Gayatri Mantra Practice

If you want to experience profound changes in your life and enjoy true benefits of the Gayatri mantra sadhana, you need to learn how to chant Gayatri mantra correctly. When chanting Gayatri mantras , it actually matters how you chant it, and what kind of tone and intonation you use. With hundreds of recordings and downloads on internet, many people are not aware of this important fact. Listening to any new age type of Gayatri mantra chanting may certainly please your ears, as well as your mind. Howe er, if you want to experience the most profound effects of this wonderful mantra and prayer, you need to chant it in a traditional way, passed on to us by the !rahmin community. "ost of the well#regarded Indian yogi teachers, including $rila %rabhubada &or of those of the lineage of Krishnamacharya &a grand#father of all of current yoga teachers' praise chanting the Gayatri "antra. (or example Sirvatsa Ramaswami includes the chant as part of the pranayama practice ritual, whereas Pattabhi Jois or B.K.S. Iyengar recommend it as part of the daily japa &mantra chanting' practice to help with concentration. )Gayatri is the "other of the *edas and the destroyer of sins. +here is nothing more purifying on the earth, as well as in the hea en than the Gayatri. +he ,apa of Gayatri brings the same fruit as the recitation of all the four *edas together.Swami Sivananda

How To Chant the Gayatri Mantra Basic Rules

Here are a few facts to keep in mind when learning how to chant the Gayatri mantra correctly. /. $it in a comfortable seating position &padmasa, ardha parmasana, siddh0sana, sukhasana etc.' on a mat, supporting your erected spine with a meditation pillow. If you need to change the position during the chanting, you can do that. 1ou can also interrupt the japa practice in case of call of nature. ,ust make sure you wash your hands and your face before returning to Gayatri mantra chanting. 2. Wear clean clothes and ideally ha e a bath before the practice. 3. +raditionally, the Gayatri mantra is chanted on three occasions 4 in the morning &two hours before sunrise', at midday and in the e ening &one hour after sunset'. 5owadays, for many people such schedule does not seem to be a realistic option. +herefore choose one time that fits you most and stick with it during the whole Gayatri mantra practice. If you practice in the morning, face the 6ast, if you opt for e ening chant, you should face the West. 7. hoose a fi!ed time during the day. ,ust like with e ery other type of practice &asanas, meditation etc.', it is much easier for our mind to fine#tune its ibrations, when knowing what is coming up during the day. +he mind simply finds comfort in knowing that e ery morning or e ening it8s time for Gayatri mantra chanting.

9. $tart with the practice of one round of "#$ repetitions &it takes between /:#29 minutes per round depending on how igorous your chanting is. Gradually, you can increase the rounds of chanting up to four. (our rounds are typically maximum of what a Westerner is able to achie e without intense traditional Indian yoga sadhana. ;. +he traditional Hindu yogis8ad ice is to chant the mantra %& times three times per day, rather than /<: times one time. It is howe er up to your best judgement, which will certainly be based on your schedule. !oth ways of chanting bring profound effects. =. +he period of '# days has been widely recogni>ed as an ade?uate period for chanting the Gayatri mantra. @hoose a number of repetitions of Gayatri mantra per day, and do that for the period of 7< days. :. 1ou may want to get a (apa mala &prayer beads', ha ing /<: beads. "ala is often used during the chanting of the mantra in general, and it may help focus easier on the correct number of repetitions. Ase rosary of tulsi or sandalwood beads. B. +here is freedom in disciplineC choosing to do a regular practice frees your mind from wondering what and whether any practice will be done that day. /<. Do not chant the mantra mechanically. It is important to understand the meaning of the Gayatri mantra and chant it with as much feeling and awareness as possible. +his is the most important part of your mental preparation 4 chant the Gayatri mantra with firm faith and de otion, and you will experience full ad antage of the Gayatri mantra practice. //. If your mind wonders too much, you can choose an anchor &a beautiful portray of the Gayatri Goddess' to help you fix it and meditate on it.

12. Eccording to the ancient texts, the food also plays an important role in harmoni>ing
our bodies and minds with the practice. Es such, the food during the Gayatri mantra sadhana &that is during the 7< days of practice' should ha e a sattvic character. In a food pyramid these foods are referred to as lacto# egetarian. @hoose healthy) simple) easily digestible foods, such as egetables, seeds, dried beans, cereals, dairy products, dried fruits, nuts, bread &a oid chilli and spices'. +he Hindu yogis de oted considerable about of time to mantra yoga. Es such, the traditional way of chanting Gayatri mantra is homehow strict. (or a regular Western yogi, who has bills to pay and cannot de ote all his day to yoga practice, the abo e described schedule will do.

Chanting the Gayatri Mantra In Different Ways

If you don8t ha e the option of chanting the Gayatri mantra aloud, or you are ill, you can listen to it, chant it mentally or simply think of it. Listening to a good recording of the Gayatri mantra chant of /<: repetitions is e?ui alent to one round of a mala. +here is power and potency in all these approaches 4 simply choose the practice you are most comfortable with. +he classic Hindu texts contain numerous referrals to ancient sages and yogis among !rahmins who were able to ac?uire a noticeable level of siddhi &psychic powers' by chanting the Gayatri mantra for extended periods of time. It is said that these powers may come with practice of /29,<<< repetitions, which is e?ui alent to /29< rounds of the Gayatri mantra chant. +o ac?uire this amount of repetitions, you8d need to chant the Gayatri mantra for 2 hours daily for approximately ; months.+his extended practice is called a purascharna, and it has tremendous effects on stabili*ing your mind in preparation for higher mental techni?ues &such as meditation and higher chakra practice'. Elthough it does take ?uite a commitment to do this practice e ery day for such a long period, it is well worth the effort.

The Power of 10 Re!etitions

+oes "#$ have any special numerological significance, $eemingly it does. (or centuries, the number /<: has had rele ance in yoga and dharma related spiritual practices, such as Hinduism or !uddhism. +here are many explanations that pro ide significance to the number /<:. Here are a few. +here are 97 letters in the $anskrit alphabet. 6ach has masculine and feminine, $hi a and $hakti. 97 times 2 is /<:. Fn the $hri 1antra &one of the most important yantras', there are there are /<: points that define the yantra as well as the human body. 6ach of the 97 marmas &intersections where three lines intersect' comprises both shi a and shakti ?ualities. 97 times 2 e?uals /<:. It is belie ed that there are a total of /<: energy lines con erging to form the heart chakra &anahata' into our body. Eccording to the edic astrology, there are /2 constellations 4 namshas and B arc segments 4 chandrakalas &chandra is moon, and kalas are the di isions within a whole'. B times /2 e?uals /<:. It is belie ed that Etman, the mirror of !rahman in a human soul goes through /<: stages on its journey. +here are /<: forms of dance in the Indian tradition of !haratanatyam. +here are /<: Apanishads according to the "uktikopanishad. +here is energy around you that is present e erywhere in e erything. !y chanting the Gayatri mantra you recogni>e that you are capable of channeling these energies to unite with them and gain pure intelligence. +hese energies will always be around youC therefore you should attempt to make best use of them. +hat is not to gain personal ad antage, but stimulate your spiritual and personal growth and create a meaningful life.