Chant for meditation is commonly done at specific hours, such as those just before and after sunrise, when the world seems very still. However, you may chant for meditation at any time you choose. If you are feeling especially stressed, using chant for meditation may help to calm you and give you that desired sense of peace.

Meditation, the art of clearing the mind of thought, is often accompanied by and focused on a chant, mantra, or song. These foci aid the practitioner of this kind of contemplation in attaining the desired mental state. It is common to repeat a single, simple sound when using this kind of focus to help with reflection.

Many cultures use music to help with rumination. Whether it's a hymn, a tune, or a collection of words which you recite or intone, this meditation aid has been known throughout the world. As with any kind of meditation, the chant used is only there to provide focus. It is not an end in and of itself.

One of the benefits of using chant for meditation that is worth taking under consideration is that it can be practiced anywhere. The grounding influence of the chant allows the meditation practitioner to focus in on the desired feelings of relaxation and to clear the mind of distracting thoughts. Many other kinds of meditation require special objects on which to meditate, or furniture to help achieve the desired physical position. This is not so when it comes to using chant for meditation.

There are two main ways to use chant for meditation. You can either do it alone, or in company with others. In the latter case, everyone needs to agree on the same chant, so that it can be performed in unison. In the former case, you can choose whatever mantra you desire, so long as it helps you achieve a meditative state. It is common, in traditional meditation, for people using chant for meditation to count along on special prayer beads as they chant. These are commonly strung in units of one hundred and eight.

There are many different traditional chants and mantras used by groups around the world. The individual one used by a practitioner of meditation will vary according to their personal beliefs. Chants for meditation of one form or another exist in every religion, and among people who do not hold to any specific religion. This makes it easy to find a chant for meditation that will work for you.

New Meditator

Yoga is a way of life, an art of righteous living or an integrated system for the benefit of the body, mind and inner spirit. This art originated, was perfected and practiced in India thousands of years ago. The references to yoga are available in 'Upanishads' and 'Puranas' composed by Indian Aryans in the
later Vedic and post- Vedic period. The main credit for systematizing yoga goes to Patanjali who wrote 'Yoga Sutra', two thousand Years ago. He described the principles of the full eight fold yogic discipline. He composed the treatise in brief code words known as 'Sutras'. 'Yoga Sutra' is the most important basic
text on Yoga. yoga retreat It is through this basic treatise that the essential message of yoga spread throughout the world.

How to Chant

There are no hard-and-fast rules for chanting. The most wonderful thing about mantra meditation is that one may chant anywhere -- at home, at work, driving in the car, or riding on the bus or subway. And one may chant at any time.
In order to chant one need not equip oneself with expensive props and paraphernalia, learn to stand on one's head, or perform other difficult postures or breathing exercises. The only equipment one needs is a tongue and ears. Everyone already has these. The tongue simply has to vibrate the words, and the ears must hear it. By this simple process alone, one can achieve all perfection.

There are two basic types of chanting. Personal meditation, where one chants alone on beads, is called japa. When one chants in responsive fashion with others, this is called kirtana. Kirtana is usually accompanied by musical instruments and clapping. Both forms of chanting are recommended and beneficial.

To perform the first type of meditation, one needs only a set of japa beads. To meditate with the beads, hold them in your right hand. Hold the first bead with your thumb and middle finger and chant the complete mantra. Then go to the next bead, holding it with the same two fingers, again chanting the entire mantra. Then go on to the next bead and then the next, continuing in this way until you have chanted on all 108 beads and have come to the main or krishna bead.

You have now completed "one round" of chanting. Do not chant on the Krishna bead, but turn the beads around and chant on them in the opposite direction, one after another. Chanting on beads is especially helpful, for it engages the sense of touch in the meditative process and helps you concentrate even more on the sound of the mantra.

You may want to chant japa indoors, but you can chant just as comfortably walking along the beach or hiking in the mountains. Just bring your beads along with you. If you chant sitting down, you should assume a comfortable position (preferably not Iying down or slouching, for there's always the tendency to fall asleep). You can chant as loudly or as softly as you like, but it's important to pronounce the mantra clearly and loudly enough to hear yourself.

The mind may have a tendency to wander off to other matters when you chant, for the mind is flickering and unsteady, always looking for something new and pleasurable to absorb itself in. If your mind wanders (to anything except God and things related to Him), gently bring it back to the transcendental sound vibration. It won't be difficult, because the mind is easily satisfied when absorbed in the divine sound of the mantra (unlike other meditationa practices, where one may be asked to fix his mind on "nothing" or "the void").

One may chant japa at any time, but the Vedic literatures note that certain hours of the day are most auspicious for performing spiritual activities. The early morning hours just before and after sunrise are generally a time of stillness and quietude, excellently suited to contemplative chanting. Many people find it especially helpful to set aside a certain amount of time at the same time each day for chanting.

Start with one or two "rounds" a day, and gradually increase the number until you reach sixteen, the recommended minimum for serious chanters.