27 April 2021
OM SHREEM MAHA LAKSHMIYAY NAMAHA
Our focus this week is abundance. Creating it, feeling it, owning it. In our lives as in our practice.
In Hindu tradition, the Goddess Lakshmi is the one to chant to if you want to create a little more abundance in your life ... BUT note, dear readers, that she only bestows it upon those who work hard and pray to her with sincerity, not greed. Quite right too!
For a beautiful version of the chant, and one which we will be using as our template in classes this week, is from Deva Premal, and can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/3MlSuGDMwcQ
So what does the chant mean? Shreem is the seed sound of the principle of abundance. Maha means great, in all ways, not just the physical.
A translation of the mantra is: Salutations to the heart centered and great Lakshmi, may you pour forth your blessings on me.
Mantras are very powerful and effective, serving as a deep inner focus for our heartfelt desires and wishes. Mantras quieten our mind; the word mantra derives from the Sanskrit meaning "a transforming thought", or "something that can carry us across". Simply repeating a mantra helps us shrug off "mind chatter", or what the yogis call chitta vritti, the churnings of the mind. This clears the way for us to access the inner meditative state, where we are no longer slaves to worry or distraction.
As we chant, the mantra also creates a physical and mental vibration, our bodies acting like a tuning fork to transmit that vibration, brining our minds to fuller, purer awareness. If we practice mantra daily, we can achieve a state beyond time and space, bringing us to a place where our body, mind and spirit can relax into pure oneness with all, deep happiness and abundant joy. Look forward to seeing you on the mat.
xCx