By Barbie Levasseur
Chanting has been an integral part of the practice of yoga since the tradition began many hundreds of years ago. This practice is a key component of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion. So much of the kirtan andmantra chants presented in some yoga classes call upon Hindu deities.These chants are inspiring and evocative for those they resonate with, but they may exclude yogis committed to different religions or to non-religion. In the spirit of inclusion, here are five traditional chants that don’t refer to specific deities:
This basic sanskrit mantra simply means “peace,” a uniting ideal that aligns with most philosophies, ideologies, and religious beliefs. It may be chanted as a personal or global intention at the beginning, middle, or end of a yoga class.
Even the most physically-oriented yogis can connect to this chant. It translates to “may all beings be happy and free.” It is a powerful chant to perform at the end of practice when yogis may wish their clear, balanced, blissed-out state upon other beings. They may follow up by setting a concrete intention to go out into the world and share the energy they cultivated in class.
One of the many interpretations of this chant is “the jewel is in the lotus,” which represents a yogi’s path to enlightenment. Much as one could peel back the hundreds of petals of a lotus flower to reach its center, as we peel away the ephemeral layers of our identity (e.g. job titles, gender stereotypes, special skills, etc.), we discover the jewel within: our true self that has no identity. We realize that superficial traits aside, all beings are not only interconnected, we are the same. We are one.
While these seed sounds represent ethereal chakras, which may alienate some yogis, most can get on board to chanting these mantras as a commitment to cultivating the traits each chakra represents. Here’s a summary:
All six seed sounds may be chanted in sequence, or each may be chanted repeatedly in its own right. If you really want to get into the vibrations, MC Yogi does a great beatbox with all these sounds!
Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya
Mrityor-Maa Amritam Gamaya
Appropriate for yogis who can handle some more intricate sanskrit, this intention-directing practice-opener may be interpreted as follows:
Lead me from untruth to truth
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from the fear of death to the knowledge of immortality
There is an implied deity here, but unlike many other chants, this one may be directed to a yogi’s deity of choice. Non-religious yogis may direct this chant to The Universe or even to their own intuition. Even the spiritual concept immortality may accessible to matter-of-fact yogis who consider the legacy they leave behind as a form of existence beyond death.
Try some of these chants out in your next practice. They serve as a powerful way to bring clarity, focus and attention to the present moment.
