​Are you struggling to find the time to care for yourself and your own spiritual development on a consistent basis?  You know that it would support you and your growth, but can’t seem to figure out where to fit it in?
 
Our lives seem to get very busy, don’t they?  
 
Let me share with you a key that I’ve discovered works for me, and I’m sure will help you. 
 
Take a few moments to think about what you do in a day that’s part of your rhythm and routine.  Your weekdays may be different from your weekend, of course.  That’s okay.
 

                                Maybe daily, you

•                                 - shower
•                                 - brush your teeth
•                                 - get dressed
•                                 - prepare and eat meals
•                                 - wash dishes
•                                 - sleep
•                                 - what else?

 



Maybe a few times a week, you may
  - exercise
  - spend time in nature
  - spend relaxing time with family and/or friends
  - spend time alone
  - have some fun
  - what else?  
​
These pieces come as part of your usual routine and habits.  Were any of the pieces you listed part of your self-care or part of your spiritual practice?  How do you take care of yourself? How do you connect with the Divine on a regular basis?
 
A lot of times we think we don’t have time for this.  It’s extra.  It’s too much of a luxury.  Too many other important things to do. 

​But, if we don’t take care of ourselves and our own well-being, then honestly we’re not able to show up as our best selves to engage in the world with others and share our gifts. 
 
What do you need to do to care for yourself and your spiritual growth?  And how often?  What revitalizes you and brings you into a place of balance?  What feeds your soul and nurtures you? 

 
Whatever that is, the KEY is to make it a part of your rhythm and routine in your life.  How can you do that in a way that sets yourself up for success? 
 
Let’s first look at a few of the things you’d like to include regularly.  Consider these:
 

1. Deep breathing
2. Meditation
3. Prayer
4. Affirmations
5. Visualization
6. Mantra chanting
7. Movement/Exercise
8. Eat healthy foods
9. Be grateful
10. Play and create
11. Be in nature
12. Time to unwind before bed

 
Do you have others that are nourishing for you?  Add them to the list! Now pick the ones you’d like to have in your daily routine and see where they can be added.  Maybe like this:
 

• Morning – deep breathing, mantra chanting, 10 min. movement
• Mid-day – walk or run
• Evening –  be in nature 3 times a week, play and create 3 times a week – ½ hour.  Before bed, be grateful and meditate daily. 

Figure out how it can work for you, with whatever feeds you.  Now make it a priority and schedule it for the time and day you desire. When I say schedule, I mean write it into you calendar! That will help you make it a rhythm and routine – which is the KEY.
 
In the beginning, it may be hard to remember, so set yourself an alarm or write yourself a note.  Stick with it even if it takes a little effort to remember at first. 
 
Once it becomes a habit and part of your routine, it will become so much EASIER.  Give yourself about 4 weeks for this to settle in. 
 
Then, your rhythm becomes your strength, and your strength stems from nourishing and caring for yourself. 
 
Then you are ready to meet the world with vitality, joy, and strength each and every day!
 
Interested in adding mantra chanting into your spiritual practice?  Check out my easy-to-use guidebook and accompanying recordings that are now available, How to Bring Life to Your Chakras: 7 Healing Mantras.  In as little as 10 minutes a day, you can chant mantras to bring balance into your life. 

​Having a special space in your home that is designated as sacred can help you to take a moment to pause during the day and remember the Divine that is within you. This space can be used for prayer, meditation, and reflection. It can also be a place for breathing deeply and chanting mantras. 
 
It’s a special and sacred place just for you.
 
For this work that is for you. 
 
Your health, your growth, your healing. 
 
You want it to warm your heart like a wonderful hug from a loved one. This space is for you. Your healing, your life.
 
Here are a few tips to get you started. 
 
1.  Find the best location in your home.
Look for a space that is quiet, separate from activity in the house. A place that feels comfortable and protected to you. Where you can relax and not be surprised by someone opening a door or walking up behind you. 
 
Not sure where, as space is limited in your home? Be creative. Look for a corner not being used. Add a curtain or a screen to make it more protected.
 
Or maybe there is a bookshelf, windowsill or the top of a dresser you could clear off.  

​Or how about a small stand or wooden box turned upside down and placed in a quiet place?
 
2.  Make it comfortable and nurturing.
 
Take a closer look and see what is around your new space – the items, the color, the lighting. Consider how these will support you or maybe distract you. Make changes, as needed. 
 
Having a nearby chair or a special pillow to sit on just for your sacred space will help you to be able to feel comfortable and to relax within the space.
 
What lighting would you like? A lamp nearby that emits warm light or just the light of a candle? Maybe the natural light that shines in a window nearby? 
 
This is a healing space to nurture you and your body-spirit connection. Be sure it’s a space where you can come to calm and center. Where you can step away from the rest of the world into quiet solitude. 

​3.  Ensoul the space with meaning and beauty. 
 
Look around your home for items to add to your sacred space. They don’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Look for things that are meaningful to you. 
 
Maybe a cloth to bring color to your space? Then some special items placed on it. 
 
Things from the natural world such as a plant, stones, or a feather may be important pieces for grounding and connection. 
 
What else do you want to include? Consider:

• a candle with matches

• a diffuser for essential oils

• a meaningful poem or verse

• a small statue of a god or goddess that is important to you

• a photo of inspiration

                     
Use your senses – what might smell nurturing? Look inviting? Sound relaxing? Feel soothing to touch?
       
Arrange all of your special pieces with beauty in your sacred space. 

​Looking for more ideas of special items? How about these?

• a crystal
• prayer or mala beads
• inspirational or devotional books
• a vision board
• a photo of a spiritual teacher, mentor or beloved ancestor
  
  

Once your sacred space is ready, you can begin using it for deep breathing, meditation, and reflection. You can chant mantras and connect to the Divine within, bringing you a sense of peace and harmony. You’ll find yourself calmer, happier, and ready to enter back into your daily life with ease.
 
Interested in bringing mantra chanting into your spiritual practice more often? Check out my new guidebook and audios How to Bring Life into Your Chakras: 7 Healing Mantras. 

​

You’ve probably heard mantras, possibly in a yoga class or in devotional music.  Maybe ones such as Om Mani Padme Hum or Om Namah Shivaya.

But, what is a mantra exactly?  And how are they beneficial to our health? 

Mantras are the repetition of sacred words or phrases that have a deeper meaning or significance. All of the wisdom traditions have some form of mantra.
​
Mantras can be a way of focusing a sound within ourselves. Sound is a form of vibration and everything within the universe vibrates.  Many wisdom traditions and creation myths share how the universe began with a sound – through speaking or singing.

By continuously repeating a mantra, we can introduce the vibrational frequency of that mantra into ourselves and sustain it for a period of time.  After a little while, you begin to resonate with the vibration of the mantra and also the words.  Since mantras have sacred and deeper meanings, you resonate at the vibrational frequency with the Divine, with healing power, with your Higher Self. 
​
As you come to resonate at the same frequency as the mantra, over time, the mantra gains its own strength and momentum.  At this point, you shift from chanting the mantra to the mantra having an effect upon you.  This is the space in which a mantra can be deeply transformative.  

​Some say that mantras connect us to a universal archetypal energy field far greater than ourselves that reflects the nature and meaning of that mantra.  We then vibrate with a higher level of consciousness that purifies the body and mind. These fields have been strengthened over many, many years by those who have repeated the mantra in the past, and they have tremendous potential for our healing and development. So, it’s important in choosing a mantra that you do so consciously, whether it’s for spiritual practice or healing. 
 
Several mantras are used specifically for their healing properties.  By connecting with the energetic level of the mantra, the area of the body that is holding stress, disease, or illness can experience a release and be filled with positive, healing energies. 
 
Some mantras are specific to chakras, the energy centers in the body.  These help to balance the chakras so that your energies will flow more smoothly and allow you to be your best possible self in the world.  

I’ll share some guidance on how to use a mantra.
 

1. Take a few deep breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth fully. Focus on your breathing and let go of all other thoughts and distractions.
2. Set your intention for doing the mantra. Remind yourself of the meaning and why you chose that mantra.
3. Begin saying the mantra, either aloud or internally.  Some people find it helpful to coordinate the mantra with the breath.  Explore and see what works for you.
4. Stay connected to the meaning of the mantra as you repeat it. You may find that, with repeated practice, you experience the mantra in new and deeper ways and the meaning of it may shift some.
5. If your mantra is associated with a deity, then visualize the deity and the attributes of the deity.
6. If the mantra is specific for healing or balancing a chakra, then place your awareness on that part of your body. You can visualize the associated color, if desired. 
7. Once you have repeated the mantra for a period of time, slowly let the mantra reach a whisper until it finally stops. Experience the silence and peaceful emptiness that resonates within you and touches the primordial wisdom within the universe. 

 
Mantras can be used anytime and anywhere when said internally.  When you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed with your emotions or your thoughts, using a mantra can calm and center you.  Bringing you to a place of groundedness and peace. 
 
Not sure what mantra to choose to get started?  A good place to start is with OM.  Read about this mantra in my post here.  Then explore guided mantra chanting for the 7 chakras in my Free Healing Library.  
 
Ready to dive in and bring this transformative practice into your spiritual practice?  Check out my recently released program, How to Bring Life to Your Chakras: 7 Healing Mantras. 
 
 
 

​I’m sure you’ve heard people chanting the sound OM in a yoga class or in devotional music. Maybe you’ve explored my Free Healing Library and listened to the mantra chanting for the chakras, discovering each one has the sound OM in it. But, how many of us understand and experience how potent this sound truly is? 

​The sound OM is a Sanskrit letter first found in the Vedas, sung in praise of the Divine. It’s one of the primordial seed syllables, or bija, mantras. This mystic syllable that’s considered to represent the primal sound of the Universe is the most sacred mantra in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism.
 
It appears at the beginning and often the end of many Sanskrit mantras.  Such as these two common mantras you may be familiar with:  Om Gam Ganeshaya Namaha and Om Mani Padme Hum. Through its vibrational form created in sounding, OM connects us to the Divine.
 
Further teachings on the sound of OM were shared in the Upanishads, a collection of ancient Hindu sacred texts. The Mandukya Upanishad says,  “OM is the universe… the past, the present, and the future, all that was, all that is, all that will be is OM. Likewise, all else that may exist beyond the bounds of time, that too is OM.” 

OM is the most elemental of vibrations. It’s the sound of the void, the sound of the universe.  OM is also the prime mantra of the Higher Self or Atman. It attunes us to our true nature.
 
When we sound using the power of the breath, we engage our life force in action as the vibrations resound. This action can manifest as the creation of speech, but also as connection with the Divine to manifest our Higher Self.
 


Masaru Emoto, the Japanese scientist who explored the effects of sound on water, demonstrated the power of our intention and speech on matter around us.  Sound healers also use toning and chanting to bring about transformation and healing to the body and mind.  The sound we create is powerful. 

​So, what’s the best way to sound this sacred syllable of OM for the greatest benefit? 
 
OM is sometimes written as AUM to facilitate the sounding of it. It contains three sounds, A (“aaah”), U (“oooh”) and M (“mmm”).  Give them a try now. 
 
For the “aaah” sound, open the mouth and relax the jaw as you create the sound rising up from your belly.  In “oooh,” the lips come a little closer together to create a circular form in the mouth, as the sound moves more to the heart/lung area.  For “mmm,” the lips come together, as the tongue floats within the mouth, creating a vibrating or buzzing sound in the head. Finally, there is silence. This is often considered the 4th syllable of AUM, as the sound ripples out fades into the universe. 
 
Each of the three sounds corresponds to a different aspect of the Divine – as creator, sustainer, and destroyer -- without which nothing exists, everything is sustained, and all things dissolve back into the void. In Hinduism, these are the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
 
According to Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi: “OM or AUM of the Vedas became the sacred word Hum of the Tibetans, Amin of the Moslems, and Amen of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Christians.” The creative potency and transformative power of the sound seem to be shared across many different cultures and religious traditions.

​At the Art as Meditation class of Chanting Wisdom at the Fox Institute For Creation Spirituality in July, David and I will be sharing the native instrument, didgeridoo, in honor of the Indigenous Wisdom Tradition. Have you ever had the pleasure of hearing one?  What a beautiful and soothing sound! 
 
Let me share a little with you about the instrument.
 
The didgeridoo is possibly the world's oldest musical instrument.  It originated within the indigenous peoples of Australia, whose culture is believed to be at least 40,000 years old. 

​The didgeridoo is an instrument that is said to have been first used by the Northern Australian Aboriginals.  Its much like a natural trumpet but it’s straight and without a mouthpiece. There are more than 40 different aboriginal names used for this instrument throughout Australia.
 
It originally was made from a eucalyptus branch that was hollowed out by termites and stripped bare of bark. Nowadays, this method, as well as others, is used to make didgeridoos.
 
Modern didgeridoos are typically made from eucalyptus, bamboo, or agave. The length of wood, thickness, and shape will determine the key of the instrument. Shorter lengths create higher pitches while longer lengths create lower ones.
 
After the termites are removed, as needed, and the bark stripped, a rim of beeswax can be applied to the opening for the mouth to reduce the size of the opening to one that can be easily played.  The wax creates an airtight seal for the mouth, making it more comfortable to play.  Finally, the instrument can be decorated. 

The didgeridoo player works skillfully with the breath along with the mouth and tongue position to create a wide expression of sounds from melancholy to joyful.  The didgeridoo is both a pitched instrument and a percussion instrument and is traditionally played with the accompaniment of clap sticks for ceremonial dances.
 
An Australian Aboriginal legend speaks to the origin of the instrument through story,
 
"At the beginning of time, all was cold and dark. Bur Buk Boon was gathering wood to create a fire in order to bring warmth and light to his family.  He placed a log into the fire when he noticed one was hollow and filled with termites eating away the soft center of the log. As he didn’t want to injure the termites, Bur Buk Boon brought the empty log to his mouth and started to blow. The termites were blown up into the night sky and formed the stars and the Milky Way. And for the first time, the sound of the didgeridoo resounded through the land and blessed Mother Earth, protecting her and all Dreamtime spirits, with its vibrant sound for eternity ..." 


​

​In indigenous Australian culture, the didgeridoo is used in both sacred open ceremonies attended by anyone and in secret ceremonies restricted to specific members of the community.  It’s also played recreationally as musical accompaniment to songs and for sound effects for storytelling.
 
Curious about the didgeridoo?  Join my class on Chanting Wisdom at the FICS in July to learn more.  Register here.