![]() ![]() “There are lots of studies that have been done on mantras showing that can reduce stress levels, but yogis say it’s doing much more than that: It’s actually changing your brain’s chemistry,” continues Kaur, who lives in Wilton Center, New Hampshire, and this spring embarks on a U.S. Then it became apparent that it wasn’t just for children-it was for adults as well”). “When we chant these mantras, the vibrations become a reality within our beings and within our experience,” explains Kaur (who, by the way, says Feeling Good Today! was originally intended “to give children positive affirmations. ![]() In contemplative context a mantra is a word, sound, or invocation used to aid concentration for meditation. Far from corny, I now see these, yes, simple phrases-and mantras in general-as quite powerful. Whenever I get up on the wrong side of the bed, a dose of “I am happy, I am good” right-sides my mood it helps me to approach the work day with confidence and anticipation. Ever since, I’ve started most days singing along to Kaur’s mantras. Still, I kept the songs on in the background as I went about making myself breakfast, during my morning yoga practice, and throughout the workday. I am happy, I am good,” she intones on “I Am Happy.” “Feeling good today, I am feeling good today,” she sings on the title track. The ones on her album Feeling Good Today! initially struck me as too simple, too obvious, and, dare I say, hokey. I didn’t “get” Kaur or her mantras right away, though. She wrote that the self-described “peace activist” had her in tears when Kaur surprised her on her birthday with a performance that included the singing of one of Winfrey’s favorite mantras, “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” (translation: “I call upon the Divine Wisdom and bow to this Wisdom”). A few years ago, I sought out the new age-y anthems of American singer/songwriter Snatum Kaur after reading a ringing endorsement from Winfrey. And, this month, a few million of us have practiced daily mantras and “centering thoughts” with the help of Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey’s new 21-day Meditation Experience, “ Manifesting True Success.”Īctually, it was the big O herself who pointed me in the way of my go-to mantras. We find them in pop songs that encourage us to “Let It Go” and get “Happy.” We tape them to our fridges and computers, pin them to our Pinterest boards, InstaQuote them on Instagram. They’ve been around for at least 3,000 years, but mantras are having a mainstream moment. ![]()
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