One of my favorite bible verses has always been Philippians 4:7- “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I tend to be so anxiety and doubt ridden and I long for that kind of peace. A peace so deep that in it I can find a place to rest my mind and find ease.
My search for peace has carried over into my yoga practice. At some point I realized that ending my yoga classes with namaste no longer felt proper or comfortable, so I did some research and found the Shanti Mantra. It fit like a favorite worn, soft sweater.
The Shanti Mantra is used to invoke peace and is usually repeated three times: Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om Shanti or, as I do in my classes, simply Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. The 3 iterations can be done for the body, mind and spirit or for a peaceful past, present and future.
I naturally began to say Peace to you, Peace to your families and Peace to the world at the end of each class. Little did I know that that was actually a thing! It’s a way to pray for the peace of all beings in the universe. When I say it, I feel an immediate sense of calm and connection to my students. I hope they feel it too!
Click here for more information on the Om Shanti mantra.