Mantra Yoga
written by Dr. Joshua David Stone
Mantra Yoga finds union with God through the proper use of speech and sound. It is the power of the word to create or destroy that Mantra Yoga emphasizes. It utilizes the focus intent to make every word you speak be in harmony with God and with your own soul.
Mantra Yoga also uses mantras as an indispensable part of the practice. In the East, the Mantra Yogi usually uses Aum, So Ham, Om Namah Shivaya, or Hram, Hrim as his favorite mantra. The most important mantra is the syllable Aum. It is considered the greatest of all mantras. After that, there is the Gayatry Mantra, which is considered the mantra of the eternal wisdom of the Vedas.
Rhythmic repetition of a mantra called japa, which is why this type of yoga has also been called Japa Yoga. [...] Most spiritual teachers in the East and West integrate some from of Mantra Yoga into their teachings.
The practice of Mantra Yoga requires constant vigilance over every thought you think and every word you speak, for every word you speak in your daily life, in truth, is a mantra and a word of power. There are different kinds of japa:
Daily japa, which is usually done in the morning and evening;
Circumstantial japa, which is usually done on festival days;
Japa that is done for some specific desired goals;
Forbidden japa, which is done without discipline and with wrong pronunciation.
Japa that is done for penance.
Moving japa, which is done through the day and which is what Sai Baba has recommended.
Voice japa, which is done out loud for others to hear, if appropriate;
Whispered japa;
Bee japa, in which the mantra is murmured so it sounds like the hum of a bee - the lips and tongue do not move and the eyes are usually closed;
Mental japa, which is done solely in the mind and is an indispensable method to use in your daily life;
The uninterrupted japa, which is for those who have renounced the world. Japa is done continously; when tired; the yogi meditates, and when tried of meditating, he goes back to japa. When tired of both, he things of the Supreme Self;
Japa that is done with beads or a rosary. (Many western religions knows this way very well)
There are sixteen steps in Mantra Yoga:
Devotion;
Purity;
Posture;
Observance of the calendar which is based on the astrological understanding and which defines celebrations, fasts, and so on;
The ways of conduct;
Concentration;
The search for the inner divine countries. These inner countries are considered the abodes of deities, masters, and gurus on the inner plane;
Breath control;
Gesture;
Water offering;
Ritual sacrifice (fruit);
Ritual worship, which usually utilizes scents, flowers, incense, a lamp, and food of some kind;
Repetition of mantras, words of power, and names of God;
Contemplation
Identification (samadhi), which is achieved when the meaning of the mantra has been realized and the mind dissolves into the deity of the mantra. There becomes no separation between the seeker and that which is sougth. With identification, the seeker has achieved his goal.
Dr. Joshua David Stone
Dr. Stone has a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology and is a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor. He is the founder and director of The Melchizedek Synthesis Light Academy. Dr. Stone is a leading spokesperson for the Planetary Ascension movement and has written a 20 volume Easy-To-Read Encyclopedia of the Spritual Path. He has written some of the most cutting edge books ever written in the field of Ascended Master teachings and spiritual psychology. He is overlighted in his work by the inner plane Ascended Masters, a few of which are: Lord Melchizedek, the Mahatma, Metatron, Djwhal Khul, Sananda, Kuthumi, Lord Maitreya, Lord Buddha, Sai Baba, The Divine Mother, Quan Yin, Mother Mary and Archangel Michael.
