Mantra's are new to me

100877jamie · May 7th, 2011, 15:29

Hi all,
My name is Jamie from Wiltshire(England) and am new to life flow and meditation.

After much research I am about to take the lifeflow option for my personal growth and well being campaign!

One thing is Mantra's

I have practised simple breathing methods before and this has always worked well in times of panic. I got no problem at all in using the mantra and have chosen a 2 syllable mantra (one suggested by Michael Ham-sa)

I find that because its 2 syllables it makes sense to me to combine it with my breathing (e.g Ham breathe out and sa breathe in) However when deeply relaxed it makes the mantra extremely slow. If i tend not to say the Mantra combined with exhale inhale then i tend to rush my breaths to combine it.

This really isn't a major problem for me but I just wanted guidance on the mantra before i went down a wrong path.

kind regards J

pollyanna · May 8th, 2011, 13:02

Hi Jamie and welcome to the community

Here is a link which I'm sure you will find extremely useful:-

Principles of Meditation & Entrainment

Please post any questions you may have after reading the above. I think you have made a great decision with LifeFlow and meditation - it's certainly one of the best decisions I ever made

I wish you an abundance of peace and joy

GilesC · May 9th, 2011, 14:28

Hi Jamie and welcome to the community,

Originally Posted by 100877jamie

Hi all,
I find that because its 2 syllables it makes sense to me to combine it with my breathing (e.g Ham breathe out and sa breathe in) However when deeply relaxed it makes the mantra extremely slow. If i tend not to say the Mantra combined with exhale inhale then i tend to rush my breaths to combine it.

This really isn't a major problem for me but I just wanted guidance on the mantra before i went down a wrong path.

What's happening is that your mind is linking the syllables of the mantra to your breathing. This is keeping a focus of your awareness on your physical being rather than on the mantra itself. Whilst you'll still get some level of meditation from doing this, it will be as effective as just doing a breathing meditation. If you want the meditation to be deeper then you need to practice just putting your awareness on the mantra and let go of the focus of the breathing altogether. It may take practice, especially as the mind is good at finding a 'rythm' and connecting things together, but just stick at it and you'll get there.

Hugs

Giles

100877jamie · May 17th, 2011, 21:25

Hi Polyanna, thank you for your kind welcome and I have read that info and its an extremely useful read thank you.

Giles... Hello to you too! and thank you for your your advice which i will take with me into my next meditation tomorrow.

One really strange thing has happened. I have listened to lifeflow 10 five times now and on my 5th listen i have noticed a new clicking sound which I am sure wasn't there the 1st 4 times i listened! Its really weird because its quite a off putting noise and would of thought i would of noticed this the first 4 times. I have checked my ipod and its fine with all my thousands of songs i have on there. I have listened on 2 sets of head sets and its still there. I have even downloaded the track again because I'm worried that maybe the track has corrupted. Or maybe i just didn't realise this noise was there on the 1st few listens. Its like a rhythmic clicking noise. Can any body confirm this noise is on the track? Dont get me wrong i'm purely worried about a technical error and not some strange phenom!!

kind regards J

GilesC · May 18th, 2011, 14:16

Ooo, I'd have to dig out level 10 again and have a listen, but I don't recall any 'click' in there.

100877jamie · May 19th, 2011, 16:56

problem sorted - its my iPod that's corrupting the track! time for a new ipod!

Bryan555 · May 20th, 2011, 15:36

I guess this goes without saying, but wonderful meditations can happen with, or without, a mantra. I personally have never been comfortable using mantras, though I still try it occasionally. The first technique I learned, long ago, involved both concentration on breath and the "inward" visual focus on the so-called Third Eye -- between and slightly above the eyes.

Probably because that's the first meditation which worked for me, it is still the one that is most comfortable, and productive. That inner "eye" is a lovely purple-white color, sometimes star-shapped, or triangle shaped, or even eye-shaped.

That, together with my breath, is "home" to me. Mantras just seem to get in the way.

My advice, if the mantra is new to you, is to give it a fair shot. But then choose the system which works best for you. Good luck with your new adventure...

100877jamie · May 20th, 2011, 16:14

Hi Brian, thanks for your post. I will stick to the mantra for the time being as i am all for giving methods plenty of time to give them a fair chance. Dont suppose you have a link for some info on your method though just to give it some research?

Bryan555 · May 20th, 2011, 16:51

Um...I'm kind of old, so I learned meditation back in the days before there were "links" to stuff. Truth is, I joined the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) after reading Paramahansa Yogananda's amazing book, "Autobiography of a Yogi".

It was from the SRF that I learned meditation. They probably have a website now. In those days, they mailed out a monthly set of detailed spiritual instructions, to SRF members.

Just checked it out. They do, of course, now have a website. I'm not sure about the rules in this forum, on giving out the web address of other sites. So I won't post it. But it's easy enough to find.

Again, good luck with your mantra...

Anglepen · May 29th, 2011, 16:20

Hi Bryan

Just spent the last 2 hours on the SRF site, some interesting reading and watching from Brother Achalanander, a little too spritual for me, as an Atheist, but some good techniques nontheless.
If I may be so bold, may I ask if you are a spiritual person?