Mantras

Mantras help to cultivate self-care and influence a more positive outlook on life. Mantras assist in changing negative thought patterns or worrisome thoughts into something more beneficial to the body, mind, and spirit. A mantra will reconnect us with deeper self and help to change the brain, removing deep seated and well-traveled worrisome thoughts, to create new pathways of positive thinking thus releasing anxiety and stress.

You may have heard of the phrase, “Where your attention goes, your mind flows.” If we are anxious, worried, or consistently negative, our mind will learn to go to more negative thoughts without our conscious effort. By utilizing mantras, we can begin to change that patterning and draw our thoughts and mind to more positive thinking, helping to bring us out of a mood, anxiety, or the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, freeze response). As a yoga therapist these are my most common go-to mantras for myself and my clients:

My Favorites

“Just this is enough.” As a yoga therapist, this is one of my favorite go to phrases for men and women who have insomnia. The restless nights and flow of worrisome thoughts and to-do lists in the middle of the night, leave people feeling frustrated. This only increases the anxiety that sleep will not come. When reciting “just this is enough” the person with insomnia can welcome a more calm, relaxed approach to not being able to sleep. Instead of trying to force sleep, the person recognizes that just relaxing and staying in bed, reciting this mantra is enough to feel rested in the morning. With this letting go through mantra, the client usually falls back to sleep! Try my yoga for sleep on demand class.

“I breathe in, I breathe out” It is common to see people in my yoga classes forget to breath. Breathing is innate and doesn’t require our conscious thought. When I ask a client to focus on this mantra, they automatically start paying attention to the rhythm, length, and temperature of the breath. This phrase is simple and easy to remember. I encourage them to focus on this mantra, especially in moments of particularly strong emotions, pausing to recite the mantra, “I breathe in, I breathe out” to regain composure and a sense of peace before reacting or going into a full blown panic attack. Try my Yoga to Breathe Better class.

My Favorite Sanskrit Mantras

“So hum” In Sanskrit, So is “that” and Hum is ”I.” ‘That’ representing the universe, Divinity. When I chant ‘so’ on the inhale and ‘hum’ on the exhale, I am reciting “I am.” I am one with the universe. I am connected to the Divine, or God, or whatever entity you believe in. So hum gives me a sense of calmness and peace and a feeling of connection to something larger than myself.

“Idam na mama” – Is translated from Sanskrit as “this is not mine.” I use this mantra when I recognize cultural bias and belief systems affecting my thought processes, or when I feel attachments to ideas, people, places or things. “Idam na mama” reminds me that none of this is ‘mine’ but that these beliefs and attachments are a part of my ignorance and unknowing. It brings me back to reality and to the Truth of who I am with the knowing that when this life ends, none of these beliefs or attachments will come with me.

Try an upcoming virtual, in-person, or retreat with me. See what’s up and coming.