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Is there a Right or Wrong way to Chant OM? (The Most Frequently Asked Questions Mantra Teachers Get)
All About Aum...
This blog post is adapted from aĀ mini masterclass all about Aum. that I taught recently,
Known as the mantra of all mantras, Aum carries immense therapeutic benefits and is a cornerstone of mantra practice, a sound healing practice, most yoga classes, and definitely kīrtans!
This post compiles some of the most frequently asked questions I've received about Aum in my 10 years of teaching teachers (and nearly 30 years of being a mantra nerd!), along with some of my practical insights on chanting.
What Is Aum?
Aum is an audible echo of an inaudible ...
Can Chanting Make you a Better Person? Gemma Perry's Scientific Research on Mantra!
Psychology researcher, Gemma Perry, shares her doctoral research and personal experience with the use of chant and mantra sound yoga therapies for the body and mind. Her innovative research experiments explore the effects of chanting mantra by creating a sense of community, connection and a deeper relationship with self while motivating the practitioner to seek harmony by pursuing their potential.
Gemma Perry is a meditation and yoga teacher currently doing her PhD in the Department of Psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Gemma investigates the eff...
Mantras for Cancer, Terminal Diseases, Hospice, Dying (Families)
When you're facing a serious illness, such as a cancer diagnosis, you need a vehicle that's big enough to hold ALL. THE. FEELINGS. that arise and swirl and add stress to an already difficult time. Mantra can do that. And hopefully your treatments work wonderfully and you enjoy a long healthy life ahead!
But if the treatments don't work, and there's nothing left to do but prepare for departure... mantra therapy will still help. In my experience, sound healing is what the dying (and their families) wish for most.
Throughout my 25+ year career in the sound wellness fiel...
Mantra for Natural Disasters, Fire, Flood, Earthquake, Hurricane
Have you ever wished for a mantra to help you get through a natural calamity, like a forest fire, sudden flood, earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, etc.?
Mantra during a Natural disaster
While it's happening it's SO intense, it's hard to think. I was in Japan during the 2011 earthquakes, tsunami & Fukushima disaster. I lived through forest fires in Montana. I know how overwhelming it can be. And I'm SO grateful that I have a mantra habit to lean in on during natural disasters.
Mantra after a Natural disaster
The aftermath and all of the emotional processing, the traum...
OM Chanting Fail: Top 3 Mistakes Chant Leaders & Yoga Teachers Make When Leading AUM
How to Lead a Sensational OM as a Chant Leader
When youāre leading a chant, particularly one involving Aum, your primary role is to create a safe and resonant space. This post highlights essential practices for chant leaders to help participants feel confident and connected.
Three Keys to Leading Aum Chanting
- Provide a Clear Tone
Establishing a clear, stable tone is essential. Use a harmonium, tuning fork, or your own voice to set a sonic floor. Choose a pitch thatās comfortable for both you and the group. This step ensures everyone feels anchored and secure in the...
Sheela Bringi: A Lifetime of Evolving the Indian Traditions of Mantra, Music & Bhakti
A Heartfelt Exchange on the Power of Sound and Tradition
In this episode of Mantras for Peace: A Widsom Gathering, Anandra joyfully welcomes Sheela Bringi, a musician, teacher, and ālineage keeperā of sacred sound traditions from India. Over the years, Sheela has dedicated herself to preserving the wisdom of these traditions while breathing new life into them in America.
Sheela Bringi, MFA, is a sacred music artist and educator. She is faculty at Naropa University in Boulder, CO, where she teaches courses in Indian Devotional and RÄga Singing. She is a vocalist and ...
Mantra Therapy First Aid Kit: Sound Therapy Survival Skills Everyone Should Know!
Just the other day a student in the most outrageously horrible situation I've ever heard (worse than a TV drama!) called to GUSH about how the Heart of Sound skills had changed their life and made it possible for them to navigate it with awareness, responsiveness, and grace.
In contrast, I've also seen situations devolve into unnecessarily tragic outcomes because people didn't have these simple sound survival skills that we teach in theĀ Sound Yoga Training Course.
This Mantra Therapy First Aid: Ā MasterclassĀ is my effort to distill theĀ MOST ESSENTIAL practical benefit...
The Healing Power of the Medicine Buddha Mantra
I feel in love with Tibetan mantras on my first trip to the HimÄlayas in 1997. I trekked (in plastic sandals, silly 19-year-old me!) to Namche Bazaar then to the Tyangboche monastery. There I was blessed with an audience with the 80+ year old Rinpoche Tyangboche and his gaze, his voice, cut straight through the fuzz in my chaotic mind.
I felt, for the first time, the clear still infinity that is the result of a long-time sound-based meditation practice. It inspired me from then on to make inner knowledge my priority (over other "normal" goals like partnership, parenti...
Why Are Mantras Chanted 108 Times?
Have you ever wondered why mantras are traditionally repeated 108 times?Ā In all of my years of teaching Sanskrit mantra meditation to beginners and at workshops & festivals all over the world, this is one of my most common frequently asked questions. Normally, I just say that "it's traditional" because to delve into all of the reasons why mantras are changed 108 times is kinda nerdy, and to some people, kinda woo-woo! (And I like to keep things fact-based, evidence-based, and rational when I'm working with the therapeutic power of sound and mantra.)
However, to satisf...
High on Kirtan? The Good Drugs our Brains Make When we Chant with Dave Stringer
The Neuroscience of Kirtan Chanting
I had a lovely conversation with Dave, who is a Grammy nominated producer, musician, songwriter and Kirtan leader. He explains the good drugs our brains make when we chant, whether we believe in it or not.
Dave Stringer, a Grammy-nominated producer, musician, and songwriter, is widely recognized as a leading voice in the modern Yoga movement, including sound healing, mantra chanting, and nÄda yoga. As both a captivating singer and profound public speaker, he merges the worlds of neuroscience, yoga philosophy, and art into a partici...
