Like most popular meditation styles, mantra meditation research shows measurable benefits to the practitioners. The term “mantra” is a Sanskrit word with two roots: man (“to think”) and trai (“free from”); the purpose of the mantra is to give us a tool to help free ourselves from our busy thoughts. The two primary components of most mantra meditation techniques include basic mindfulness and repetition or chanting of a mantra. We can repeat our chosen mantra sound aloud or silently – or with some traditions it may start aloud and graduate into silent repetition.
And Just What is a Mantra?
A mantra is a sound, it can be simple or complex… It can be a single syllable, a word, or a phrase in your native language or another language; the mantra can have meaning or it can have no meaning at all, depending on the particular meditation style you are practicing. A mantra may have a deep spiritual connection, it may be entirely secular, or it can be somewhere in between. Some may choose a mantra based on its meaning or its sound, and others may prefer use of a pragmatic mantra. Volumes have been written on mantras, but this is just a blog post, so I’ll keep it brief and include some references at the end of the post. Whatever the origins of a given mantra or its meaning (or lack thereof), the most important thing is that you select one that resonates with you in your meditation sessions.
Spiritual and Universal Mantras
The intent of a spiritual mantra is to offer a vehicle/tool/mechanism for you to connect with your point of spiritual focus: God, Allah, YHWH, Shiva, Krishna, the divine creative force, the universe, life energy, or another higher power that has meaning for you. Meditation is a recognized spiritual practice within Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, as well as Buddhism.
There are too many versions of most major religions to address them all in a brief post, but most major branches of Christianity recognize the value of meditation. Within Catechisms under Expressions of Prayer, meditation is encouraged with recognition that there are many different methods(1). It is considered to be one of the most important aspects of a successful Islamic lifestyle. Traditional Judaism implements repeated prayers as a mantra. Buddhism and Hinduism both incorporate mantras into their meditation styles.
Some forms of mantra meditation don’t fall within a particular religious context and aren’t connected to a divinity or any enlightened being. With these meditations, our underlying intent is to connect with the oneness of the universe…the energies that tie us all together, and to generate a feeling of being one with all of creation.
Secular Mantras
The reality is that any word or phrase can be used as a mantra, they need not have any spiritual connection. While Transcendental Meditation® is technically a mantra-based meditation, the optimum result with TM is for you to finally transcend your mantra, leaving only stillness.
For many meditators, mantras are a word or phrase intended to bring calm or help to create a specific mindset. In the morning before work, you might choose a mantra along the lines of, “I am strong, I am capable,” or at the end of the day something like, “I am calm, I am relaxed.” During challenging times, a mantra like, “This too shall pass” might be helpful. You might even choose a unique mantra for each session, depending on what’s on your plate.
The Common Thread
Whether you are practicing a spiritual, universal, or secular meditation using mantras, there is one thing that ties it all together. Across all forms of meditations, the primary purpose of the mantra, whether your intent is to connect with a higher power, the universe, or just to release some stress, is to free your mind from noise that would otherwise distract you.
To try mantra meditation, choose a mantra that you can connect with. Mantras can be spoken aloud, or silently within our minds. As with any meditation style, your mind will wander at times…your anchor point is to return to your mantra when you notice you’ve wandered. Whether your mantra is spiritual or secular, spoken aloud or repeated silently, the goal the same… to reach a point where the mantra is effortlessly repeated without concentration or focus, quieting the mind and bringing stillness.
In Closing
As you might imagine, a heavily researched mantra is “om.” Two things I’d like to point out here… first, the “om” mantra has been shown to increase theta brainwaves(2), and theta brainwaves are shown to decrease anxiety(3). Studies on populations with chronic pain show practicing mantra meditation can reduce pain levels(4).
Whether it’s a mystical reason, or perhaps something more mundane such as stimulation of the vagus nerve(5), mantras are shown to produce measurable results. A study of mantras including the rosary prayer and various yoga mantras show evidence that mantras moderate cerebral blood flow, blood pressure, pulse and respiration(6). My takeaway? Mantras are real tools, scientifically shown to make positive changes in practitioners.
Whether my meditation employs mantras depends on my mindset as I start my meditation. After a challenging day that has my mind spinning in circles, I find that the meaningless mantra given by my TM teacher helps to quiet the greatest of mental chaos. On a slow morning after a good night of sleep, I may choose a simple mindfulness meditation instead of using a mantra. I’ve learned to stay flexible and adapt to the reality presented by any given day.
Whether your mantra is spiritual or secular, spoken aloud or repeated silently, the goal is the same… to reach a point where the mantra is effortlessly repeated without concentration or focus, quieting the mind and bringing a measure of stillness. Science, tradition, and history keep telling us that a mantra can impact how we think, our anxiety levels, and just how we approach our day. See if any of this works for you. I’ve included references below both to studies and to web resources with good discussions of mantras. Namaste.
References
- Catechisms: Part 4, Section 1, Chapter 3,
Article 1, Paragraph II
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P9L.HTM - Harne BP, Hiwale AS (2018), EEG Spectral
Analysis on OM Mantra Meditation: A Pilot Study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29752573 - Mohsen Dadashi, Behrooz Birashk, Farhad
Taremian, Ali Asghar Asgarnejad, Saeed Momtazi (2015), Effects of Increase
in Amplitude of Occipital Alpha & Theta Brain Waves on Global Functioning
Level of Patients with GAD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4741268/ - Kim E. Innes, Terry Kit Selfe, Sahiti Kandati,
Sijin Wen, Zenzi Huysmans (2018), Effects of Mantra Meditation versus Music
Listening on Knee Pain, Function, and Related Outcomes in Older Adults with
Knee Osteoarthritis: An Exploratory Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6136530/ - Bangalore G Kalyani, Ganesan Venkatasubramanian,
Rashmi Arasappa, Naren P Rao, Sunil V Kalmady, Rishikesh V Behere, Hariprasad
Rao, Mandapati K Vasudev, Bangalore N Gangadhar (2011), Neurohemodynamic Correlates
Of ‘OM’ Chanting: A Pilot Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099099/ - Luciano Bernardi, Peter Sleight, Gabriele
Bandinelli, Simone Cencetti, Lamberto
Fattorini, Johanna Wdowczyc-Szulc, Alfonso Lagi (2001), Effect of Rosary
Prayer and Yoga Mantras on Autonomic Cardiovascular Rhythms: Comparative Study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61046/ - Interfaith Meditation Guide
https://orsl.usc.edu/life/meditation/a-short-interfaith-guide-to-meditation-practices/ - Mystical Mantras
https://lonerwolf.com/meditation-mantras/ - Mantra Meditation
http://www.shaolinchanqijian.com/site/dharma_reading/mantra_meditation/ - Some Well Known Mantras to Enhance your
Meditation
https://anthonyprofeta.com/some-well-known-mantras-to-enhance-your-meditation/
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