Mantra comes from the yogic practice of Japa Yoga.

Japa means the “word” and is a powerful device for altering mental perceptions and overcoming emotional hurdles.

Japa Yoga is commonly referred to as “mantra” or “chanting” because it is a special, high-vibrating word that is repeated over and over again to help us stay connected to God, our True Nature, and the impermanence of life.

Chanting mantra is a highly effective way to work with our subtle body and to release the dormant energies that possess our power. Our subtle body is the storehouse for the way we interpret our experiences in life and how much joy or suffering we feel. When we chant, our energy body responds viscerally, possessing the ability to heal us on a cellular level.

When we chant in Sanskrit (a traditional language of India), this power multiplies because Sanskrit is an energy-based language; unlike English which is definition or meaning based.

It has also been said that the Great Mother easily understands Sanskrit because her native tongue is spoken in energy, rather than through logic or definition when we chant in English.

Hindu mala beads are typically made of 108 beads, plus 1 guru bead.

Practitioners in India historically use the right hand to hold mala.

To try this method — Rest your mala beads on your right middle finger and move one bead at a time towards you with your right thumb.

Moving the bead one time equals one repetition of your mantra. By the end of your mala practice, you will have repeated your mantra 108 times.

Once you circle around your entire mala for the 108th time, you will arrive at the guru bead where you can pause to pray, send gratitude, and breathe.

The guru bead represents you coming into higher states of wakefulness each time you arrive — it’s like a ladder sending you into the heavenly realm on bead and mantra at a time.

If you are doing several rounds of mantra with your beads, flip your beads around and go back the way you came, one bead at a time.

In other South Asian traditions where mala beads are used, there is no instruction on which hand to use.

We suggest you go for what feels best for your practice. Sincerity and respect met with cultural study and understanding creates appreciation, rather than appropriation.

Keep your beads off of the ground and store them in a special place when you are not using them.

We suggest selecting one of the mantras below and sticking with it for a while, rather than switching it up each time you practice.

Why? Because it is said that a mantra does not take its truest effect within the heart until 125,000 repetitions, when a practitioners reaches Mantra Siddhi - a term denoting power and faculty with the sacred word.

Chants to try:

• Chant the mantra that began it all, “OM”. Om is the universal vibration that connects all hearts.

• Chant “Aham Prema”. An ancient Sanskrit mantra to proclaim the boundless, expansiveness of love that you truly are.

• Chant “Om Karuna Namah” which means “My name is compassion” in Sanskrit.

• Chant Yoga Sutra 1.36 on the Inner Light within or use an abbreviated mantra for this sutra such as “I am Light” as you move around your mala 108 times.

• Chant the mantra assigned to a specific energy center (chakra), such as “Lam” for muladhara (root) chakra to provide grounding energy.

• Chant your breath and calm your nervous system by saying “inhale” as you breathe in and “exhale” as you breathe out. One breath equals one bead.

• Chant “I Am” when you need empowerment or a self-lifting boost.