Mantra Meditation – The Why, the How,

and the Methods

By Giovanni 36 Comments

Mantras are one of the most common objects used for meditation—and
one of the most powerful ones too. The practice of mantra meditation is
found in many of the world’s contemplative traditions, and also in the
practice of meditation in a secular context.
In this article, I’ll explore the different meditation techniques that employ
mantra, how to choose a mantra, why mantras are powerful, and what
are the different levels and subtleties of this practice. Personally,
together with trataka, mantra meditation is my favourite practice, so I’m
delighted to write about it.
First, we start with the definition of mantra. Mantra is a Sanskrit word
derived from two roots: man (meaning “mind” or “to think”)
and trai meaning to “protect”, to “free from”, or “instrument/tool”.
Therefore, mantras are tools of the mind, or tools to free the mind.
Some mantras have a literal meaning and can be translated, but most of
them, according to tradition, derive their value mostly from their sound

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 quality. Some are short, one-syllable mantras; others are long, composed
of many words.
Sometimes the mantra is recited; at other times it is listened to.
Sometimes it is repeated fast; at other times slow. Sometimes it is simply
repeated by itself, and at other times in connection to concentration on
the breathing, certain feelings, chakras, visualizations or abstract
concepts.
Indeed, the subject of mantra and related practices is a vast and complex
study within Hinduism, Yoga, and Buddhism. Here I’ve strived to give you
a very broad overview of mantra meditation, with the pragmatic and
non-sectarian approach that is characteristic of this blog. Whether you
are agnostic or spiritually minded, this article will give you important
practical tips for your practice.
At the bottom of this article you will find a button to download a free
PDF copy of this article.
Jump to section
• WHY USE A MANTRA?
o The Transformative Power of Sound
o Mantra Replaces Thinking
• MANTRA MEDITATION ESSENTIALS
o How to Choose Your Mantras for Meditation
o Progress and Levels
• MANTRA MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
o Mantra Meditation
o Mantra in Yoga – Chakra, Pranayama, Kundalini
o Deity Meditation – Tantra & Devotional Paths
o Other Traditions
o Transcendental Meditation
• PARTING THOUGHTS

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WHY USE A MANTRA?
The Transformative Power of Sound
You may be asking yourself, “What’s so special about repeating a word,
anyway? Why is it considered a powerful tool for meditation?”.
Sound is vibration. And all the cells in your body are vibrating. Everything
in the universe is vibrating, and each has its own rhythm. Your thoughts
and feelings are, indeed, vibrations in your body and your consciousness.
Sound patterns also affect the water in your body, your hormones
secretion, cognition, behavior, and psychological well-being.
Looked at in this way, your mind – your psyche – is a collection of
patterns, each vibrating at its own peculiar frequency, speed, and
volume. What the mystics and yogis of yore discovered is that by
sustaining a particular sound vibration for a long time, the nature of the
mind and body can be somewhat transformed.
Any musician or filmmaker will tell you of the power that sound has to
induce/evoke moods, thoughts, and emotions. If listening to a song
can change your mood and even help heal your body, imagine the
power of programming a specific sound into your mind, by repeating it
thousands of times with care and attention!

Sound, rhythm and speech have profound effects

on your body, thoughts, and emotions. Mantra
meditation is the use of these three elements with
the purpose of purifying, pacifying and
transforming your mind and heart.
Thus the mantra, being an instrument of the mind, can help you create
profound changes in your body and psyche, and produce altered states
of consciousness. Mantra meditation is a method of rotation of

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consciousness around a sound, amplifying it for maximum effect. In the
Yoga contemplative tradition, mantra meditation is often said to be the
easiest and safest method.
And apparently, mantra can also calm down those experiencing a life
crisis…

Mantra Replaces Thinking

At any given moment, our attention can be dwelling on only one object.
Even when we say we are multitasking, what we are actually doing is
switching objects of attention very quickly – which is why multitasking
is taxing and ineffective.
For meditation, the implication is pretty simple: in every moment that
you are paying full attention to the mantra, you are not disturbed by any
other thoughts, memories, or sensations. If you are able to continuously
string together the ending of one mantra repetition to the beginning of
the next, you’ll remain in that beautiful state for the duration of your
meditation.

A mantra replaces 10,000 different thoughts by

one thought – a thought that gives peace and
awareness. It allows you to collect your scattered
attention, which is spread thin all over the place,
and unify it, thus empowering it.
Of course, the meditation process is the same with other objects of
concentration, such as breathing or a visualization. The advantage with a
mantra, however, is that it easily overrides mental speech, which is the
predominant form of conscious thinking for most people. Another
advantage is that the rhythmic nature of mantra helps override those
pesky songs that sometimes play continuously in our mind during
meditation.

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See this article for some studies on how mantra chanting improves
concentration, well-being and resilience to negative inputs.

MANTRA MEDITATION ESSENTIALS

How to Choose Your Mantras for Meditation
Deciding which mantra to use depends first on your approach towards
meditation – whether secular or spiritual. That approach will also affect
the results you will get from the practice.
Some mantras, however, are quite universal and can be used with both
approaches. Examples are the Sanskrit mantras om and so ham.

Secular approach
In this approach, meditation is seen as a tool, an exercise designed to
bring you better health, performance, relaxation or personal growth. You
don’t necessarily believe in anything spiritual – be it God, enlightenment,
soul, or life after death. Or maybe you do believe, but want to keep your
meditation practice separate from that.
In this case, you can choose a mantra from your own language. It can be
a word or a short sentence that carries a message you want to imbue
into your psyche.
Here are some guidelines I suggest for picking a word:

• The meaning is the most important. Choose a word/sentence that

represents something you want to develop more in yourself, feel
more, or connect to. It could be love, peace, freedom, awareness,
light, courage, etc.
• The sound of the word needs to speak to you. The only way to
realize this is by repeating it for a few minutes, and observe how
you feel before and after.

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 • Avoid words that have dubious meanings or possible negative
connotations.

You can try a few mantras before you decide on which one most speaks
to you. Once chosen, it is better to always use the same mantra, so its
effects really build up.

Spiritual approach

If you meditate with a spiritual goal

or purpose in mind, the way to choose a mantra is different. You may
consider that each word contains its own “energy”, that became
impregnated into it through the way it has been repetitively used by
other people. Hence it makes sense to pick up a traditional mantra – a
word or sound that has been used by spiritual seekers for centuries, with
noble attitude and intention.
In this case, it makes little sense to translate a mantra. You are better off
using the original word in the language in which it was
conceived/discovered (usually Sanskrit, Pali, Hebrew, Aramaic or Tibetan).
Also, the correct pronunciation and intonation of the mantra is very
important, since we are aiming at replicating that specific sound
vibration.

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The first step is then deciding which spiritual tradition and lineage most
speaks to you (if you are unsure, this article can be a good start). Once
you know what you resonate with best, then you may either:

• Find a teacher/master of that tradition – someone you respect –

and ask him or her to suggest a mantra for you. Depending on the
tradition, a mantra master will have practiced extensively different
mantras, know the type of vibration of each one, and will be able to
select one for you based on your specific goals and temperaments.
• Research the mantras used in that particular path, try each one for
a few days, and then select the one that most gives you what you
are looking for.

When repeating a mantra as a spiritual practice, try to simultaneously

contemplate the meaning or state represented by that mantra. In a way,
that’s what makes mantra meditation more than a glorified affirmation
practice.

The mantra is like a password, a key, to a certain

state of consciousness or universal principle you
want to experience.
In this approach, you are advised to keep the mantra secret. Even if it is a
mantra that is here on the internet, and thousands practice it. The simple
reason is: sacred is secret. Treat your mantra as sacred, as secret, and
then its effects on your consciousness will go deeper.

Progress and Levels

The more we repeat our mantra, the more it is “energized” or
“magnetized”. For one-syllable mantras, it is said that after 125,000
repetitions it “gets a life of its own”. It is our repeated attention working
with the mantra that charges it. The mantra eventually becomes the most

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powerful thought in your mind, and then you can truly rely on it to bring
you peace.
Once your mantra really gets momentum, the repetition becomes more
and more effortless. It’s almost as if we simply “start” or “log into” the
mantra, and it continues on its own, taking us into inner silence.
This is the traditional progress of the practice:

• Verbal recitation — you repeat it out loud. This engages more of

your senses, making it easier to keep your attention focused.
• Whispering — the lips and tongue move, but there is barely any
sound coming. This practice is subtler and deeper than the verbal
recitation.
• Mental recitation — you repeat the mantra only inside your mind.
In the beginning, there is naturally some movement in the tongue
and throat; but with time these also cease, and the practice is
purely mental. This stage is what people typically associate
with mantra meditation.
• Spontaneous listening — at this point you are no longer
repeating the mantra, but the mantra goes on by itself in your
mind, spontaneously, all the time. At this point, there is no need to
worry about its loudness, speed, etc. Just listen to it being repeated
as it naturally wants to be repeated. This level is called ajapa japa.

As you can see, there is a progression from gross to subtle, from effort to
effortless. A potential mistake some people make is wanting to skip
levels and start directly with mental repetition only, or spontaneous
repetition. That is a much more steep climb than the step-by-step
progression outlined above.
Even if you don’t like verbal recitation, and want to go directly to the
mental level, I recommend you at least do a few rounds of whispering

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recitation in the beginning. That will help you center your mind on the
mantra much more easily.
At whatever point you find yourself on this scale, if you realize that your
mind gets disengaged from the mantra, distracted into thinking or
sleeping, then take it down a notch and put some more conscious effort
into using the mantra, until it is ready to carry you once again.

MANTRA MEDITATION TECHNIQUES

Mantra can be combined with other practices, such as visualization,
focusing on a chakra, devotion, etc. The first technique explained here
can be practiced with a purely secular/agnostic approach; the other ones
have some spiritual elements in them.

Mantra Meditation
The guidelines below form the bare-bones of meditating with a mantra,
and are also applicable for all other practices.

Posture
For formal mantra meditation, adopt a seated posture.
For informal practice, you can be repeating the mantra in the back of
your mind, with open eyes, during other daily activities.

Speed
Chanting the mantra quickly energizes you. Chanting it slowly calms
down the mind. If you make it too fast or too slow, it will become an
automatic process and your mind will either wander into thinking or fall
sleep.

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The speed with which you recite the mantra will vary also depending on
the length of the mantra. Short mantras (one to three syllables long) are
often repeated more slowly than phrase-long mantras.
Since this is technique-specific and mantra-specific, it is best to follow
the suggestions given by your teacher. In the absence of one, experiment
with different speeds of repetition and see which one you like the most.

Repeating your mantra fast produces gamma waves in

the brain. Repeating it slowly produces theta waves.
CLICK TO TWEET

In my experience, both repeating the mantra quickly and repeating it

slowly takes me to a state of silence, although the “taste” of that silence
is different in each case. When repeating slowly, it feels like a type of
deepening, zooming in, theta-waves type of silence. When repeating it
fast, it is more of an intense, “in the flow”, gamma-waves type of silence.
In any case, it is best to keep a uniform speed of repetition, rather than
change it multiple times during a session.

Loudness and Force

If your mind is very noisy, you might want to “turn up the volume” of the
mantra repetition, making out louder and thicker. Otherwise, your
attention will just fly off on a tangent with thinking.
As your mind gets quieter, the mantra often gets “thinner and lower”,
like a high-frequency sound that you can barely hear. The word itself is
almost lost and the mantra feels more like sound vibrations.
If that happens naturally for you, let it be so. But if you again lose hold of
the mantra and forget it, it’s better to bring it back to a level where you
can stay with it more easily.

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Breathing
You may or may not synchronize the mantra with your breathing. Some
options are:

• Both inhalation and exhalation. If your mantra is very short,

like om, you can repeat it once when inhaling, and again when
exhaling. Or you can increase the speed and repeat it three times
on inhalation and three times on exhalation – or as many times as
it feels good for your speed and length of breathing. If your mantra
is long, then you can do it half on inhalation, and the second half
on exhalation.
• Only exhalation. Inhale without any sound, and repeat the mantra
when exhaling.
• Regardless of breathing. Just focus on the mantra, paying no
attention to the breathing. With time, the breathing tends to
naturally synchronize with the rhythm of the mantra.

Mind
Whether you are reciting the mantra or just listening to it, the mind’s
task is to actively pay attention to each repetition. Let every repetition be
fresh, new, full of life and awareness.
Unite your mind with the mantra completely. Become one with it. Let
every ounce of your attention be engaged with it. One way to facilitate
that is by putting some feeling into the practice – such as care, curiosity,
reverence, gratitude, or whatever makes sense for that particular mantra.

Think of the mantra as a radio station, and your

mind as the antenna. The problem with this

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antenna, though, is that it keeps switching
frequency by itself. Our goal is to keep this
antenna in sync with the mantra.
After some time you’ll notice that while there might be a layer of
thinking going on, there is also a layer of mantra on a deeper level of
your mind. Move your awareness to that deeper layer. Dwell there.
Finally, do not force your mind. That creates tension, which is not
conducive to meditation. The task is simply to maintain awareness of the
mantra, moment after moment, without being heavy-handed. It’s a
continuous and relaxed awareness.

Mantra in Yoga – Chakra, Pranayama, Kundalini

In the contemplative tradition of Yoga, there are many paths that use
mantra meditation. In these practices, mantra repetition is usually
connected with the breathing, specific visualizations, contemplations,
and the chakras.

Chakras
In some lineages (Kundalini Yoga, Laya Yoga and Tantra Yoga) there is
the practice of reciting mantras while focusing the mind on specific
chakras (centers in the body). One way to practice this is by repeating
the seed-sound of each chakra. Here are the main chakras with their
mantras, and the pronunciation guide in parenthesis.

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 • Root Chakra —> LAM (“lum”)
• Sacral Chakra —> VAM (“vum”)
• Solar Plexus Chakra —> RAM (“rum”)
• Heart Chakra —> YAM (“yum”)
• Throat Chakra —> HAM (“hum”)
• Third Eye Chakra —> OM
• Crown Chakra —> *Silence*

The technical name for this meditation is chakra mantra dharana.

Another way is to simply use your favorite mantra, and while repeating it,
focus your attention on the Third Eye or Heart chakra, as if the mantra is
originating there. This allows you to add a spatial dimension to the
meditation, thus engaging more of your senses.

Pranayama Breathing

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In Hatha Yoga, Tantra, and other yogic schools, there is also the practice
of synchronizing the mantra with specific breathing patterns. Here are
some examples:

• A-HAM mantra (“I am”). Repeating “A” upon inhalation and

“HAM” upon exhalation.
• SO-HAM mantra. Repeating “SO” upon inhalation and “HAM”
upon exhalation, while moving your attention and breathing up
and down your spine.
• SOHAM – HAMSA. Inhale through your left nostril while repeating
“so”, then exhale through your right nostril while repeating “ham”.
On the way back, now inhale through your right nostril repeating
“ham”, and exhale through your left nostril repeating “sa”. That is
one cycle. Practice at least ten cycles.

There are also other more elaborate practices, but if you are like me and
prefer simplicity, these will do.

Rituals & Visualization

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In the school of Mantra Yoga, an elaborate use of mantras with
visualizations and rituals is employed. This theme is beyond the scope of
this article.

Contemplation
In Vedanta (Jnana Yoga), mantras that encapsulate a spiritual truth are
used. These are called “Mahavakyas”, or great sayings. The main ones
are:

• Aham Brahmasmi (“I am Brahman”)

• Tat Vam Asi (“Thou art That”)
• Sarvam khalvidam brahman (“All is Brahman”)

In this practice, the main focus is the contemplation of the meaning of

the mantra, rather than the mere repetition of words or sounds. The goal
is to develop wisdom by reinforcing an understanding or insight.

Mantra Writing (likhita japa)

This practice engages more senses: writing the mantra, seeing the
mantra, speaking the mantra, hearing the mantra. Here are some basic
guidelines:

• Set aside a good quality notebook and pencil/pen to be used only

for the purposes of this practice.
• During the whole session, write down the mantra on paper, while
also repeating it in your mind, out loud, or whispering it.
• To intensify the exercise, try to write as small and as neatly as
possible. This will require more concentration.

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 • Fix your eyes on the notebook. Don’t move them away until you
have completed the session.

Deity Meditation – Tantra & Devotional Paths

In both these paths, mantra meditation is sometimes done with open
eyes, while keeping count of the number of repetitions by using a
necklace of 108 beads (also called a mala).

Mantra in Tantra

The real Tantra, as

developed in India and Tibetan Buddhism, is very different from the
tantra commercialized in the West, which has the purpose of sexual
enhancement.
In the path of traditional Tantra, a core spiritual practice is Deity Yoga.
The goal of this practice is to experience a state of communion/identity
with certain universal forces of nature, personified as gods and
goddesses, and thus awakening spiritual insights and qualities in the
consciousness of the practitioner. (Jungian psychologists would regard
these deities as archetypes of the collective unconscious.)

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For this purpose, mantra is the essential vehicle. In Tantra, mantra is not
a prayer. It’s not even the name of the deity, but the sound-form of that
deity. Once we connect with the power of the mantra, then the vibration
of our own mind becomes linked with that larger mind, which itself has a
vibratory nature.
In Tantra (Hindu or Buddhist), while repeating the mantra the
practitioner will typically also employ one or more of the following
practices:

• Visualize the form of the chosen deity;

• Contemplate the attributes of that deity (like power, beauty,
wisdom, etc.);
• Gaze at an image or symbol (yantra) of that deity, just as in trataka;
• Cultivate feelings of reverence, awe, devotion or surrender to the
deity;
• Develop the attitude of identifying oneself with the deity
approached through the mantra.

Examples of mantras in Hindu tantra are the famous shakti bijas: Aim,
Hrim, Shrim, Halim, Krim, Klim, Strim, Hum, Sauh, etc.

Mantra Japa in Bhakti Yoga

In the “Yoga of Devotion” (bhakti), the mantra used is the name of the
Divine in the form and aspect you prefer. The practitioner then repeats
that name, or a short prayer containing that name, again and again, with
feelings of devotion.
The mantras will depend on the deity selected. Here are some examples
of mantras for popular deities in the Hindu pantheon:

• Shiva —> Om Namah Shivaya

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 • Vishnu —> Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
• Ganesh —> Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha
• Saraswati —> Om Aim Mahasarasvatyai Namah

Other Traditions

Buddhist Mantra Meditation

In Buddhism, although the breath is

more universally used, there is the recognition of the power of mantra as
a tool for focusing the mind.
In Theravada Buddhism, chanting certain mantras is used as an aid for
concentration, especially by lay people. The Venerable Ajahn Sumedho,
for example, recommends the mantra Buddho, with the suggested
practice of reciting “Bud” as we inhale and “-dho” as we exhale, so that
the mind is occupied with the mantra for the full cycle of the breath.
In Mahayana Buddhism, mantras are chanted related to different forms
of the Buddha. The practice of chanting – although that is not quite the
same as mantra meditation – is also found in most Buddhist traditions,
including Zen.

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For Nichiren Buddhists, recitation of the mantra Nam Myōhō Renge
Kyō is their main spiritual practice.
Tibetan Buddhism uses mantras extensively, as we discussed above in
the topic of Tantra.
Here is a list of Buddhist mantras for meditation

• Pali Mantras
o Sabbe satta sukhi hontu
o Om shanti shanti shanti
o Buddho
o Buddham saranam gacchami. Dhammam saranam gacchami.
Sangham saranam gacchami.
• Sanskrit Mantras
o Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
o Om Mani Padme Hum
o Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha
• Chinese
o Namo Amituofo

Christian Mantra Meditation

The practice of Contemplative Prayer, also known as Christian
Meditation, has the same mechanics of mantra meditation. A sacred
word from Christian tradition is chosen – such as Lord, Father, Jesus,
Mary, Abba, Mercy, Love, or maranatha (Aramaic for “Come, Lord!”) –
and then repeated with feelings of devotion.
It is worth noting that this style of Christian Meditation was created by
the Irish Benedictine monk John Main, who learned mantra meditation
from a Hindu swami when he was serving in Malaysia.

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Sufi Mantra Meditation

In Sufism, the name for mantra

is Zikr (or Dhikr). The essential aspect of this practice is the continual
remembrance of God, typically by repeating Allah (God), Allah Ho (God
is) or La Illalahu (“God is God”).
We also find a Sufi saying that alludes to the highest stage of mantra
practice (spontaneous repetition): “First you do the zikr and then
the zikr does you.”

Transcendental Meditation
TM is perhaps the most famous form of mantra meditation outside of
India. Despite all their marketing efforts in differentiating the two, the TM
technique is basically a mantra meditation.
I’ll spare you of the official narrative, as you can read that on their site.
Here I’ll just point out some facts that are not widely discussed:

• As mentioned, their technique is essentially mantra meditation,

which can be learned for free or through a good book.
• The mantras they teach are not unique for each student but given
based on their gender and age group.
• Their mantras are not “meaningless sounds”, but actually Tantric
names of Vedic deities.

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 • The TM organization present itself as secular, but they have deep
spiritual roots. Hence the initiation ceremony and the lineage of
gurus. And, if it is spiritual by nature, why are they charging for
initiation?
• Often they teach that the TM technique doesn’t involve effort.
However, as discussed above, dropping all effort and just listening
to the mantra is something we can only do effectively after a long
period of training where we have purposefully repeated the
mantra, with awareness and focus. If you skip that and just go
directly to spontaneous repetition, you will soon reach a plateau in
your practice, and deep levels of concentration leading
to samadhi will not be developed.

I explore these items in greater detail here. And here is me explaining

their “secret technique” in Quora (I got 120 thousand views for
“revealing” this, as well as a lot of hate email/comments).
On the positive side, the TM organization is indeed helping many people
to start a solid meditation practice, and is marketing it widely. If you
practice TM and feel it’s good for you, don’t let my writings demotivate
you – by all means continue with the practice.

PARTING THOUGHTS
My intention with this article was two-fold:

• To give you an overview of the breadth and depth of mantra

meditation in different traditions
• To share practical instructions about mantra meditation, its
variations, and levels of practice

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If you read this far, well done! I bet you now have a much better
understanding of mantra and where to go from here.
If you don’t yet have a mantra practice and are confused where to start,
I’d recommend you select a mantra (either secular or spiritual), and start
practicing it according to the basic instructions under the “Mantra
Meditation” heading above.

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