Yoga Shanti: A Yoga Mantra of Om’s Blessing

The word yoga is rooted in the Sanskrit word “yuj”, meaning “union” or “one that connects”. The spiritual aspect of yoga unites the limited, small body-mind complex with its source which is the infinite universal consciousness.  Yoga Shanti is the blessing of the word Om or Aum and is a yoga mantra. Asanas (poses) practiced in yoga with pranayamas (breathing techniques), fuses the body with agility and the mind with stillness, the combination of which allows you to commune with the Divine Spirit. Yoga liberates the Jiva (physical being) from Maya (illusion of reality as experienced through five senses).

What follows is the unbroken experience of highest, infinite Bliss. Yoga identifies the mind-body complex with this source, by drawing attention inwards to the microcosm (Kshudra Brahmanda). The external world is only a reflection of the state of microcosm inside us, and only by manifesting inner peace one can manifest a peaceful external environment. This is the union or yoga between Shakti-the bodily needs, and Shiva- the scintillating innocent consciousness. Part of the path of that liberation is the practice of the Om mantra.  Yoga may be said to be “Being one with the Shanti (blessing) of the of the matra Om”.

Yoga Shanti, through the use of mantras (ancient chants) invokes peaceful vibrations within the body and the mind that have been purified by yoga and readied to receive bliss.

All the relentless pursuits of human life are to attain this bliss, and until one experiences yoga shanti, one blindly searches for these in objects of momentary pleasure such as sex, relationships, entertainment. Yoga shanti is the state of alertness and awareness which is equally relaxed and rested too- a highly desired state of mind for professional excellence, social fulfillment and personal happiness.

One such mantra for yoga shanti is “Om Shanti Om“. Om is the sacred, primordial sound resonating throughout the universe, and represents the three sublime energies of creation(Aa sound emanating from navel), operation (Au emanating from the chest) and destruction or transformation (Ma sound emanating from the head) inherent in every object in this cosmos. Shanti is a Sanskrit word meaning peace, or tranquility. Hence Om Shanti Omis fundamentally a prayer for peace for all living and non-living being, for harmony in the universe and all its manifestations. Om precedes and succeeds the word Shanti to symbolize that the beginning and the end of everything, your life and the life of the universe are all Om. A powerful variant of this mantra is “OmShanti Shanti Shantihi”.

When conscious is expanded one may realize that the mind does not reside within the body, the physical body resides within the mind, with this knowledge we can start to see the significance of mantras to rejuvenate the mind (mostly what we perceive as our mind at first) with universal vibrations for spiritual strength, so that we may effortlessly attract harmony, and turn our scars into stars.

Yoga shanti leads us to a Chaithanya Samadhi state- the highest state of awareness and blissful union with the Divine Spirit. This Divine Spirit is not an object of the senses because the experience of the senses is limited and tiring. Just as milk is churned into butter, the limited small mind is also churned to manifest the divinity inside us, and this happens through yoga that takes us beyond the limitations of the senses. Attainment of yoga shanti brings strength to intentions, perfection in actions, purification of mind-body complex, and material and spiritual fulfillment.

With yogic shanti, all material pleasures and achievements come to us effortlessly, once we have the tools and insights to apply the universal laws and principles.  Along with this we gain enormous intangible merits that uplift us and our environment.