I have been doing a lot of mantra meditations recently, feeling a deep need to be grounded, comforted, guided. Repeating root Sanskrit sounds signals the central nervous system, sending electronic messages throughout the body. The experience is powerful and transformative.
This week, I am focusing on the Sanskrit "So Hum" which translates "I am" or "I am that." I began this focus as a gift for a loved one. I was challenged with being judgmental and upset around them, and I didn't want to approach them from that negative space. This mantra came to me in my morning yoga practice, and my heart overflowed with compassion. I was able to move away from that negative space and authentically come from a place of love.
I continued sharing this mantra with my students, as a guide for self-love and self-empowerment. So much of the outside world takes us away from who we truly are. We get belittled, ignored or shamed simply for being ourselves. We learn to hide our truth until we don't even see it. It takes our deliberate, loving attention back to ourselves to heal what has been broken. When our focus is rooted within, the outside world becomes just noise. It no longer dictates our self worth.
We affect each other in ways that may be too subtle to acknowledge. Some of us are more sensitive to these energetic transactions. Many times I have been accused of being overly-sensitive. Through my yoga and meditation practice, I have come to value my sensitivity. It has alerted me when relationships or situations are not appropriate. I pick up all these little signs from the universe that I'm not alone; a white feather floating in the air, the perfect song randomly comes on, a phone call from a friend that I was just thinking about. I am overjoyed to notice these things!
I sit on a folded blanket on my yoga mat. I inhale "sooooo" I exhale "hummmmmm." My breath grows longer and deeper. I am calm and buzzing at the same time. I am here. I am connected. I am loving. I am powerful. I am a child of God. I am that I am. I resume my natural breath. I sit in quiet. I bow my head in gratitude.
