Whether you’re into Yoga for health and fitness, or for personal and spiritual growth, adding mantras into your Yoga routine can enhance the effect of your practice.
`Manas’ in Sanskrit is mind and `tra’ is a tool — this makes mantras an important tool for controlling the mind. Chanting mantras at the start of a Yoga session helps set the tone and intention, creates an atmosphere, and lends sanctity to the practice. This way, we become active participants in taking Yoga’s benefits beyond physical exercise.
Mantras are purposed to invoke specific Energy-Principles — deities, seers (Rishis) or Guru — so that their grace and guidance makes our actions bear fruit. All paths of Yoga — Jnana, Bhakti, Hatha — have their special mantras.
In his book ‘Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound’, David Frawley, Vedacharya and author of numerous books on Yoga and Vedas, explains why. “People may try to meditate, while their minds remain outwardly-oriented, busy, disturbed, reactive, opinionated and critical. Further, if we are addicted to sensory sources of stimulation and entertainment, we are not even in control of our minds and so cannot focus them in any consistent manner for meditation. Mantra helps to change the nature of the mind from tamas and rajas to sattva”.*
Beyond this, mantras energise our being: “Mantra brings in cosmic powers and the soul of the patient into the healing process… Mantras enable us to direct a healing prana in specific ways,” adds Frawley.
DAILY YOGA MANTRAS
The scope of ‘Mantra Yoga’ is vast. This article, however, limits itself to mantras that can be used in daily Yoga practice. They are chanted prior to the Yoga ritual, in this manner:
Sit in Sukhasana, close your eyes, breathe deeply and watch your inhalation and exhalation for 3-4 rounds.
Now, place your hands in front of the chest in the Namaste pose. Remind yourself of the intention of the mantra and then chant with faith, respect and humility.
The chanting should be slow, with each word pronounced correctly, in the right tone, and with understanding.
SURYA-NAMASKAR MANTRA – BEFORE SUN-SALUTATION
The Sun is the source of life-energy. Through Surya Namaskar, we pay gratitude to, and vitalise ourselves with, this energy. To pray for this, chant the Surya Namaskar mantra taken from the Isha Upanishad.
Hiranmayena Paatrena Satyasyaapihitam Mukham.
Tat tvam Pooshannapaavrunu Satyadharmaaye Drishtaye.
(Like the lid of a vessel, O Sun, your golden orb covers the entrance to your face, the Truth. Kindly open the lid, so that we may see you and thus, be led to Truth.)
YOGA ASANA MANTRA — OPENING CHANT FOR YOGA PRACTICE
Sage Patanjali simplified and systematised Yoga and made it widely available to humankind. This mantra invokes his blessings for the Yoga journey — through the physical postures, breath control, ethical principles and meditation. Apart from Yoga for the purification of the mind, Patanjali is credited for having systematised Ayurveda for purification of the body, and Grammar (Mahabhashya) for purification of speech.
Yogena Chittasya Padena Vaachaam. Malam Sharirasya Cha Vaidyakena.
Yo Paakarottam Pravaram Muninaam. Patanjalim Praanjaliraanatosmi.
(I offer my salutations with folded hands to Patanjali, the renowned amongst the sages, who removed the impurity of mind through Yoga, of speech by Grammar, and of body by Ayurveda.)
PRANAYAMA MANTRA – PRAYER BEFORE PRANAYAMA
This invocation is addressed to Prana, the primal energy and life-force, which can help achieve anything — from digestion and health, to creativity and all-round excellence. This is taken from the Prashnopnishad.
Pranasyedam Vase Sarvam. Tridive Yat Pratishthitam.
Maateva Putraan Rakshasva. Srischa Pragnaanscha Videhi Na Iti.
(Whatever exists in the three worlds is all under the control of Prana. O Prana, protect us as a mother protects her sons; give us affluence and intelligence.)
THE SMALLEST MANTRA ‘OM’ — THROUGHOUT PRACTICE
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras emphasise that surrender to the Higher Power (lshvarapranidhana) is the best way to reach samadhi. It stresses the importance of chanting and meditating upon Om – the essence of all the mantras – to connect with Ishvara.
The chanting can be done orally at the end of each exercise; a deep inhalation, followed by a long ‘Om’ while exhaling and feeling the vibrations. Else, you can do it mentally while doing the exercises.
SHANTI MANTRA — AT END OF SESSION
In each session of Yoga, we connect with the universal energy (Prana). This energy helps our own healing and can also be directed for the welfare of all, through this chant.
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah. Sarve Santu Niraamayaah.
Sarve Bhadraani Pashyantu. Ma Kashchid Dukhabhaag Bhavet.
Om Shanti Shanti Shantih
(May all be happy and free from disease; let all witness only auspiciousness, let no one suffer. Om Peace, Peace, Peace)
*Tamas (inertia), Rajas (hyperactivity), Sattva (balance and purity)
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at [email protected].