By Sejal Shah
Struggling to meditate? Learning mantra meditation can help you to get rid of all your meditation woes and difficulties. Find out how.
Are you finding it difficult to meditate?
Do you find that your mind is all over the place when you meditate?
Don’t know how to get rid of your thoughts while meditating?
Well, today I am going to introduce you to an ancient, easy, and effortless meditation technique. I have been practicing it for about a decade now, and it has transformed my meditation practice and the quality of my life. Before I go any further into this, let us, first of all, understand what is meditation and why you should meditate.
What is meditation?
In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, yoga is defined as stilling the modulations of the mind. As one of the eight limbs of yoga that leads to this stillness, meditation helps us to achieve that. Meditation can help us transcend the chattering mind and connect us to a deeper level of consciousness, awareness, and a sense of stillness. But this requires some skills, knowledge, the right guidance, and above all consistent daily practice. In Sanskrit, it is said, Manana trayate iti mantra. Mantra is that which saves you from repetitiveness. Eg. worry is repetitive thoughts. The meaning of every mantra is infinity. It is a sound vibration beyond the cognition of the mind. When the mind is unable to cognize, it simply dissolves and moves into a meditative space. That makes mantra meditation so unique and way different than other forms of meditation.
Why is meditation important?
The benefits of meditation are immense, be it for your physical well-being, mental or emotional well-being, and spiritual upliftment.
A recent study shows that those who meditated regularly for 20 minutes also showed an increase in IQ by 23%. The theory of Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence states that there are two distinct kinds of intelligence. Fluid intelligence refers to the ability to reason and creatively solve problems in unique and novel situations, it also measures our ability to adapt to change, our ability to be resourceful, our ability to see patterns and relationships. On the other hand, crystallized intelligence refers to the ability to use the knowledge acquired through past learning or experience.
It is relatively easy to increase your Crystalized Intelligence; read books, listen to podcasts, collect facts from around you, and learn new skills that will be beneficial for you. Fluid Intelligence, on the other hand, is not like that, it is more about being ingenious, taking something you never have seen or done before, and making something out of it. Meditation is said to improve your Fluid Intelligence.
If you count all the benefits that meditation offers, in this modern fast-paced era, investing your time into meditation is not a luxury but it is a necessity. You really can’t say no to meditation if you want to live a healthy, happy, productive, meaningful, and fulfilling life.
Having understood this, now let us dig deeper into mantra meditation.
What is mantra meditation and how does it work?
When I say mantra meditation, here I am referring to Sahaj Samadhi Meditation specifically.
Sahaj Samadhi Meditation, a mantra-based meditation is the easiest and the most profound technique of meditation that has its roots in the ancient Veda scriptures from India. It is a form of Vedic meditation that uses the Sanskrit mantra to experience the depth of meditation.
The practice of this mantra meditation utilizes the silent recall of a sound or a charged vibration (mantra) as a vehicle to reach the higher state of our consciousness which is a field of pure energy and stillness. Just as when an airplane takes off from the busy airport and as it goes higher up in the sky, everything is quiet there. Nothing on the earth can affect the sky. From above, the earth also seems to be quiet. Similarly, the mantra helps us to transcend the mind and takes us to that higher state of consciousness which is always intact, unbroken, peaceful, and still. As we reach this state, the mind stops bothering us, as if you created a distance between you and it. The mind also eventually starts resting, becoming still and quiet.
Mantra is not meant to stop your thoughts altogether. Instead, it takes you to the deeper realm of your being from where you just become witness to your thoughts or any other external stimuli without getting distracted by any of them.
The mantra transcends the mind and takes you to a settled state. As you reach this state, your body and mind begin to rest more deeply, deeper than sleep. You come out of meditation feeling clear, refreshed, and energized. It is effortless and natural.
Are there any other mantra meditation techniques? Are they different from Sahaj Samadhi Meditation?
Yes.
If you google, it will give you information about 2-3 other mantra meditation techniques.
These recommend using a sacred traditional mantra like Om, Shivoham, Sohum, Om Namah Shivaya, Om Mani Padme Hum, Hare Krishna, and alike. In these meditations, you keep repeating the mantra that you like or recite them as a means to concentrate or focus your mind to stay away from thoughts. Just as you focus on your breath in some other meditation techniques, here you divert all your attention to mantra recitation. This could feel like Japa or mantra chanting either silently or a little loudly.
For Sahaj Samadhi Meditation, the Beeja mantra is used. Beeja means seed. The Beeja mantra may not have any meaning attached to it. You are given your personal mantra by a well-trained teacher who has a long experience of mediation. The teacher gives you your mantra after a beautiful, sacred ceremony invoking the blessings of ancient yogis and masters. Your teacher guides you on how to use the mantra effortlessly so that you can transcend your mind. Since it is your personal mantra and you are not supposed to share it with others or bring it to the field of expression in any form.
The other meditation techniques require some effort - effort to focus or concentrate, effort to keep repeating the mantra (even though it is silent repetition). Sahaj Samadhi Meditation is totally effortless. In fact, Sahaj literally means natural, or easy, or effortless. Samadhi means a deeper balanced or even state of our consciousness. Samadhi is a natural state beyond waking, sleeping, and dreaming that is an unlimited reservoir of energy, intelligence, and creative power and a place of infinite peace and tranquility. For the practice of Sahaj, you simply sit in a chair or wherever you feel comfortable, with your eyes closed for about 20 minutes, and effortlessly recall your mantra as taught by your teacher.
Scientifically speaking, the other so-called mantra meditations are closed attention types of meditation whereas Sahaj Samadhi Meditation is a self-transcending type of meditation.
How is it different from mindfulness, concentration, or guided meditation?
Unlike guided meditation, Sahaj Samadhi does not require accessories or any guidance once learned. And, generally, it takes you to a much quieter and deeper place as well.
Sahaj Samadhi means “effortless meditation”. It does not require controlling the mind like concentration meditations, nor does it require vigilant observation of thoughts and emotions like mindfulness meditation. Thus, it has been found to be easier and quicker to learn than mindfulness or concentration which require mental effort and take a longer time to master.
Mantra meditation has a unique physiological effect, which distinguishes the practice from other forms. In practices such as mindfulness, the brain experiences an increase in gamma waves, a state associated with heightened awareness. However, in mantra meditation alpha waves wash over the brain, which results in a state of restful alertness and is connected with improved learning ability, higher IQ, higher moral reasoning, and increased neurological efficiency. The result is deep rest and heightened mental capacity.
What makes Sahaj Samadhi Meditation so profound and effective?
This meditation comes from a tradition that is thousands of years old and has been preserved in its purity so that you will have the clearest experience of meditation. It has been passed down by a series of teachers for thousands of years, maintaining its authenticity while becoming much more accessible.
The practice of Sahaj Samadhi Meditation brings the qualities of increased energy, clarity, joy, and deep inner peace into our daily experience.
Commonly reported benefits of Sahaj Samadhi Meditation include:
Mental clarity and creativity
Increased energy and self-awareness
Better physical health
Improved relationships
Greater peace of mind
Release of unwanted impressions (emotional scars)
Let me explain the last benefit in more detail.
In Sanskrit (ancient language from India), there is the word samskara that literally means ‘mental impressions’. The English word ‘scar’ comes from this. Just as a scar is an impression left behind by a wound, a samskara is a scar left behind in the mind. Any intense emotional experiences positive or negative create samskaras. These start accumulating as we grow and some even come from past lives. These create bondage and limit our freedom. The Sahaj Samadhi Meditation helps us to release these impressions from our consciousness and thus allows us to live to our full potentials. The mantra acts as a ‘delete’ or a reset key.
Recent research supports that Sahaj Samadhi Meditation has helped to overcome late-life depression and anxiety in elderly individuals.
What do Sahaj practitioners say?
"I have been practicing Sahaj Samadhi meditation for the past 7 years. The course gave me a personalized mantra that I could use every day to meditate and I was already interested in meditation and learning about the mind and to receive my own mantra was like plugging into actually the most amazing secret in the world of consciousness." ~ Ziazhen Zhang
"I am enjoying the calmness and the peace that comes with Sahaj Samadhi Meditation. ~ Dr. Julia Lewis
“My meditation has really helped me lower my stress and anxiety levels and has given me the ability to laugh even in times of crisis.” ~ Soham, Commercial Real Estate Broker
“After taking the Sahaj Samadhi course, I feel an overall improvement in my energy although I sleep much less than I used to. I’m also more present for the everyday moments of my life and in my relationships with friends and family. I find that I’ve become a lot calmer and less reactive to events that would have bothered me before and have even noticed an increase in my creativity.” ~ Raphael, Branding and Marketing
How can I learn Sahaj Samadhi Meditation?
You can learn this technique either online from your own home or in-person (post-Covid). You can learn more about Sahaj here. You can also find an online course as per your time zone and convenience here.
SKY Breath Meditation and Sahaj Samadhi Meditation: A powerful combo!!!
SKY, another powerful breath-based meditation is also connected with the mantra Sohum that literally means ‘I am that’. SKY and Sahaj complement each other so beautifully enhancing the depth of each. SKY opens the doorway to meditation and Sahaj takes you deep into it. For years, I have been practicing both together.
I would like to invite you to join a free intro session on SKY to know more about it. These free sessions, Beyond Breath, are offered online and in different time zones across the country. You will also get a taste of breathwork and guided meditation.
Lastly, I would like to end this post with a beautiful quote from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who has made these easy techniques of SKY and Sahaj accessible to millions of people around the world: “People search for joy everywhere not knowing that the Self is the source of all joy.”
Godspeed to your journey to unbounded joy and freedom!
Sejal Shah, E-RYT 500 Sri Sri Yoga Teacher, YACEP, C-IAYT, Meditation Teacher, SKY Instructor, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath. She can be followed on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
