After a couple of challenging years of pandemic living, these mantras for healing may help restore mind, body and spirit.
These past two years have been so so difficult. Don’t get me wrong, the pandemic brought some amazing silver linings (huzzah for no more commuting!). But there has been so much yuck lately; on a personal level, within our communities, nations, and globally. Grief, loss, trauma, illness, mental health issues, economic loss, and environmental stress – we all need some healing love right now. It is so hard to know what to do and how to help, especially when all I really want to do is flop on the couch and watch (more) Netflix.
Meditation, sleep, nourishing food, and exercise are all wonderful options. But when I look back, I realize that I’ve always been able to take solace in music. Discovering mantra, that beautiful, powerful combination of prayer and music, has gotten me through some profoundly difficult times in my life. Mantra also grounds me and keeps me whole during the divinely good times.
If, like me, you are hoping to re-center yourself in spirit then perhaps it is time for the healing power of mantra. I’ve combed through my library and my trusted websites to compile this list of mantras specifically intended for healing. I’ve made a playlist on apple music for you to enjoy and chant along with. I’d love any suggestions for songs and mantras to add to that list! Post your ideas in the comments below.
Most of my suggestions below are from Hindu and Buddhist traditions. If you are looking for English-language affirmations, Tanaaz Chubb at Forever Conscious has a beautiful list to try.
Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha
The first mantra for healing is Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha. It translates to “Om and salutations to the divine celestial healer Sri Dhanvantre”. Dhanvantre was a healer in Vedic times, and this mantra invokes his healing energies. Because this mantra does not name a specific request, it is supportive for any type healing. It asks one to be open to healing, however it occurs. This one is very special to me, as it’s the mantra I chanted most days when we were trying to get pregnant.
Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
Om tryambakam yajaamahe
Sugandhim pushthi vardhanam
Urdvaa rukamiva bandhanaat
Mrityor muksheeya maamritaat
I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to stay and study at yoga ashrams in India, Australia and Canada. One of my favourite traditions I learned was the Saturday night chanting of the Mahamrityunjaya mantra. Before we started, we were told to think of some part of ourselves that needed healing, loved ones that needed healing, and part of the planet that needed healing. It was neat to think about all the different people around the world sharing in this special tradition on Saturday nights.
According to Sacred Seed Yoga, “This mantra is considered one of the most potent and powerful of all the ancient Sanskrit mantras. It is used for healing and immunity for our psychic, emotional, mental and pranic (energetic) bodies. Therefore it can give us strength and stamina on all levels as it bestows longevity and can assist us in overcoming diseases.”
The literal meaning of the mantra is as follows:
OM – The absolute reality, the sound of the cosmic universe
We meditate on the three-eyed one (Lord Shiva or the Absolute)
Who permeates and nourishes us with the fragrance (of supreme bliss)
May we be liberated from the disease of ignorance that bounds us and be released from the cycle of birth & death – just as the cucumber is severed from its bondage (the vine to which it is attached)
For a more fulsome of this supreme mantra, I recommend reading the following article at ReSanskrit.
Ra Ma Da Sa
This mantra is practiced in the Kundalini tradition. The 8 sounds (ra, ma, da, sa, sa, say, so, hung) tap into the infinite spirit to bring deep healing. My background isn’t from the Kundalini tradition, so I haven’t studied this mantra in depth. But when I’ve chanted it with a group or along with a recording, I’ve found it to be resonant and powerful. The mantra is translated as follows:
Ra is the energy of the Sun. It energizes and purifies.
Ma is the energy of the moon: receptive, cool, and nurturing.
Da is the energy of Earth: secure and personal. It is the ground of action.
Sa is the impersonal Infinity. The cosmos in all its dimensions; openness, expansiveness and totality is Sa.
Say is the totality of experience and is personal. It is the feeling of a sacred “Thou.” It is the embodiment of Sa.
So is the personal sense of merger and identity.
Hung is the Infinite, vibrating and real. The two qualities together (So and Hung) mean: “I am Thou.”
Bija mantras
The Bija seed mantras – Lam, Vam, Ram, Yam, Ham, U, Om – are the divine sounds that represent each of the chakras. When the seeds are chanted, they vibrationally align the chakras, and allow energy to flow. The benefit of chanting each seed is that they can release stuck energy and tension. They are said to liberate the mind. These can be sung all together, or if you are experiencing stuck energy in any of the chakras, a focused meditation on just one or two of the seed mantras can be helpful.
The Medicine Buddha Mantra
This is aBuddhist mantra “Tayata Om Bekanze Bekanze Maha Bekanze Radza Samudgate Soha” that speaks to releasing not just physical and emotional pain, but the universal pain of suffering.
Tayata: I now invoke
Om: The Universal sound
Bekanze Bekanze: Release the pain of illness
Maha Bekanze: Release the pain and darkness of delusion
Radza Samudgate: To achieve supreme spiritual heights
Soha: I offer this prayer to the Medicine Buddha
I hope you will give these mantras a try. Please let me know in the comments if they provide relief and comfort to you and your loved ones. I’d also love to hear any suggestions for other mantras that you know and love.
*Editor’s Note: The information in this article is intended for your educational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health program.