Chanting??? But what if I can’t sing???

Everyone can sing…it’s just that we prefer to listen to some people sing more than others!

Babies tend to sing before they can talk… proving that singing is a very natural human activity.

Singing together as a group works on an emotional level to lift the spirit and is one of the oldest practises known to humankind. While the practice can also be done alone, the act of singing together adds to the vibrational energy created and experienced. Whilst there are many artists that have released wonderfully engaging recordings and orchestrations of mantra chanting, the chanting of mantras is actually a Yoga practice that has very little to do with entertainment.

So what are mantras and why do we chant them as part of a Yoga class?

There is no universally accepted definition of the word ‘Mantra’ but the word has been literally translated as a ‘crossing over the mind’ …working to bypass the lower mind and open the heart and consciousness.

“...a mantra is a very precise sound frequency, language, rhythm, and even cadence that unlocks specific energies and qualities in the practitioner”

- Lily Cushman “A Little Bit of Mantras – An Introduction to Sacred Sounds”. Sterling Ethos, New York.. 2019. p. 2

Mantras are said to pre-date all religions. But the practice of chanting mantras is now a familiar practice to many religions including Christianity in the form of the rosary as well as Hinduism and Buddhism. The mantras chanted in this style of Yoga are chanted in Sanskrit – an ancient, vibrational language that is only used these days for spiritual purposes. The Sanskrit language creates particular combinations of sound vibrations that have a powerful and beneficial effect on all levels of our being. Our cells are constantly vibrating. Just as our thoughts and emotions cause vibrations in our body, so too does the chanting of mantras. 

The effects of the mantra come not only from the vibration of the sounds but also the vibration created by the intention of the person chanting it. So the practise of chanting mantra works at an energetic level by influencing the vibration of every cell in our body to heal, protect and transform.

The literal translation of the words of a mantra are, at best, unhelpful as the practice bypasses the conscious mind - working at a deeper level. Working at such a deep mental level, the chanting of mantra is said to free the mind from its obsessions as the practice bypasses the conscious mind - breaking repetitive thought patterns.

Sources:

Cushman, Lily “A Little Bit of Mantras – An Introduction to Sacred Sounds”. Sterling Ethos, New York. 2019.
“Siddha Prarthna – Morning Mantra Chanting” produced by Satyananda Yoga Rocklyn, Victoria. Australia