Coping With Difficult Times Part 4

Chanting

One of my favorite memories of chanting was when I went to a Hatha Yoga weekend retreat at a Benedictine Monastery. Our small group sat in meditation as we listened to the brothers chant their morning liturgy. I experienced a deep peace as the sounds of the melodious voices drifted in, over the distance from the chapel where they chanted. By the time we started our own chanting of the OM mantra, I was already immersed deep within. The sound of the mantra vibrated throughout my body and energy field. It was as if  I was becoming squeaky clean and I felt like my cells were humming. After the chanting was over, it was time for a tea break. I remember sitting overlooking the meadows in the cool morning air; everything was shimmering! I was shimmering inside, so were
the blades of grass, the leaves on the trees and the rays of the early morning sun that cast a golden glow over the land. I was so open to the intense beauty of the morning and every cell of my body was dancing in ecstasy! That was my first experience of chanting, I was hooked!

Image credit: Pixelsior

A mantra is described as an inherent sound-power that can produce a specific effect, physically or psychologically. The most popular mantra is OM. It is believed to be the primordial sound of the universe from which all phenomena is created. Could it be the equivalent of the Big Bang that scientists refer to in regard to the cosmos?

Like meditation, Om chanting can be practiced by anyone of any religious persuasion. You do not have to be a  Hindu, a Buddhist or a Jain. It is believed that the vibrations of this sound has the quality of harmonizing all energy to its vibration, just as a tuning fork harmonizes all instruments in its vicinity to its key. An interesting practice is to notice if you can detect the sound vibration of OM in all sounds you hear. It is the basis of all sound. Here is a link to a beautiful recording of the OM mantra that I like. It is helpful to chant along with a recording, it is the next best thing to chanting in a group. The sound vibrations of a group of people chanting at their own pace is magical and to be immersed in that sound vibration is very healing. The sounds have a purifying effect on the physical, the emotional and the spiritual levels.

The mantra is most effective when chanted out aloud but can also be very beneficial when intoned silently to oneself or inwardly. In the beginning you can chant for just five minutes and as you become accustomed to chanting you can slowly build up to a half hour or more.

• It is best to sit in an upright manner in a chair or on the floor on a cushion and adopt a comfortable meditation posture.
• Take a few deep breaths to become centered and focused within.
• Om should be intoned giving full value to both the O and the M. It should be intoned with equal time on both sounds: Oooommmm.
• Chant in a relaxed manner without strain.
• If you find yourself getting restless, distracted, anxious or tense, just take a deep breath and let it out fully, feeling that you are releasing and breathing out all tensions, and continue as before.
• Thoughts, impressions, memories, inner sensations, may arise during chanting. It is best to witness these and keep your attention centered on the sound vibrations, in time with your breathing.
• Feelings of peace, awareness, joy, as well as soothing radiations of energy well up in the physical and subtle bodies.
• At the end of your chanting time, keep on intoning Om in time with your breathing, as you go about your daily activities.

If you are self-conscious of chanting out aloud, it is also very effective to listen to OM inwardly, imagining the sound within. It is said that the mantra is alway vibrating within, so starting out acting as if you can hear it, you may be able to tune into the actual experience! Playing a recording of the OM mantra is a great support to create a peaceful atmosphere in your home and to stay centered.

To be continued.