 Chanting a few words, or a mantra, over and over while meditating is something that might be challenging, frustrating, and outright painful when you first begin. However, chanting is also deeply rewarding for many reasons. The first is that the very thing that makes it difficult, the self-discipline required, is what will help strengthen your self-mastery. It is what will help you overcome things like procrastination, anxiety, and negative self-talk. The second is that the chants themselves carry a vibrational power. It is said that the chants were created to sound like the energies we seek to become. By chanting something that means "I am love and compassion," we will energize our chakras, or our kundalini, and start to embody it in a mystical way that goes beyond any conscious act you can do. One of my favorite chants is simple in nature and one of my personal favorite primordial sounds. It's called "So Hum." SO in this instance means "I am," and HUM means "That." As a literal translation, it is "I am That," but the intention and vibration behind the chant is, "I am All That Is," or "I am that I am." I love the way this one sounds, especially if you do it out loud, with SO in a higher voice and HUM in a lower, it's a very flowy feeling. It is also nice and very powerful to chant this in your mind and do it in silence. This way you can match the chant to your breathing. For this, think SO on the in breath and HUM on the out. I suggest trying mantra meditating for 5 or 10 minutes to begin. The track I've added below by Christopher Lloyd Clarke is ten minutes and very earthy and trance like. It goes perfect with this meditation. If you'd like to meditate longer I'd suggest trying the Insight Timer app, However, don't feel you need to push yourself too hard, because that may lead you to giving up on this time of meditation all together. If your thoughts wander gently return them to the mantra. Wandering thoughts are natural and expected, and when you catch your mind drifting act as a gentle guide, slowly bringing your focus back to your center, as you think, "Here I am," and then return to the mantra. Tribal Eve by Christopher Lloyd Clarke licensed by RoyaltyFreeMeditationMusic.com. For other posts in the Meditation Monday series click here.
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