What is Mantra Yoga?
Mantra yoga, a simple definition for ordinary people:
I was on the phone once with tech support for my web hosting service. The guy (who sounded like a nice Southern California surfer) was looking at my website, and asked, “What's a mantra?"
I said, “It’s a collection of sounds or words that you repeat over and over to yourself as a form of meditation, either out loud or silently in your mind.”
And he said, “So kind a like ‘think happy thoughts?' "
Laughing, I replied, “Sort of. If you repeat one happy thought over and over again, it would be a form of mantra meditation. But I teach a special powerfful form of Sanskrit mantra meditation, the original mantra yoga!”
More on “Why Sanskrit?” later on in this e-book! The mantra yoga I discuss is also a little different from kīrtan, which is becoming quite popular around the world. Kīrtan is call and response singing, usually a mix of Sanskrit mantras and Hindi poetry. Mantra yoga as I describe is an inner, solitary practice, and its benefits are unique.
Mantra Yoga? Or “Regular” Yoga?
Yoga already has a great reputation of being life transforming on many levels. What a lot of yoga practitioners in the modern West are starting to catch onto is that physical postures area actually a preliminary, small part of the broader field of yoga. Regarding the importance of mantra in the scheme of things, it's hard to be happy if you have a sick body, but it's impossible if you have an unhealthy mind!
I love and teach yogāsana as well, but am unabashedly mantra nerd. If you are ready for yoga beyond exercise, I invite you to start a dedicated mantra practice. Twenty minutes a day will change your life.
How can I tell if I’m learning Mantra properly?
There is a lot of non-precise mantra information on the web, in books, etc. but it’s fairly simple to tell if the mantra you’re learning distinguishes between the 50 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, or is an English approximation. The mantra will have dots above and below the letters, lines above certain vowels, and other special marks (called diacritics).(There are other, less common systems of transliteration, but this one, called IAST, is widely used.) To get the 50 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet into 26 Roman English characters so people who can’t read Devanāgarīcan pronounce accurately, a system of transliteration is imperative.
3 Easy Steps to Better Sanskrit Pronunciation:
1. Here is the least you need to know in 7 minutes…
Experience the profound difference when you properly chant using Sanskrit letters and understand "the least you need to know" about Sanskrit to get the most out of your mantra meditation practice.
When you chant in Sanskrit, specific mouth and tongue placements result in certain neural pathways being stimulated.
Because of this, you don’t need to understand the “meaning” to feel the power of a mantra. The vibration of the word IS the meaning. The name IS the form (or vibrational pattern).
I have invited thousands of students across the globe to explore this, and I’m delighted that they all report the same sensations when they explore the different mantric syllables, which perfectly match the esoteric meaning.
To learn more, get the FREE Mantra Yoga E-Book
A beginner's guide to mantra meditation, this 34-page book covers:
- What is a Mantra
- The Stages of Mantra
- Meditation from “Life Jacket” to Divine Life
- Why Sanskrit?
- What is Jāpa?
- Mantra Meditation for Total Beginners
- OṀ (or AUṀ)
- Learning Mantras
- How Important is Pronunciation?
- Top 3 Reasons to Learn the Sanskrit Alphabet
- No Dogma, As Promised.
- Are Mantras to Hindu Gods
- More Mantra Yoga FAQ
- Sāttvic, Rājasic & Tāmasic Use of Mantra
- BONUS: Are you a Seeker or a Finder?
- How to Change a Nasty Habit
Note: Anandra wrote this in 2009, and it's still a valuable resource for Mantra Yoga FAQ!
Sanskrit Mantra 101
LIVE + Online Education for Trainers
Designed for anyone looking to incorporate the transformational power of mantra into their courses, in an accurate, culturally respectful way.
- Are you a trainer of yoga teachers, wellness practitioners, mental health therapists, kīrtan leaders, Ayurveda, Jyotish, or sound healing?
- Do you sense you haven't yet discovered the full potential of mantra?
- Do you feel unqualified to teach the sacred Sanskrit sounds to your trainees?
Created by a chant lover for chant lovers, the unique combination of Tantrik philosophy’s glorious heights with exquisitely nerdy ground-level pronunciation practice will bring your mantra repertoire alive with resonant integrity!
Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding and share the profound wisdom of Sanskrit mantras with your students. Enroll now in Sanskrit Mantra 101 and embark on a journey of spiritual discovery and empowerment. Start NOW.
Do you know that we have dozens of free sound & mantra training resources to help you deepen your love affair with sound & mantra?
Check out the new Free Sound and Mantra Training Resource Hub!
I'm more inspired than ever to help people experience the benefits of sound & mantra yoga. Our approach is neither dogmatic, nor superficial... it is empowering, directed within, deliciously nuanced and overflowing with pleasure!
☎️Feel free to BOOK A CALL with us if you're passionate about sound and mantra! We'd love to chat and see if our approach aligns with your interests.
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Your NEXT Steps:
- Want to experience the Yoga of Sound? Join Anandra for a FREE LIVE Chant Experience. Register here.
- Ready to dive in deep? Explore our FREE Preparatory Course to learn all about the teacher training!
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