Wendy DeMos
Why Chant?
The Power of Chanting & Sound Current
Rooted in the teachings of Kundalini Yoga, chanting mantra is a transformative practice accessible to anyone seeking inner peace, clarity, and joy.
Rather than a traditional performance where the line between artist and audience is fixed, group chanting creates a shared, living experience. Through call-and-response or singing in unison, every voice becomes an essential part of the sound.
When we let go of preconceived notions of right and wrong, our sounds naturally harmonize with the cosmos. The body becomes the instrument, mantra becomes the teacher, and feeling the vibration of the sound current becomes a deeply sacred experience.
What Is a Mantra?
The word mantra comes from "man" (mind) and "tra" (wave or projection). It is the projection of the mind through intentional sound vibration. When chanted repeatedly, these sound waves create a physical vibration throughout the body ... a flow known as the sound current.
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Meaning vs. Sound: While understanding the meaning of a mantra adds rich context, it isn't required to feel its benefits. The resonance and rhythm themselves do the work.
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Clearing the Mind: When my own thoughts get caught on an anxious loop, chanting brings me back to center. It clears invasive noise from the subconscious and grounds me in the present moment.
The Science of Time in Mantra Meditation
According to Kundalini Yoga tradition, the length of time you chant creates specific physiological and subtle shifts within the body:
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3 Minutes: Strengthens the electromagnetic field, circulation, and blood stability.
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7 Minutes: Shifts brainwave patterns and expands the body’s aura.
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11 Minutes: Alters the nervous and glandular systems.
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22 Minutes: Balances the negative, positive, and neutral minds while clearing the subconscious.
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31 Minutes: Balances endocrine secretions and integrates the breath, concentration, and cellular rhythm.
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62 Minutes: Stimulates the frontal lobe, pituitary, and pineal glands, deepening your connection to divine consciousness.
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2.5 Hours: Reconfigures the psyche and aligns the subconscious with the universal mind.
Beyond English, these timeless sacred sounds are chanted around the world:
OM MANI PADME HUM
A Buddhist mantra that is so infinite it can't be described. The closest we can come is "The void of all creation lives in my heart."
NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO
A vow, an expression of determination, to embrace and manifest our Buddha nature. It is a pledge to oneself to never yield to difficulties and to win over one’s suffering. At the same time, it is a vow to help others reveal this law in their own lives and achieve happiness.
AAD GURAY NAMEH
JUGAD GURAY NAMEH,
SAT GURAY NAMEH
SIRI GURU DEVAY NAMEH
This Kundalini Yoga mantra is known as the Mangala Charn Mantra, and is chanted for protection. It surrounds the magnetic field with protective light, and means "I bow to the primal wisdom, I bow to wisdom through the ages, I bow to true wisdom, I bow to the great, unseen wisdom."
AKAAL
This mantra means "Undying, Great death" and is a powerful life-giving chant removing fear and relaxing the mind.
RA MA DA SA, SA SAY SO HUNG
RA MA DA SA is the earth mantra. This part of the mantra pulls the healing vibration into the physical plane. SA SAY SO HUNG is the ether mantra. This part of the mantra resonates with the universal healing frequency.
RA (Sun Energy) MA (Moon Energy) DA (Earth Energy) SA (Infinity) SAY (totality of infinity) SO HUNG (I am Thou)
SAT NAM
This mantra is the Seed Mantra or Bij Mantra and it is the most widely used in the practice of Kundalini Yoga. Sat means the Truth and Nam means to call upon, name or identify. Sat Nam means Truth is my identity and I call upon the eternal Truth that resides in each of us. Chanting this mantra awakens the Soul.
WAHE GURU
This is the mantra of ecstasy. It's like saying AWESOME times a gazillion! Chanting it elevates the spirit.
WAHE GURU, WAHE GURU, WAHE GURU, WAHE JEEO:
"The ecstasy of consciousness is my beloved."