December 17, 2009

The Mantra by Marianne Giosa

The Mantra

"Just by repeating the Name,
that which cannot be understood
will be understood
Just by repeating the Name,
that which cannot be seen
will be seen " -Janeshwar Maharaj

Mantra is sound, and sound is reverberating everywhere in the universe. When water flows it makes a gurgling sound. That is mantra. When the wind blows though the trees and makes a rustling sound, this is mantra. When we walk upon the earth, our footsteps produce a sound, this is also mantra. Within human beings as well, there is a self-born, indestructible sound which repeats itself constantly, along with our breathing.
Sound has enormous power; it can create an entire universe. In the Upanishads it says that "In the beginning there was sound, which reverberated as Om, and from that sound everything came into existence." In the chapter of Genesis in the Bible it states, "In the Beginning was the Word..."
This sound underlies all matter and is the substratum of everything. Just as it pulsates within all the objects of the universe, it also pulsates within us. That inner pulsation, which we can discover throbbing at the root of the mind, is the true mantra, and is in fact nothing but Kundalini, the divine energy.. From that inner pulsation, through the Matrika Shakti, infinite sound, letters and syllables arise, which give rise to inner and outer worlds" -excerpted from Swami Muktananda's book Where Are You Going?


Wed at 12 and Thursday eve at 8pm

Thursday classes will be held as flow of
pranayama, asana, and contemplation

at PRANA MANDIR Yoga Studio
4 West 43rd Street - Suite 501 - NY, NY 10036
(Between 5th and 6th Avenues)
212.803.5446 www.pranamandir.com

Love, Light, and Sound
Marianne

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love chanting all the mantras Ive learned over the years! When I first heard about yoga about 20 years ago, a friend told me about a teacher and an ashram. I loved visiting the ashram in upstate NY - and they were always chanting! It seemed strange. But, I loved being up there in nature, on the beautiful ashram grounds. Always there was chanting in the morning, at noon and in the evening - and meditation too.

At first, it seemed so strange. I had visited to find out about meditation, but before every meditation there was a chant of one mantra or another. I was raised a Catholic (I keep immense love & respect for my mothers devout religious beliefs, she was my first spiritual teacher) so at first, all these unknown, new and unusual Sanskit language and Hindi word-sounds seemed both strange - and beautiful! Beautiful, because every time we chanted - after the first minutes pasted as I would question myself - why I was chanting? Then I would begin to feel more and more stillness, peace, love and energy in my senses. My mind would be thinking & thoughtful, and then more and more quiet. Then after a while the tempo and energy of the chant would speed up, I would feel more and more alive and extraordinary in my entire senses & Being. Then as the chant swept up into the now slowing tempo of the chant, the whole room would become more and more still, the lights would soften as the formal chant came to an end the drumming ceased, a palpable calm poised in my heart. Now it was time to meditate.

At first, meditation came slowly, as my mind was still busy, excited with thoughts & judgements & ideas, but as I practised both chanting and then meditation, my mind began to cooperate with my yearnings for peace and quiet. Now chanting & meditation - and my avid yoga practise - offer me insights, clarity, peace, poise and power in every area of my life. These daily practices nourish me like food and I ingest them as sacredly as I eat, see the sky, watch the sun and make love. It is Love that has sprung forth in my life, in greater, deeper and more sublime moments than I can share with you. Thank you Mantra for showing up in my Life. Its made my life richer for me and everyone in my Life...Om

February 7, 2010 10:08 AM

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