In 1990, I attended my very first yoga retreat.
It began with the assistant passing out sheets that contained this mantra:
Om saha nāvavatu saha nau bhunaktu
Saha vīryam karavāvahai
Tejasvināvadhītamastu mā vidviśāvahai
Though I had studied Hebrew, Latin, and Spanish, it wasn’t until I was introduced to Sanskrit in that moment, that I felt at home in another language besides English.
The words just flowed off my tongue and I experienced a knowing, peace, familiarity, and ease that I had never felt before.
To this day, Sanskrit mantras have been a pillar in my spiritual practice and have afforded me the opportunity to find balance and equanimity as I traverse all of life’s challenges.
The mantra above has stayed with me through thick and thin. I still use it as my invocation whenever I teach. It always brings me into sacred space, and sets the perfect loving tone. Here’s what it means:
May the Divine protect us and grant us appreciation of all actions. May we be granted strength to work together. May our studies be thorough and faithful. May all disagreement cease.
So, after teaching my Practical Mantra course for many rounds, I felt inspired to also teach mantras like this one… a little longer, deeper, and ones that serve as an anchor for peace and healing no matter what the current times bring forward.
These mantras are actually prayers, and are used with personal, collective and universal intentions. Chanting them creates a loving, calming and peaceful aura that is always present and palpable. They simply never fail!
I compiled a list of all these prayers that I had learned and practiced, and chose my very favorites to include in my new online course called Purposeful Prayers.
I am super excited to share the first version of the course, and invite you to join us for 6 consecutive Tuesday evenings from 7:30pm to 9pm EST, beginning on May 10th.
Click HERE for registration and more details about Purposeful Prayers.
with much Love, Music and Mantras!
David