Perhaps you’ve heard people in a class discussing the use and benefits of Mantras but have no idea where to start.  A Mantra is a word or short phrase repeated either silently or outloud.  This word/phrase can be something taken from an ancient tradition or religious practice or simply a word or words that resonate with you deeply.  You might choose to repeat your chosen word/phrase while walking, meditating, cooking, gardening – choosing to deepen your connection to any activity through deeper focus on not only the words chosen, but on your breath, body language, heart rate or emotional state.  You may find the Mantra calming and centering.  Repeated use will deepen this sense of inner peace.  It may help you to chose a particular time of day to work with your Mantra, at least in the beginning, to create the habit and enjoy the benefits.  You may find yourself spontaneously using the Mantra when presented with a stressful situation, thus giving yourself the opportunity to react differently than you might have based on previous programming. This new reaction might simply be in the form of observation – noticing the situation but not reacting.  I call this “staying out of the muck”.  I sincerely hope this practice is of benefit to you and the people you interact with in the world.

Namaste, Vickie at Yoga Adobe