Mantras

"What you seek is seeking you." -Rumi

What is a mantra and how can it be of benefit to us? 

Mantra = "mind-tool".

A mantra is a tool for focusing your mind to sustain attention on one thing over time. A mantra can be as simple as in, out. Although the words are simple, it is a call to action. A call to breath. 

As you begin your week, think about what you're looking for this week and what you're looking to let go of. Your mantra can be simple; I am joy. Or it can be a play on opposites. Inhale peace, exhale stress.

Research has shown that mantra's are an effective way to calm and focus the mind. Here is an excerpt from an article in Yoga Journal, I've linked the whole article below. 

"Since the 1970s, Herbert Benson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been researching how meditation and prayer can alter mental and physical states. He’s been particularly interested in what brings on a meditative state, which he calls “the relaxation response.” Benson has experimented with subjects repeating Sanskrit mantras as well as nonreligious words, such as “one.” He’s found that regardless of what the practitioner repeats, the word or phrase has nearly the same effects: relaxation and the ability to better cope with life’s unexpected stressors."

https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/mantras-101-the-science-behind-finding-your-mantra-and-how-to-practice-it