly loved projects (and other 'stuff' that I know I should be finishing) .. and there is a lot of emotion going around at the moment in my little world, a little bit of overwhelm as we learn to live with changing relationships, sadness and hurtful feelings.  Trying to support and share with those we love.

I wanted to snuggle under the blankets this morning .. and ignore the world!

But I knew that when things are 'close' and occupying my mind, then this is the time when I really need my meditation practice.  Because by meditating I enter that place of solace and calm so that life has a moment to catch up and re-settle into its groove.

So I got up and set my timer.

And because my mind was already busy with the fluff and bubble of life dramas .. I took up the mantra 'Breathing in .. Breathing out' and started to slowly settle.

And then when I felt ready I let that mantra softly drift away .. and I just rested with my breath.

And in that deeper silence when all is quiet and still .. I kept hearing a new mantra, words that were beckoning me to listen ..

Breathing in .. Calm

Breathing out .. Letting Go

So I brought this new mantra into my awareness and when I sensed the energy of a thought approaching .. I gently engaged with 'Breathing in .. Calm ~ Breathing out .. Letting Go'

.. and as the distraction passed I left the mantra simply float away

Breathing in .. Calm

Breathing out .. Letting Go

It was a delightful (and settling) meditation this morning.

I think it is important to be aware and open to what comes up for you in your meditation.  Not thinking .. but being receptive to the mantra (or words) that the Universe might present to you.

what do you think?

Chanting time

Meditation.  

Chanting.  

Gentle and peaceful.

Sometimes when the world gets too busy and I feel caught up in a little wheel of overwhelm

 .. resting with this very powerful mantra is my tool of choice ..

Deva Premal grew up with the Gayatri Mantra .. said to be the oldest and most powerful of mantras, being thousands of years old. Deva says "It purifies the person chanting it as well as the listener as it creates a tangible sense of well being in whoever comes across it".

I am listening to this right now.  JOIN ME.

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah, 

Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।

Sunday Meditation Series

In mantra meditation the object of our focus (or anchor for our attention) is a short word, phrase or sound, repeated over and over. It can be said aloud, or repeated silently in your mind. 

 

The word Mantra literally translates as ‘something to lean the mind upon’ .. we totally immerse ourself in the rhythm and sound of the mantra, aware of the mantra weaving itself into the rhythm and sensation of our breath .. so that the mantra envelopes us and carries us along.  Soon enough, you will find the mantra starts repeating itself, like a word from a seductive song, without you needing to initiate anything.

 

The SoHum Meditation is an ancient Hindu mantra, and a wonderful practice to start with if you are new to mantra.  In this practice we silently and mentally note the sound “SO” on the inhalation : and silently and mentally noted the sound "HUM" on the exhalation. 

 

A Guide to the 'SO HUM' mantra

 

• Close your eyes, check your posture, take a few deeper breaths

• Try to remain alert and receptive

• Pay attention to your breath for a couple minutes, and then begin to repeat your chosen mantra silently. It usually helps to synchronize the mantra to your natural breathing rhythm or heartbeat.

• As you inhale through the nose (mouths closed) think “soooooo” and as you exhale think “huuummmm”

• Stay with the mantra just gently noticing if your mind starts to space out; if you lose focus then you might note the words more precisely or accentuate the rhythm

• Sit with the mantra for 10-15minutes just noticing how the mantra ebbs and flows with the breath, just noticing how the mind focusses and gets distracted .. continuing to return again and again to the mantra "So - Hum" 

• and when it is time to finish your meditation practice, allow the mantra to slip away and spend a few minutes just sitting in peacefulness before returning to your day.

As you repeat the mantra your breathing slows and becomes more rhythmic, your mind fixes on the sound of the words, and the repetition stills and centers you. When the word repeated has significant, it can also work on your consciousness so that your mind resonates with the meaning, instilling a deep understanding and association with the chosen words.

SUNDAY MEDITATION SERIES
6-7pm at ihana yoga (Hampton)

Last Sunday we sat in our candle filled room and shared the So Hum mantra.  For the next three Sunday's we shall look at other mantra practices .. so that you might find a practice that 'resonates' with you.

*We had some issues with our online booking for the Sunday Meditation Series (now fixed) and you can now book for our three remaining session for $60 HERE.

  

Gayatri Mantra

A quiet night. 

 

A time for gentle and peaceful activities.

 

Perfect timing to revisit this beautiful mantra .. especially given the 21 Day Mantra Meditation Journey with Deva Pemal and Miten begins on 23rd April (a free online course) where you can spend 15 minutes with them every day for three weeks:

 

"We will share a new mantra every day, explaining the meaning, chanting together, and meditating on the mantra's essential energetic quality. A program of 21 days provides the possibility for real and lasting change to occur, in body, mind and spirit."

 

You might like to spend some time this weekend marinating in this beautiful, haunting rendition of the Gayatri Mantra by Deva Pemal & Mitan with Manose.

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah, 

Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।

(*I have received only a small amount of mantra instruction and it is not a part of my regular meditation practice .. however when I have invoked a mantra practice within a group (Kirtan or other) I have found it to be a most enlightening and uplifting practice .. so give it a go, even if not sure of the words or the intention .. simply sit, open and allow yourself to 'lean into' the vibration of the practice).

'Turbo-charge the people in your organization'

Elevated Existence magazine reports today that Dr Mehmet Oz (Channel 7 televises this program in Australia) is now offering Transcendental Meditation (TM) to his entire NY-based production team. 

Over recent months there has been a steady stream of high profile celebrities 'talking the talk' on TM, most notably Oprah whose support of the technique flooded the online blog world last month.  The re-surgence of interest in TM is largely due to the current leader of all things TM .. David Lynch (The David Lynch Foundation) .. Lynch is the award-winning director, writer, and producer. His work includes Eraserhead, Elephant Man, Wild at Heart and my favourite Twin Peaks.

Dr Oz:

“You know as well as I do: Any business is what it is because of the people who work there. Why not take people who are working at 80 percent, 60 percent, 30 percent of their potential and take them all to 99 percent of their potential. I think that’s what true success feels like,” said Dr. Oz, explaining that is what TM can do for a company.

“It’s a powerful tool to turbo-charge the people in your organization and, I believe quite strongly, you would be very wise to give it a try.”

*On a personal note : TM is just one meditation technique. Not the only, not the oldest, not the youngest, just one amongst many.  I have not had the opportunity to study TM in any depth (only my own research and discussions with TM practitioners) due in the most part to the exorbitant cost of the training and until recently the lack of teachers in Australia.  TM is a mantra based practiced and mantra certainly predates TM .. by thousands of years (Mantra is not owned by TM).  There are mantra practices found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism .. Yoga .. indeed Primordial Sound Meditation uses the breath and silent mantra (Deepak Chopra).  Like any meditation technique, you need to (a) do the practice and (b) find the right practice for you, (c) and the benefits from meditation are not in correlation with the $$ you pay for instruction.

A Mantra for today .. re-lax

Would'nt it be ideal .. if all we had to do was push a button on our computer .. and instantly we relax.

Failing that happening anytime soon .. my suggestion is to learn to meditate!  Learning to self manage our stress whenever we want to, or need to (resting body and mind in the process) is what I consider a life skill.

There are many different forms of meditation, many of which have been practiced and passed on (often orally) for thousands of years.  Each type of meditation focuses our attention in a slightly different way .. you may have heard of visualisation, TM, Relaxation Response, walking, chanting or mindfulness.  There are certainly other techniques .. ideally we find the technique that works best for us .. so that we 'do it' and experience some of the acknowledged benefits of a regular meditation practice.

Meditation is the practice of deeply relaxing the body, calming the mind and awakening the senses - reaching a state of restful awareness. 

Mantra is a meditation practice that uses 'words to replace words'.  A mantra can be repeated silently or out aloud, and as the mantra weaves itself into the breath, other words (the chatter and constant ruminating mind) tend to fall away.

I just wrote a short article for myspaguide on a mantra "Re-lax".  Using a mantra that holds a special meaning or significance, can have a profound impact on our mind state, leading us away from the subconscious negative mind chatter fuelling our feelings of stress, to a sense of calmness and ease that we associate with the word  .. you can read more here "Mantra : Re-lax".

And while you are visiting myspaguide check out the amazing spa deals that are on offer .. and think about Mother's Day coming up .. enjoy