Swami Satyanada has said that “Music is the most beautiful creation of mankind”. It has the power to relax and influence the mind.
Mantra is considered as one form of music which when recited can transform the state of mind and help to attain better relaxation, clarity and calmness. Irrespective of which mantra is being recited, it leaves a very strong impression on one’s mind.
The word Mantra means to “release the energy”. These are just the sound vibrations which have the power to influence the brain waves. In Yoga, emphasis is given to the process of mantra chanting because it adds to one’s own experience through its powerful vibrations and there by enriching the whole process.
There are some specific reasons or effects of mantras:
Settle the mind – Mantras play powerful role in calming the mind. Throughout the day there is a continuous flux of thoughts in the mind. This leads to dissipated awareness / focus. With mantra chanting we work on blocking the nonstop flow of the thoughts.
As our whole focus is on the chants, naturally there is a break in the distracting pattern of our mind. Mantra chanting influence the working of subconscious mind.
Power of mantra in a group– Mantra effects are much stronger when you perform in a group. The vibration of everyone’s chant powerfully and positively alters the brain waves and releases the blockage of mind. In fact, it’s believed that if you dedicate your mantra to anyone who is suffering with some disease the frequency of mantras travels to that person and helps in healing.
Swami Niranjan, from Bihar School of Yoga, has said that mantra chanting is a vibrational experience .With mantra chanting our mental patterns tend to change and our body will also change. It will not be a feeling only but an experience to witness.
Internal effects– Mantra in a form of sound is located in different parts of the body. Inside us there are chakras located at specific points and each chakra has a mantra. On every chakra point there are different glands. While focusing on chakra mantras, energy is released thereby, harmonizing each point. This in turn helps in proper and balanced working of chakras and glands at both subtle and gross level. Mantra chanting also helps to relax the nervous system and therefore, controls the hyper activities of body and mind together.
Internalization-Mantra chanting is a form of meditation (and a beautiful one). Continuous mantra chanting connects us to our inner self. It creates an aura within us that balances the inner energies and transforms it to higher consciousness. This process is called Internalization – a process of becoming more aware of our breaths, our body and movement of our inner energies. Internalization is all about being aware of own self.Mantras have their own impact on our body. These are the vibrations having immense energy and power to silent the mind. Mantras when chanted in the beginning and end of the practice bring harmony at deeper level.
