Yoga basics & beyond | october 2016

Your H(OM)e Practice

Mantras as discussed in the Yoga Sutras is a "sound formula used for meditation." A mantra can be a sacred word or phrase of great significance and power. Sri Swami Sivananda calls a mantra "divinity encased within a sound-structure." This month our home practice will focus on one mantra that is a powerful tool representing the light found within the power of the sun and in the universality divinity of the individual. This mantra dates back to the Vedic Period and found in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishads text. This vedic mantra is chanted to guide us on the path of enlightenment. It is used before meditation, yoga practice, or any spiritual undertaking. It is best used in the morning, shortly after awakening.

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Sanskrit

Asato ma sad gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrtyorma amritam gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Sanskrit Phonetic pronunciation

Asah-tow-mah sad gah-mah-yah
Tah-mah-so mah jyo-teer gah-mah-yah
Mrit-your-mah amrit-ahm gah-mah-yah
God Peace, Peace, Peace

English translation

Lead me from the Unreal to the Real (through knowledge)
From Darkness (or ignorance) to light (knowledge)
From Death (limitations) to Immortality (liberation)