Japa

Published on December 3, 2008

Yoga Sutra 28, Book One: JAPA

To repeat it with reflection upon its meaning is an aid.

Be Brave–7 little letters to live by by PatchOfSky

“Here we come to the practice of japa. It is a very powerful technique, and, at the same time, the easiest, simplest and the best. Almost every religion advocates the repetition of God’s name because all the prophets, sages, and saints experienced and understood its greatness, glory and power.

…We say it is the easiest because you need not go to a particular place nor have a particular time for it. It is not somewhere outside you, but always within. Wherever you are, your mantram is with you. To worship a form you have to have a picture or image and a place to keep it. But in mantra practice it is always in your heart, the most sacred place, because it is your beloved. And that’s why your mantram is to be kept sacred and secret. You don’t even reveal it to others, lest you lose the reverence for it.”

—from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Pack of 25 Trust Cards by jenlemen

This past weekend I began knitting my very first scarf. It is that time of year in the desert now that I rarely leave the house without one wrapped around my neck. My classroom at work is freezing, so I find myself wearing it all day long even.

Hope by wallwork

I’ve fallen in love with the whole process of knitting. And, I should add that I knit–but I don’t pearl…and its looking pretty cool all the same!!!

Red Believe Glass Pendant by LittleKeepsakes

As I knit, I practice japa.

Every single row I meditate on a word or phrase.

Each stitch I repeat that word or phrase to myself and let it vibrate all the way into my heart.

Sure it’s just a word. Yes, it’s only a scarf.

But I like to think of it as energy, and that through the energy of my hands as I knit I’m transferring the positive energy of my thoughts into my scarf. Soon I’ll be finished, and I’ll wear that scarf around my neck–to keep me warm—to furthermore have the positive energy seep into my throat chakra as well as my heart chakra—a form of protection even, from the negativity that bombards me at my job– in this world.

L-O-V-E 5×7 Greeting Card by AMomentAMemory28

I’ve been thinking alot about words.

I’ve been practicing japa other times, not only while I knit. But while I stand in line at the grocery store, as I wait in the morning by the bike rack at my school, while I drive home in silence, walking Nyla in the park, brushing my teeth, and even doing the dishes are a few to mention.

Think about it.

These mundane and silent moments are the times we can cause ourselves the greatest suffering, simply because we let our minds rehash the past, focus on negative story bits, or play out scenarios for the future. All this thinking and thinking causes us such pain, when in fact, we are simply and only doing something that has no great impact on our state of happiness at all. Sure, doing dishes or picking up dog poo might not be the most pleasant situation, but it is not worth suffering over. The suffering begins when we let our minds move into those dark crevices. This practice of japa helps that. Japa helps us from slipping into those black holes of our mind and as we do what needs to be done, or like in knitting, do what we enjoy, we use our words to serve us—to serve the universe.

Peace & Love.