A phrase repeated for inspiration and to bring us change is an affirmation. A word or phrase that we repeat in meditation for its vibratory properties is a mantra. They are similar, but a world apart. Each can help us grow, center and deepen. Let’s take a look at them both.
When I was in college, I took a course in Transcendental Meditation (TM). It involved silently repeating a mantra given to me by my instructor for 20 minutes, twice a day. You could do it anywhere. I found TM to be quite effective. I felt great – happier and more creative – and enjoyed a much improved experience of the world, including myself. What happens with mantra meditation involves a few things. First, the mantra is holding space in your brain so you don’t have the availability of all your thoughts that normally bombard you and keep you from settling into the concentration of a meditative state. When we chant mantras, the mind is said to release positive energy that results in a decrease of the negative thoughts and stress that are present. For that reason, mantra meditation is often experienced as pleasant and peaceful. Perhaps of most importance, meditation is a vehicle for awakening and using a mantra is one way of doing it.
There is a difference of opinion regarding what a mantra is and what it is not. In recent times, Western lay meditators have been encouraged to use “mantras” that convey positive things, such as “One” or “Peace.” Using words like that is helpful, but those words don’t do it all. A mantra with full power comes from teachers who had profound knowledge of meditation; it has a positive vibration to it. One such mantra is Om, which is said to be the sound of the universe. In a study of the effects of meditating with Om, scientists discovered that chanting Om resulted in increased mental awareness and decreased heart rate. It was also found to decrease depression and anxiety. Moreover, mantra meditation has been shown to increase the ability to concentrate and to focus attention when engaged in a single task. Mantra meditation works as all meditation works: Do it regularly and it will continue to provide you with many benefits, all validated by decades of empirical research.
When we recite affirmations to ourselves, we are trying to affect a change through repetition. We use them to change. Less in the “spiritual” camp and more in “self help,” affirmations are meant to get us out of our dysfunctional thinking patterns and to change our relationships with ourselves. They point us in healthier directions with respect to how we treat ourselves, (“I am enough!”) how we feel, (“I am peaceful and calm”) or how we regard the future. The goal is to make us happier, less anxious and fearful, and more accepting of life’s inevitable conditions. According to recent studies on the effects of affirmations, they increase brain activity and neuroplasticity (developing untapped areas of the brain). Repeating affirmations also increases self-esteem and reduces stress, as well as prejudice and stereotyping.
Fortunately, we do not have to choose; we can utilize both. With mantras and affirmations, our higher selves generate a process of increased refinement and clarity through concentration and attention; the result is an improvement in our whole selves, like sugar sweetening an entire cup of coffee. Personally, I find myself doing mantra meditation on the mat and practicing affirmations as I move through my daily life. I heartily recommend both!
