Recalling the majestic … Mt. Shasta…

My apologies. I said tomorrow night is New Moon at tonight’s class. Like one of those people with a jet lag, I was a bit off – New Moon evening is TONIGHT (or more like tomorrow morning) not tomorrow night! I was looking at my Japanese lunar calendar but realizing now that Japan’s time zone is almost a day ahead (i.e., 18 hours to be exact) so it’s tonight. No worries though, even if you set your intention tomorrow night, I learned that it’s better within 24 hours AFTER rather than before – doing something like setting an intention before its time is apparently too desperate. It is the law of Universe that if you chase too much, if are too needy and grasping and attached to the idea of getting and possessing, you will not catch “it”, hold “it” or realize “it”.

Key words for New Moon is … seeds, detox, fresh new start, ending and a beginning, a new beginning in the cycle, intuition.

Great time to review a Bija mantra – or what’s known as seed mantras.

First of all for some of us – What is a Mantra anyway? A sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered “transformative”. The Sanskrit word mantra consists of the root ‘man’- “to think” (also in manas “mind”) and the suffix, ‘tra’ meaning “instruments” or “tools” … So a literal translation would be “instrument of thought” encapsulated into a phonetic phrase or sounds.

Then, what is “Bija” Mantra? Bija means seed. A seed is the origin of life where growth is founded on. “The Bija mantras are one-syllable seed sounds that, when said aloud, activate the energy of growth in the chakras. That sound travels to purify the mind & body. When bija mantras are used, you resonate with the energy of the associated chakra that Bija strums. Bija mantra, strikes a chord of that specific chakra region.

What is a chakra? In Sanskrit, chakra translates into “wheel”. These “wheels” can be thought of as vortexes that both receive & radiate energy. There are 7 major energy centers (aka chakras) in the human body. They run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Mind and body balance & mental clarity is determined by how open or unobstructed chakras are to let the flow of prana travel, filtering the energy, nourishing the body and mind – prana flow. Just like “energy” cannot be seen, chakras cannot be seen – its in the astral body energy flows (or the case may be, stagnates or dissipates).

In traditional Hatha Yoga, the 7 bija mantras associated with the chakras are:

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

Chanting or recitation of the bija mantra associated with each energy storehouse can allow you to detox the built up impurities that may be blocking the clear flow of prana. There are methods in chakra cleansing which greatly improves your meditation practice. Combining body scan, visualizing the kundalini rising up the spine, stopping at each chakra… reciting bija mantras… is an exquisite cleansing practice when we are in the darkness of a New Moon. Start the practice with intention setting. Try it – or we can try in our class as done of group, energy felt is…something else.

Happy New Moon… May all your intentions, allow you to sow the seeds of hope and affirmations. All it takes for the seeds to grow and sprout is… FAITH:)