Mantra

Mantra meditation is usually chanted out loud, or under the breath, while using rosary beads or malas. Sometimes it will be done silently within the mind. The idea is to repeat it for anything from one to 108 times.

Some mantras are recommended to do alongside your breath – for example with ‘so hum’, you do the ‘so’ on the inhale, and the ‘hum’ on the exhale.

The repetition is almost always in the form of japa – which means to repeat continuously. The idea is to stay with the mantra the whole way through your meditation.

Mantra meditation can be done solo, or as a group activity  – it’s fair to say that chanting in a group is much more gratifying.

The key difference is that the mantras we use in Beeja meditation have no meaning, allowing your brain to interact with it as a resonance rather than the articulation of a particular principle. Their primary quality is to be tailored to the activation of your nervous system so that they effortlessly transport you into a state of transcendence.

They are also used in a different way, and this is something that is best taught personally. Having a teacher on hand to guide you makes a massive difference to how much you get out of your meditation.

The more regular mantras are there to be used as affirmational tools, or as ways of invoking something. Interestingly, they are way more powerful when the consciousness of the person saying them is advanced. And one of the best ways to advance your state of consciousness is to do a daily practice of Beeja meditation. This is because your state of consciousness becomes more integrated into a more expanded state when you are privy to regular transcendentexperience.

As a helpful summary, we’ve picked out here some of the clearest distinctions between Beeja and other forms of mantra meditation. 

Effectiveness

• In terms of efficacy, whenever any comparative studies have been carried out, Beeja meditation has been shown to be approximately four times more effective at reducing symptoms of psychological conditions and four times as powerful at delivering present moment awareness.

Do it anywhere

• Beeja meditation is much more discrete to practice. You gently repeat the Beeja mantras within the mind and so you can do it on the train, tube, bus, plane and in all sorts of places without anyone realising you’re in a very serene and expansive place. 

Beyond religion

• Beeja meditation transcends all religion. Whereas many of the above mantra meditations (‘aum’ and ‘loving kindness’ aside) feel like they are associated with a set of religious beliefs that may not feel relevant to you.
• There is also an interesting and important caveat that some are only meant to be practiced by monks – the repeated practise of which leads to feelings of detachment, which is not very healthy for people engaged in everyday life.

Please be mindful when choosing and using mantras in a DIY fashion as some are very powerful and may not always be the right fit for you and your lifestyle.