All of creation, in a single word.

Today I hopped into Facebook land to talk about one of my FAVORITE tools for living a life less stressed:

Mantras.

In the Ayurveda world, we step beyond the I AM Statements and English intention statements
(which in their own right are indeed powerful practices!!)

... and into the ancient tradition of singing to hindu gods and goddesses.

And oh my dear, you can feel the difference.

When words are sung,
it creates resonance between heart and head.
Combining logic with emotion.

Adding feeling to your intentional thought,
... which helps it to become a belief.

So, when we chant a mantra - ARE WE PRAYING TO THE GODS TO HEAL US?

Not exactly.
Much of Ayurvedic, buddhist, hindu, yogic philosophy surrounds the belief that YOU hold the power to HEAL YOURSELF.

Let me explain.

In Today's video I share the mantra to SHIVA,
the God of destruction,
who also happens to be the god of rebirth
... because when something ends, it makes room for something else
(this is a very good thing).

The mantra is:

Om Namo Shivaya Namaha

The first word is OM - a word that symbolizes all of creation (nobigdeal).

When we chant OM,
we are recognizing that we are not disconnected,
but are a part of everything.
Part of the whole.

Namo - this word honors not only the power we hold in ourselves to facilitate great transformation,
but also the power of our community to support us.

Shivaya - our chosen god for this mantra.

When we chant to Shiva, there's something we're "done" with.
A pattern,
a relationship,
a fear of moving forward,
something in our lives that is keeping us out of balance.
We're ready to drop that thing in the name of something better.

Namaha - A salutation to the remover of obstacles (in this case, Shiva).
Not to ask him to remove them,
but to thank him for the reminder of our own power to do so.

Pretty powerful stuff right?

Whether you choose to recite your mantras or intentions in English or Sanskrit,
the point remains the same:

What you REPEAT, becomes what you BELIEVE.

xo.

Heads up Locals!
Next weekend (December 6th) I'm holding a workshop on MALAS + MANTRAS.
If you're in the Kelowna area,
come and learn about the traditions of the 108 bead strand,
and how to use it with your mantra practice.
I'll be teaching about the healing properties of stones,
and many more gods and goddesses of Hindu mythology.

PLUS you get to make 2 mala bracelets to take home <3

Space is limited, Grab your ticket here: https://www.facebook.com/events/452189878988909/