{"id":83,"date":"2013-10-08T01:10:29","date_gmt":"2013-10-08T01:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/?p=83"},"modified":"2013-10-08T01:19:06","modified_gmt":"2013-10-08T01:19:06","slug":"mantra-more-than-self-help-gibberish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/2013\/10\/08\/mantra-more-than-self-help-gibberish\/","title":{"rendered":"Mantra-more than self help gibberish"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nI feel like I heard the word mantra used a thousand different times, in a thousand different contexts before coming to yoga.\u00a0 Although I heard the word often\u00a0 it had no real meaning to me.\u00a0 Who did mantra practice besides Rafiki from the Loin King or self-help enthusiasts looking in the mirror saying \u201cI am beautiful, I am lovely.\u201d\u00a0 No, it didn\u2019t seem like a practical or helpful method of any kind to me.
\nI\u2019ve recently taken up a mantra practice and have found that it is an amazing instrument to move towards meditation.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to be positive affirmations or gibberish, it can be a very meaningful and impact practice.\u00a0 I picked up a book called \u201cMantras, Words of Power\u201d by Swami Sivananda Radha and have gotten the chance to understand this practice deeper and find a love for it, here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned\u2026
\nEach mantra has some sort of essence or power, pick a mantra that contains some aspect that you look up to or something you wish to grow towards.\u00a0 By repeating this mantra you first come to find a deep understanding of it\u2019s core meaning. Then you will eventually become consumed with this essence, it will become a part of your everyday actions and thoughts.
\nHow do you do this?\u00a0 It\u2019s critical to have a dedicated practice, both morning and night sit down for a set amount of time with mala beads and repeat your practice either out loud or in your head.\u00a0 Throughout your day when you find that you are losing sight of it, put it back in your mind and incorporate it into every day actions (including your asana practice.)\u00a0 You\u2019ll find that this action will keep you focused throughout the day, and it has also helped me keep a solid breath pattern.
\nTraditionally you should receive your mantra from your guru through an initiation; since that\u2019s not realistic for most of us, do your research: read books, go online, ask your yoga teachers\/knowledgeable friends for suggestions and find something that you can dedicate months of\u00a0 repetition to.\u00a0\u00a0 This is a practice perfect for the scatter-brained, it allows us to more easily maintain a meditative state because we have a focus that\u2019s simple to find and come back to.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t given it a shot, at least dip your toes in the idea and try it out.\u00a0 I was also once a skeptic, but know I see just how effective and useful it can be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I feel like I heard the word mantra used a thousand different times, in a thousand different contexts before coming to yoga.\u00a0 Although I heard the word often\u00a0 it had no real meaning to me.\u00a0 Who did mantra practice besides … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":346,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99,"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions\/99"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/veitenhe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}