“I think, therefore I am.”
-Descartes
For centuries, mantras have been used in meditation to heal the body, mind and soul. It’s not surprising that today meditation is a widely accepted practice to both treat and prevent disease as well as maintain mental, emotional, and cognitive function.
A mantra is defined as a word or sound repeated to aid in concentration or meditation. Mantra-based meditation has been studied for everything from heart disease to depression to overall well-being. A literature search for “transcendental meditation” (TCM) alone reveals almost 6,000 articles. TCM is a mantra-based meditation proven to be effective by lowering brainwaves into more therapeutic frequencies.
In addition to mantras, affirmations can help promote well-being by changing our thought process from negative to positive, one of the neuronal pathways to joy. Affirmations are more like statements that resonate in the brain based on past experience. My favorite mantra Om Namah Shivaya doesn’t make my brain react, whereas the affirmation “it is natural for my body to be well” makes me actively think of health and my physical body.
Both mantras and affirmations are some of the easiest and most effective tools anyone can employ for whatever reason – and a crisis is a good one! Just like with any change, the key is to find mantras and affirmations that feel good to you. I highly encourage experimenting until you find what resonates. Try incorporating the breath or tapping if it feels right. Here are a few of my favorites:
Mantras:
Dr. D’s Mantra: Om Namah Shivaya
So hum: general mantra to use with the breath (so on the inhale, hum on the exhale)
Shanti (shan tee): to restore peace and harmony
Anandam (aan an dam): to restore inner joy and contentment
Om bhur bhuvah suvaha (om bhoor boo-va su-va-ha): to bring enlightenment
*Sa ta na ma: a Kundalini tapping mantra
*I love this exercise to combat stress in the moment or as a daily grounding practice. Click here for an explanation of the how and why, and try the meditation to one of my favorite versions by Kamari and Manvir.
Affirmations adapted from Abraham-Hicks:
It is natural for my mind and body to be well.
Even if I don’t know what to do in order to get better, something inside me does.
I have trillions of cells with individual Consciousness, and they know how to achieve their individual balance.
I don’t need to understand the cause of this current disconnection..
I don’t need to explain how it is that I’m experiencing this disconnection.
I have only to gently, eventually, release these thoughts.
It doesn’t matter that it got started, because it’s reversing its course right now.
It’s natural that it would take some time for me to begin to align to my improved thoughts of Well-Being.
There’s no hurry about any of this. My Inner Being knows what to do.
Well-Being is natural to me.
My Inner Being is intricately aware of my physical body and mental well-being.
My cells are asking for what they need in order to thrive, and Source Energy is answering those requests.
I will relax now, to allow communication between my body, my mind and my Source.
My only work is to relax and breathe. I can do that. I can do that easily.