Power of Chanting Mantras

Posted on 22/12/2014 I by: Priya Sharma

The word 'mantra' is Sanskrit and it means sacred syllable(s) or sacred word(s). Across the literature, mantras are described as vibrational formulas that are recited silently within, spoken, or sung outwardly. There are mantras in Sanskrit as well as in many other Asian languages.  The word OM is a mantra unto itself and perhaps the most well-known of them all.  

A mantra is a precise sound, a frequency that conveys a directive into our sub-consciousness.  Mantras are invoked towards the delivery of very specific results and are repeated a certain number of times. These specific results could include healing, fertility, the creation of abundance, etc.  Mantras are used to open the heart and the mind and to aid in accessing and entering into a state of greater awareness. They are perfect tools for reaching a meditative state.

For thousands of years, yogis have stressed the value of chanting mantra in stabilizing and clearing the mind, leading one to deeper spiritual awakening and awareness. Modern neuroscience is now beginning to discover the relationship between the way words are used and the impact on the functioning of the mind.

When we hear, speak, chant or even think a mantra, the frontal lobes of our brain 'light up' and the nerve endings fire up. There is increased flow of oxygen and blood. These frontal lobes are responsible for thought, learning, perception, and emotion.

Mantra, meditation, and contemplation are all tools that facilitate this higher functioning of the frontal lobes. Spiritual teachers often recommend focusing one's attention while chanting or meditating on this frontal part of the brain as well, placing attention on the 'ajna chakra', the meridian accessed through the space between the eyebrows, also called the 'third eye'.

As you meditate, remember to let the tip of your tongue touch the upper part of your mouth just behind your upper teeth in order to connect the meridians.