Some people are naturally more vocal than others. My ex for example, was on the never-stop-talking extreme, while I may have appeared on the mute-and-wish-I-was-deaf extreme. Perhaps it was just the dysfunction of our relationship which triggered this dichotomy. Our personalities definitely had a part in shaping it and the personality also evolves because of it as well.
The voice is a powerful instrument of self expression. It is also the gateway of prana exchange between you and the world. I never realized this so fully until I was forced to recite mantras for hours and days on end during my yoga therapy training. I fought against sitting still in meditation and I fought the judgemental ideas I had towards chanting. I learned that Sanskrit is a language based on vibrational sounds, and that these sounds correlate to different energetic centers of our body (chakras). This may sound bizarre if you’ve never studied any Eastern philosophy and medicine and if you’ve never looked at life from an energetic perspective before. Through my studies of Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, this idea of vibration affecting and carrying prana struck a cord with me. I realized it as common sense and wondered why I never thought about it before.
Before in the dysfunctional relationship and growing up in a rather traditional Chinese family, my voice was not as important as my actions. It was not as important as others’. And so I talked less, and I expressed less, and I thought less of myself. The person with the voice gets the most attention. There is obvious danger here, but there is also potential in cultivating the power it can have.
Mantra therapy is reciting certain Sanskrit words/sounds with intention. When you can harmonize emotion with vibration and intention, you have a recipe for manifesting possibly anything. You gain self confidence through the simple act of taking up space in this vibrational time. You gain expression by hearing and moving the sounds within and throughout you and the space. It clears the mind of stagnant thoughts which may not benefit you. Instead fills the mind with vibrations and literally massages your brain and entire nervous system.
To start mantra therapy, sit upright with your spine erect. If you need to use a wall and chair go ahead and do so. Traditionally you would sit cross legged, chest open for unobstructed breathing, and in a quite room where you can feel comfortable and uninterrupted. You can use a mala (beaded necklace) with 108 beads for keeping track of your chants. Counting and moving your finger over each bead is good for the person who needs to keep busy and active. Take comfortable full breaths and start reciting whatever mantra you want. Sanskrit mantras come in short to long phrases, as well as just one syllable sounds. These one syllable sounds are called bijas. They may be the easiest way to start your mantra therapy program. The bijas which correspond to the chakras are:
Root-1st Chakra – LAM (Pronounced lum in lump )
Sacral-2nd Chakra – VAM (vum as in thumb)
Solar Plexus-3rd Chakra – RAM (rum)
Heart-4th Chakra – YAM (yum as in yummy)
Throat-5th Chakra – HAM (hum as in humming)
Third Eye-6th Chakra – U ( ooo this is the beginning of the Om sound)
Crown-7th Chakra – Om (this is where the aum disappears and is just silent vibration)
Practice reciting each bija in order for the cycle of your mala, 108 times and let me know how you feel.
