What is mantra meditation?
Mantra meditation is the practice of mentally repeating a word or phrase and listening to the sound of it as the mind settles. The worksheet below describes it as a way to slow down the thinking process, and many people report feeling centered, refreshed, and relaxed afterward.
A mantra is a short word or phrase, often one held sacred in a tradition. The worksheet lists examples from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions, and you might simply choose whatever short phrase works for you. Picking a mantra may be the hardest part.
How to practice mantra meditation
- Taking a relaxed, seated posture, with the back straight and the body as relaxed as possible.
- Closing the eyes and relaxing again.
- Repeating the mantra mentally, in a soft, open inner voice that is smooth, relaxed, and even, never fast or emphatic.
- Listening closely to the sound of the mantra in the mind, as if hearing it on the radio, giving attention to each repetition.
- Bringing attention back to the sound whenever it wanders, and again if it wanders again.
- Noticing whether the mind feels calmer and more centered, and continuing for at least 10 minutes, or as long as you like.
History of mantra practice
Repeating the name of God, a sacred word, or a phrase is very old, and nearly every culture has some form of it. The word mantra comes from India and means a “mental device,” a technique for calming and centering the mind. Hinduism and Buddhism have tens of thousands of mantras. In Christianity, the Roman Catholic rosary and the Eastern Orthodox Jesus Prayer (a long form of “Kyrie eleison”) work in a similar way, and in Islam the repetition is called dhikr, “remembrance of God.”
Some people count each repetition on a mala, a string of 108 beads. The Christian equivalent is the rosary.
