How Mantras Can Change Your Life

In my life journey I have dealt with a lot of anxiety and depression. I'm grateful for the resources that I've found along the way that helped get through the challenges, such as therapy and reading motivational books. However. it takes time, dedication and going through the pain. Unfortunately feeling the pain and taking a close look at ourselves can be very challenging. It was challenging for me, because I've had to deal with abandonment issues, growing up in a home where addiction and domestic violence were present. As I got older my body couldn't keep up with those negative feelings that were coming from my childhood memories and patterns. My mind would go back to my child like self but my body was tired of the racing heart beats, the rapid breathing, and the knots in my stomach that comes with anxiety. Also my body was tired of feeling fatigue due to depression. I may have not picked up the drug addictions that I witness as a child but my stimulant was anxiety and my downer was depression. Even if we don't want to realize it stress can be addicting and that has been my drug of choice. I let my thoughts take over and the adrenaline rush that comes with it. I feel it gives me a purpose and it also distracts me from dealing with the big issues. I don't normally share my childhood experiences because I've spent a lot of my life secretly dealing with them but I have reached a point in my life that I've accepted them, learned and now I hope to help others.

As I grew older dealing with my childhood issues was important and I needed tools to help me find peace. What has helped me find meaning to all of this was finding my higher power, as I know Him. Also quick phrases that helped me get a positive prospective of life and understanding of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Quotes I used as mantras to keep focus on my goals and help me get meaning when I asked, why me? These mantras helped me get out of the victim role and become a victor.

When you're mind is cloudy and your foundation is crooked then your environment will be unstable which will throws you off balance in everything you do. When your mind is following your external world then it's hard to see the truth. The outer world can be crazy, busy & chaotic. If our minds are aligned with chaos than how will we have inner peace. Places, people, weather and problems will affect us if we let them. We need to rely on our inner guide to keep us balance. Let it begin with me, is a great mantra to remind us that we need to be at peace in order for our lives to follow. If your minds is calm and peaceful them your external will also and you'll be balanced. External can be people and we can't always depend solely on others because they also have their own challenges, childhood issues, addictions and etc. Sometimes people will be there for us and we'll be there for them but we're the only one who can be there for ourselves always. I feel mantras can help you be there for you because they keep you focused on your inner being. Mantras brought me back to me, they reminded me that I needed to take care of myself and I depend on me. When I started reading mantras and mediating, a new world opened up, a world where I can be me. I learned to be a loving source to my inner child. Before when I didn't get what I wanted or things didn't work out, I would immediately feel pain because I was already letting myself down. Mantras were a way to nourish my soul, love myself and being there for me.

Mantras are words or phrases, even quotes you can repeat to yourself as affirmations or during meditations. Words that seem to speak to you therefore you can instill them in your subconscious so you can make positive changes in your life. You can use anything as a mantra as long as it's meaningful to you and positive.

Here is a definition of mantra from Deepak Chopra:

"The word mantra has two parts: man, which is the root of the Sanskrit word for mind; and tra, which is the root of the word instrument. A mantra is therefore an instrument of the mind, a powerful sound or vibration that you can use to enter a deep state of meditation."

Mantras come in different varieties of words and sounds. Depending on how you mediate, which words you want to focus on and what you want to manifest into your life. For me, mantras are directions towards your spiritual goals and growth. They're no wrongs or rights to how to use mantras, what matters is that you use them often, especially when you mediate.

I feel quick phrases that catches your interest. Words the speak to your soul and boost your energy are great to focus on. When ever you read a phrase write them down, copy them and framed them. I personally do that, when I find quotes that touches me in a unique way, I save them and make them my mantra. I hang them up around my home and keep them in view level, so they can be a focal point.

Also when you meditate, use them, say them quietly to yourself and stay focused on the meaning. Even if your mind wonders off, it's fine, just use the mantra to gently bring you back to your meditation. Our minds are still sponges just like children's, we can use quotes and phrases as mantras to reshape our thinking and guide our lives.

Here Deepak Chopra has a list on how to mediate using mantras in his 21 Days Of Mediation, which he collaborates with Oprah Winfrey. https://chopracentermeditation.com

Now several days into the teachings and meditation practice, you may find yourself wondering, what is a mantra? These Sanskrit syllables are carefully chosen to work with and empower the teaching of the day. As we silently repeat the mantra during meditation, a few things happen:

• We quiet our mind — Repetition of the mantra helps us to disconnect from our thoughts, allowing access to the meditative state where all distractions and worries drop away.
• We access deeper awareness — Through the resonance of the mantra, a mental vibration is created that allows the mind to experience pure awareness.
• We discover our true nature — With daily use during meditation, the mantra is a tool that helps the body, mind, and spirit relax into their true essence — pure potentiality and happiness.

If you answered the above question No, it's ok you can now find some mantras and begin to use them. We all start somewhere and it's never too late to start being mentally and spiritually healthy. If you say Yes, then good job and keep using mantras as one of your tools towards your healing process.

Mantras are the key to finding inner peace and spilling over to our outer lives. Once we achieve inner peace, our external will also be peaceful. Mantras can take you there and help you reach your spiritual goals. For me, mantras have changed my life and still is today. Finding inner peace is a lifelong practice that requires consistency and dedication. Furthermore, the more your practice the more progress you make. I am prove that it works and you can also benefit from it one word at a time.