Mantras are a set of sounds, syllables, words or sentences that can be chanted to change the way you feel. Some are used to empower yourself, the most common being psyching yourself up for something you are going to do, chanting in the mirror ‘I can do this, I can do this’. But they can be used in all sorts of ways, to calm yourself down, to get ready for something you are nervous about and much more. When linked with pranayama or relaxation they can be very useful.

This can be a very powerful tool with teenagers, although they may resist doing them at first for fear of feeling silly (a big driving force in the teen years!), refusing to join in in front of peers. Even if what we do is give them the tools to practice at home then we are having a positive impact.

Mantras can be linked with the mudras, such as the Kali Mudra being linked with the mantra ‘sat nam’ which means ‘my name is Truth’.

The most commonly known mantra is Om, which can be used alongside the mudra Gyan to aid meditation.

Each Chakra has its own mantra:

• “LAM”- chakra 1 (root)
• “VAM”- chakra 2 (sacral/navel)
• “RAM”- chakra 3 (solar plexus)
• “YAM”- chakra 4 (heart)
• “HAM”- chakra 5 (throat)
• “OM”- chakra 6 (third eye/brow)
• “OM”- chakra 7 (crown)

You can hear them on this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELXAiHrZAt0

A good way to introduce the use of mantras is to link them to pranayama and to talk about what they can feel and identify the vibration, and how it makes them feel afterwards.

You can also use simple phrases as positive affirmations as mentioned above such as ‘I can do it’, ‘I am in charge of my feelings’, ‘I am choosing to have a good day’, ‘I will not compare myself to strangers on the internet’.’I am proud of myself’.