Mantras

Mantra is described in wikipedia as a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language.
I differ a bit on this description. Mainly they're religious but they don't have to and it may be from the Sanskrit or in any other language. There are christian mantras (the rosary is a good example), there are muslim mantras (e.g. 99 names of god) there are a lot of jewish mantras and nearly every culture had mantras.

I use mantras to meditate. It helps me clean my mind to get in a state of relaxation and to find myself after a workday. I recite them very differently, depending on my mood. Sometimes I just whisper them, sometimes I sing them, sometimes I just say them loud. At day-time I recite them in my mind, so that I can stop the thinking for a moment.

If you never recited a mantra you can start reciting "Om mani padme hum". I started with this mantra too. It is a very powerfull mantra and you will soon feel the changes in your body if you recite it regularly.

At the moment I recite the gayatri mantra daily, 21 times in the morning and 108 times in the evening. To support the recitation I use a mala. A mala is a rosary with 108 beads. Every mantra you recite you go on one bead.

The list of mantras is nearly infinit. You can also invent your own mantra. The main thing about reciting a mantra is that you have to feel good doing it. Some mantras may suit you some won't. So it is your decision which mantra to take. Some people get the mantra from their guru, which is a very nice present, but you can make a mantra-meditation without having a guru. It's just about doing it and feeling connected to your higher-self.

Feel free to tell me your experiences or ask me a question.

I look forward my evening meditation and recitation of my mantra.