Yoga - Japa Practice

Repeating the names of the Divine is an instrument for the mind.

Wikipedia states that: "Japa (Sanskrit: जप) is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism with parallels found in other religions.

The word “Mantra” has been derived from Sanskrit. Mantra contains two words – “man” which means “to think” (also in manas “mind”) and suffix “tra” which means “tool”, hence a literal translation would be “instrument of thought”. end quote

"Japa may be performed while sitting in a meditation posture, while performing other activities, or as part of formal worship in group settings. The mantra or name may be spoken softly, loud enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be recited silently within the practitioner's mind. Mantras are used as sacred sounds or utterances. Since they are taken from the sacred texts, they are considered auspicious and God in word form." is found on Mandalas.life

There is no right or wrong. Remember that the demon, who later became the Saint Valmiki that uttered the Epic Ramayana, was not able to utter the name of Ram. So instead he started repeating the word Mara (tree) and by this gradually sinking in to a deep state of meditation resulting from the repetitive sound Maramaramarama Rama! 

Start somewhere and enjoy the ride. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. 



When we learn and study the meaning of the words and how to pronounce them we can connect even more to the practiced mantra and it can have massive impact. To me it's one of the primal ways to get back on track: I NEED IT!

It sooths in extraordinary ways, like nothing else and to me is a GO-TO practice, above anything else: CHANT AND BE HAPPY! It's part of each yoga practice I share, and on top of this we organize monthly Japa gatherings. Check all offerings here