Why do we sing mantra in every yoga class?

Posted On : 30 March 2018.

Posted By : Yogi Mahesh Chetan.

Yoga is not all about the physical health. It is said that the best of yoga is not achieved until and unless you truly sense something "soulful". Yoga is the process through which true integration or unification of body, soul, and the mind can be done. A true yogi is someone who can reach this state of infinity. And, mantras hold a big role in it, which is taught by doing yoga training in Rishikesh.

Understanding what does a "calmed mind" actually mean?

Some people question that if yoga is all about calming down the mind, what’s the relevance of chanting the mantras; it can be done keeping quite as well. People asking such questions basically don’t understand the true definition of a calm mind. They need to understand no human effort can calm down the mind; it has to be effortless, else it’s impossible. Staying quite is not remaining calm. As said, you can’t even try to calm down the mind; every effort starts from the mind itself; and so is the effort of calming it down. And, all these efforts bring sensations in mind, generating thoughts; instead of calming it down.

Mind gets calmed down when you remain in a harmony. It ’s like you must have realised that during the most crunch occasions of a game, there remains no time to think. Yet, you do the right think as it comes out of your instinct. You were so much focussed in it that it didn’t require any effort; everything happened in an effortless fashion. Rather, if you had thought about the occasion, you would have got pressurized or you would have in a state of dilemma, involving every chance of committing mistakes. The point to be noted here is that the mind remained absolutely calm in above instance.

Similarly, the mind can be kept calm even during the most challenging occasions. Again mark, no bodily or mental effort helped for this calmness; it’s the flow, it’s the harmony, it’s the concentration that made this magic possible. Proper yoga training in India can provide extensive knowledge on it.

Role of Mantra:

And, the role of mantra is all about developing that harmony inside while doing the yoga. Now, one may question- what’s the need of doing yoga and meditation or joining yoga school in Rishikesh, if someone can realise about calmed mind through deep focus or by delving in to something; as explained through above example of sports. Well, the simplest answer would be, though the mind was calm in above instance too, but the purpose was not to experience the soul or to experience the source of infinite pleasure; rather, the intention was to win the match. You need the sportsman whim and determination or that flow in those occasions; mantra chanting won’t work.

But, while doing ashtanga yoga practice, the intention remains to experience the utmost pleasure of life. The harmony or the flow that one needs for achieving the same can be generated through mantra chants only. Mantra chants deepens someone with yoga; the person starts feeling every move, every bit of breathe.

This is how the level of soulful consciousness gets elevated. This is when the true calming down of mind becomes possible, or this is when the true worth of a calmed mind is realised. This is the state, or a calmed down mind is the state when you are the most responsive; without getting shattered.

How Yoga Chanting is different?

Now Yoga chanting and the other chanting we usually do in masses during a mass prayer, mass prayers of yoga classes or tradition is different. In masses, or when the chanting is done in comparatively higher voice level, it is called the Kirtana. When it’s done in comparatively lower voice level, this is called the usual prayer. But, the yoga chanting is something that we do quietly or slowly in mind. In Sanskrit, this is called the “Japa”. Each type of chanting generates the same harmony, but with different purpose. In the first two cases where chanting is done at comparatively higher voice, the harmony is spread across surrounding.

This is why someone at such surrounding normally gets calmed, no matter he wishes for it or not. But, with yoga chanting, the purpose is to connect the self with the infinity. It’s the process of experiencing the soul; the task is not completed by simply calming down the mind, or being in the harmony for some other purpose. “Om” is that yoga mantra as “Om” is the sound of the Universe or the Universal consciousness, which has been scientifically proven as well.