New Year chanting with Veda Studies

Shantala is such a fabulous Sanskrit teacher that I am very happy to share this opportunity with you to take a complimentary New Year’s chanting class, or 2, with her this week.

New year’s eve chanting:

Join Shantala & myself to learn and chant the Medhā Dakṣiṇāmūrti mūla mantra 108 times to end this year 2021! 

An incarnation of Lord Śiva, Dakṣiṇāmūrti is considered the divine and ultimate Guru. We seek “medhā” – power of retention & “prajñā” – insight, through this powerful mantra.

New year’s day chanting:

Gāyatrī mantra japa – learn and chanting the Gāyatrī mantra 108 times to start the new year with clarity! One sign up for both classes possible here.

Free yoga classes ! Open door day at Sampoorna Yoga Studio on 14 September 2014

Come and join us next Sunday 14 September to kick off the new healthy, happy Yoga season: Open Door Day !

The doors will be open 11:00-18:00 and there will be:

FREE yoga classes for adults (60 minutes) at 12:00, 13:30, 15:00 & 16:00.

FREE Children’s yoga (60 minutes) at 13:30.

FREE Mantra Chanting (45 minutes) at 15:00

There will be special offers on yoga passes and products: buy 10 lessons, get 5 free & on all products in our shop you get a 10% discount. It’s the perfect time to buy a (new) yogamat.

We will prepare delicious sattvic (vegetarian & vegan) snacks and herbal tea.

No pre-registration required, just come along and meet the teachers and other yogins !

Location: Sampoorna Yoga Studio,  Hopstraat 40 Rue du Houblon, 1000 Brussels.

More info on the website.

Mantra of the day: Ganesha Mantra

My mantra of yesterday was the very powerful Ganesha mantra: “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha”, which can be loosely translated (according to MindBodyGreen) to “Yo! Wake up Root Chakra energy of transformation so I can move through any obstacles in my life.”

Ganapati is another name for Ganesha, who is symbolized as an elephant-headed god, representing power and fortitude. He is the remover of obstacles and bestower of success.

Chant this mantra for as long as you need whenever you feel the need to take away obstacles from your life, from your mind. Sit somewhere quiet in your favorite meditation pose, close your eyes start chanting. You’ll feel the effect immediately. It’s calming, reassuring and brings about a sense of relief and strength.

Chant this mantra 108 times.

The number 108 has many meanings, including the following:

• It is the hyperfactorial of 3 since it is of the form 1^1 * 2^2 * 3^3.
• The interior angles of a regular pentagon measure 108 degrees each.
• Hindu deities have 108 names. Recital of these names, often accompanied by counting of 108-beaded Mala, is considered sacred and often done during religious ceremonies. The recital is called namajapa.
• Shiva’s Nataraja dances his cosmic dance in 108 poses.
• In the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna dances with 108 Gopis.
• In Hindu Astrology there are 12 Rashis or Zodiacs and 9 Planets or Navagrahas. 12 X 9 = 108. This symbolism is illustrated well by the counting method, where the finger segments of the right hand represent the Rashis and those on the left hand the Navagrahas.
• Also in Hindu Astrology there are 27 Lunar mansions or Nakshatras which are divided in 4 Padas or quarters each. 27 X 4 = 108.
• 108 signifies the wholeness of the divinity, perfect totality.
• The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.

Sources: Meditation & Mantras, MindBodyGreen, Western-Hindu.

Om Trayambakam mantra

At the end of each Sivananda yoga class, we chant the mantra ‘Om Trayambakam‘, the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (Sanskrit: महामृत्युंजय मंत्र ).

It’s a mantra for peace and life-giving. The mantra blesses the students and the teacher and protects them to return home safely as it wards off deaths and accidents. It’s a Siva mantra and should be repeated 3, 9, 27 or 108 times, especially on your birthday. This will bestow health, long life, liberation and prosperity on you.

Significance (source: Wikipedia)

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is the great mantra for conquering death for it protects against all threats and at the time of death eases the process of release. It is one of the more potent of the ancient mantras, a call for enlightenment and a practice of purifying the karmas of the soul at a deep level. It is beneficial for mental, emotional and physical health. It is also a moksha mantra which bestows longevity and immortality.