Meditation chants, originating from Indian yogis, are repeated phrases or mantras used to focus the mind during meditation. Chants can be a single word or sentence and can be repeated verbally or silently. Some chants have spiritual significance and are believed to have physical effects. Chants are used in different ways in various meditation techniques and can be used in group settings.
Meditation chants are phrases or mantras that are repeated during meditation. The purpose of chanting meditation is to help center the mind around a single thought. Often, meditation chants are a single word, but they can also be a complete sentence.
The tradition of using meditation chants began with Indian yogis who used chanting as a gentle way of guiding the mind into a single focus. In modern times, a meditation CD composed of various types of meditation music may also contain one or more meditation songs which contain chants. When choosing meditation chants, many people have found that the chants are also available in digital formats for various personal listening devices.
While meditating, many find meditation chants to be helpful in finding an easy rhythm in which to relax and enter a calm state of being. A chant can be repeated verbally several times during a meditation session or it can be repeated silently. Different meditation techniques apply the use of meditation chants differently with some only using the chants at the beginning of the meditation, while others will use the chants throughout an entire session.
Some meditation chants are believed to have great spiritual significance. For example, repeatedly chanting the word “om” during meditation is believed to be a kind of prayer ritual, as that word is believed to be a sound that is actually God in the Hindu tradition. Repetition of this word is believed to help the mind focus on the deity, as well as having a physical effect in clearing the nose and throat.
Used in multiple meditation techniques, chants or mantras are usually repeated in the same tone each time they are used. While not used in all techniques, practitioners cite that the use of a chant helps introduce a sense of relaxation, and that chants are helpful in stilling the mind by occupying it with a single focus. Some people use a meditation chant in every meditation session, while others use this technique only occasionally.
The idea of using a meditative chant can spark thoughts of a soft, barely audible practice. In reality, however, some chants are recited quite loudly. Many also employ the use of meditation chants in group settings as a way to initiate a unified focus among large groups of meditators. More common to Hindu and Buddhist styles of meditation, people of other spiritual traditions also use chants and mantras. Often, this is the name of a key historical or spiritual figure, or it can be a request for blessings from a particular deity.
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