By Lynda Forman
Repeating the same word again and again may seem simple, but, when coupled with intention, the effects can be profound. Whatever our conscious mind repeatedly takes in, our subconscious mind begins to process as truth. In other words, we believe the things we tell ourselves repeatedly. Unfortunately, most the things we feed our mind is negative; every day we’re surrounded by images, advertisements and people who remind us we’re not good enough, our passions aren’t important or that we’ll never make it where we want to be.
When you sync your mind with one phrase or word in a chant, you move your brain into a deeper state of thought and of awareness, allowing your chakras to open and release negativity while drawing in a healthier energy. Chanting has been called “The Yoga of Sound” because of its ability to raise the vibration of the chanter. In this state, you can begin to create a vision for your life, a new vision of peace, harmony, and bliss. And all you have to do is to choose a phrase that works for you.
Your Soul’s Message
Your soul is trying to tell you something, but too often we spend so much time filling our lives up with distractions that we can’t hear ourselves think. What does your soul have to tell you? You need to quiet your mind and remove those extra thoughts in order to create room for messages. Today, what do you want your soul to be filled with? If it’s love, you may want to choose the word ‘love’ to chant to yourself, again and again. This will help you connect deeply with that word and allow your mind and spirit to be filled only with loving thoughts. You can choose any word or any phrase that has special meaning to you. When you do this, you create the opportunity for you to take in this word or feeling, and hold onto it for long after you’re done chanting.
Choosing a Sound
We are all made up of energy and that energy has a vibration (a rate of speed that the molecules are moving around). Even our emotions are made up of this same energy. At different times in our lives, that emotional energy may move at a high rate of speed, which means we might be attracted to lighter scents and higher musical notes, or at a slower speed, which means we may be more drawn to deeper, more musky scents and quieter or deeper musical notes. Pay attention to where your “vibrational rate” currently is and, when chanting, choose a note to chant in that feels nourishing to your soul.
Creating Sacred Space for Chanting
To help set the right mood for chanting, it can help to be in a space where no one else will be. This will help you feel less self conscious, and you will be able to focus on what you’re saying, not who’s around you. It can also help for you to put on some instrumental music to help you find a rhythm for your chanting. This will help you chant in beat with the music, which can help you drop into the power of chanting for a longer period of time. If you have a CD with chants on it, you might also want to copy the chanting on the CD, when you’re getting started. Just make sure your soul resonates with the content of the chants.
A Chanting Practice
Each day, it is a good idea to chant for at least fifteen minutes to help your brain drop into the practice. The more you chant, the easier it will become and the deeper you will connect. What you will find is that at one point, you are no longer chanting the word or words, but the word or words seem to be chanting you. It becomes difficult to tell what is actually happened as your mind separates from the experience and begins to connect to the energy of what you are saying. Some people enjoy the practice of chanting for many hours on end, but this is not necessary.
You may want to play chants in your home for a while to become used to the idea, if you’ve never done chanting before. Even if you have, it can still take time to get over the fear that you aren’t going to see any benefits. The more you practice chants, the more you will feel relaxed, invigorated and confident. In fact, you may find yourself chanting during times of stress, without even realizing you are doing it.