The Beauty of Chanting

There's more to be found than inner peace.

I recently added a chanting class to my services here at Sun Salutations. This is not a plug for that class, but I want to share with you the experience I had just now. The class is at 4 pm Monday through Friday, and so far, no one has signed up for it. But I still hold the chanting session anyway, for myself. I trust the Universe will bring people in when they are ready for it and it is time.

Today I chanted "Aham Prema," which means "I am love." I made a comfortable seat, burned some palo santo, and asked God to bless my chanting session, to help me be present, stay focused, and be in the experience. The last few times I did this practice, I used mala beads to chant 108 times, but I found that to be a distraction. So this time, I set a gentle timer for 20 minutes. And into it I go... inhale... chant on the long exhale, at the tone that feels right to me. After 10 minutes of chanting, I was in it. With my eyes closed, I saw swirling colors, mostly purple and white. I felt the vibration in my body as I chanted. Keeping my spine erect the entire time, I began with my hands at heart center, eyes closed. But as time progressed, I felt inclined to move my hands, so I did. I firmly believe that we should always follow our intuition—we know so much more than we give ourselves credit for. My prayer hands came up to my forehead for a bit, then a bit higher, then back to my forehead, and then back to heart center. They came to my knees, palms up and open to receive from the Universe. They found a mudra. Then back up to heart center. The colors, the vibrations, the freedom to follow where my hands wanted to go without fear of judgment for making sound or moving strangely, was wonderful.

When the time was up, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. I gave thanks to my heavenly Father, to Mother Earth, and to my body, taking my hands and head to the floor in gratitude, then wrapping myself in a hug for a moment. I felt joy. It was a beautiful experience.

I understand that much of the Western world is closed off to something as unfamiliar as chanting. But it can be life-changing, it can be beautiful, it can be freeing. Imagine all the beauty we can experience in this crazy world if we open our minds.