Use mantras to perfect meditation

mantras they are sacred sounds and, just as music soothes and gives well-being to the soul, mantras calm the mind and generate mental clarity. If a person is tense or confused, repeating them (whether a word, like the well-known mantra “Om,” or a phrase) creates space for stillness, according to Krishna Das, mantra singer and author of books on the subject.

With the repetition of the mantra, the person manages to enter a state of deep concentration which will result in inner happiness. There is no pre-established amount of repetitions. The more you practice, the better you will be able to deal with difficult life situations in a different way.

There are mantras for facilitate concentration and meditation, to energize, to fall asleep or wake up, to harmonize the chakras or clear the energy channels.

“Many people, when chanting ‘Om Namaha Shivaya’ or ‘Radhe Govinda’, do not realize the meaning of these words. Even so, when they sing, they are able to feel a vibration or emotion inside them”, sums up the yoga and breathing instructor at Fundação Arte de Viver, Adriana Ambrósio. “Understanding the meaning of mantras is not as important as experiencing the emotion they create, since the sound positively affects our organism”, she adds.

To feel the benefits of mantras it is not necessary to chant them all day🇧🇷 “Singing them is like taking a shower: you take only one shower a day to feel clean all day. But if you take another shower at night, you will feel refreshed again. When you listen or chant the mantras, it’s like taking a bath inside. Bathing with mantras is necessary. When we sing them, the mind is clear and invigorated”, explains Adriana.

“When you go to meditate, first chant ‘Om’ and then meditate, it will help you to settle down. connect with yourself“, emphasizes the instructor.

Practicing meditation with mantras can reduce anxiety, according to studies. But it all depends on discipline and a lot of concentration. Follow a step by step to adopt the practice in your everyday life:

1. Seek quiet
A location free of interruptions is essential. It’s worth your room, a square, the building’s playground. For starters, the barking of a dog can distract from meditation. With time and practice, it will become easier to ignore these noises.

2. Focus on breathing
Pay attention to the air going in and out of your body. It’s a distraction for the brain. Thus, he focuses on his organism, and not on life’s problems or what happens around him.

3. Free the thoughts
It is impossible not to think about anything – just by thinking about it you will already be thinking about something. But do not cling to any thoughts so that the brain does not start working.

4. Have a mantra
One more trick to hold the brain’s attention. It is a repeated sound in some types of meditation. Each person has their own mantra, which is defined by an instructor.

5. Settle in
Be comfortable. It can be the way you find it most comfortable, sitting or lying down. The important thing is to avoid back or leg pain, which could affect concentration.

6. Repeat
In the first few months of practice, stay in the position for between 5 and 10 minutes. When you feel that it has become easy to concentrate, increase to up to 30 minutes a day. Thus, the brain will get used to focusing on your body.

*With information from ANAMARIA, VIVA! and SUPER INTERESTING