Podcast Ep. 24 ~ What are Mantras

Welcome to this episode of Big Shakti’s podcast, which discusses what mantras are and what you can expect to gain from practicing mantra-based meditation.

Mantras are far more than simple words that induce states of relaxation, though they do calm the mind and help to balance turbulent emotions. Mantras are powerful sound vibrations and universal psychic forces accessible to anyone willing to study and practice them. Derived from Sanskrit roots meaning "mind" (man) and "liberation/protection" (tra), mantras serve to liberate energy, expand awareness, heal, and enlighten the mind while accessing our limitless creative potential.

Beyond Words: The Science of Sound

Unlike ordinary words, mantras consist of letters and syllables combined through complex esoteric mathematical systems passed down through millennia. These combinations create specific sound vibrations that induce elevated states of consciousness. Mantras work similarly to music, affecting our thoughts, emotions, and entire state of being through energetic vibrations that penetrate deep into our psyche.

The mantra system operates through two complementary aspects: name (mantra) and form (yantra). The sound itself liberates energy trapped in limiting mental patterns, while the corresponding visual symbol or image concentrates awareness and awakens psychic power. This dual approach helps practitioners break free from conditioning and expand their understanding of reality.

Psychological Applications

From a psychological perspective, mantras function as sophisticated mind tools that break destructive thinking patterns. They work like gentle mental massages, spreading sound vibrations throughout the mind and enabling access to profound, joyful aspects of ourselves usually hidden beneath constant mental chatter. This process releases energy from neurotic patterns, redirecting it toward healing, creativity, and a higher level of consciousness.

Mantras operate by balancing the three fundamental forces of nature (gunas): tamas (darkness/inertia), rajas (restless desire), and sattwa (luminous clarity). Being primarily sattwic in nature, mantras stimulate awareness of mental processes while expanding positive energy, balance, and inner joy. They can calm anxiety, energize depression, heal trauma, and influence entire personality patterns.

Spiritual Practice and Development

Within the yoga system, mantra yoga serves as an intermediary stage between physical preparation (Hatha yoga) and advanced consciousness practices (Laya and Raja yoga). Different personality types—active (karma), devotional (bhakti), intellectual (jnana), or mystical (raja)—approach mantras according to their temperament, using them either as religious tools or purely psychological instruments.

Two primary meditation techniques exist: japa (repetitive chanting) and ajapa japa (mantras synchronized with the breath). The most powerful mantras include AUM (the fundamental cosmic sound) and HAMSA (the natural breath mantra). Through consistent practice, these sounds eventually repeat spontaneously, creating continuous inner vibration that stimulates bliss, self-knowledge, and spiritual awakening.

Universal Wisdom

While India's ancient sages developed mantra science to an extraordinary sophistication over thousands of years, mantras themselves are universal forces that exist in all cultures and psyches. They represent proto-thoughts and primal energies vibrating in our unconscious depths, which have been discovered by mystics during deep meditation and made accessible through the Sanskrit language.

Mantras should be understood as pure sound vibrations rather than religious tools, though they can serve both scientific and spiritual purposes. They function as building blocks of consciousness itself, capable of transforming practitioners at personal levels (releasing trapped mental energy) and transcendent levels (awakening knowledge of the highest Self).

This ancient science offers profound pathways for healing, psychological growth, and spiritual evolution, providing practical tools for anyone seeking to understand and transform the deeper dimensions of mind and consciousness.

This episode

This episode on Mantras introduces the fourth workshop in our comprehensive Yoga of Mental Health Workshop Series, a four-part exploration that integrates ancient yogic wisdom with modern psychological insights. Each workshop includes teaching lectures, guided meditations, and interactive Q&A sessions and comes with a CPE certificate upon completion. All participants receive 24/7 online access to recordings and resources after each live event.

Begin your journey from darkness to light, from unconsciousness to self-awareness, and discover the extraordinary healing potential that has always existed within you.