02 April 2024

If you think mantras have to be limited to the phrases and words used during specialised meditation classes, you are wrong! While there's nothing wrong with using traditional mantras during meditation, you can certainly create your own to personalise your practice or to help yourself to keep you motivated and moving ahead. 

Many people like to create their own mantras to mirror their specific interests, needs, or goals during meditation. Everyone approaches meditation practice a little differently, so choosing a personal mantra is a great way to add a personal twist to your practice and get the most out of your meditation time or to repeat throughout your day to yourself.

Here are a few simple examples of a mantra that you could create: 

• I am a being of light.

• I deserve good things.

• Happiness is my choice.

• Good days are coming.

• I feel peaceful.

• I am part of a powerful universe.

• I can achieve great things.

• I am a good friend/partner/daughter, etc.

How do you determine a good personal mantra?

Generally, mantras are kept short and sweet–they should be easily repeatable, yet highly impactful phrases you can intone during meditation. If your mantra becomes too long, it can be distracting to repeat, which can disrupt your meditative flow or focus.

Here is a quick checklist of features to consider while selecting a good personal mantra:

1. Does this mantra have a high impact on my personal interests?

2. Does this mantra help me feel calm and inspired?

3. Is this mantra simple enough to repeat?

4. When I repeat this mantra, does it bring me feelings of positive energy?

You can also have more than one personal mantra. Some folks like to switch out mantras depending on what they’re bringing to meditation during that particular session or what they are doing throughout the day. For example, if a person is approaching meditation with feelings of anxiety, they may choose a mantra to help them manifest calmness. Or, if a person is feeling anxiety at any moment of the day, a short calming mantra can be used to bring on a sense of release and calmness.

If they’re approaching meditation or any part of their day with feelings of anger, they may choose a mantra to help them manifest peace. The bottom line: A good mantra should suit the needs of your practice, whether you change it to suit the day’s needs or use the same tried-and-true one each time you meditate.

What should you do if your mantra feels too long or complicated?

Mantras are best kept short for one main reason. Since they’re used to relax the brain and connect your mind and body whether during meditation or during the day, a mantra that’s too long or rambling might prevent your mind from falling into a true state of relaxation. Complex mantras might send your brain wandering down a path of thoughts you want to avoid when you’re trying to meditate or trying to relax, release and then focus on the go.

If you feel like you have a start to a good mantra that needs to be trimmed down, consider condensing it to better suit your flow.

To do this, try the following steps:

1. Write out your longer mantra onto paper. Consider this like you would a “first draft” of a writing assignment. If your first draft ends up being a few sentences long, this is fine! You can start with something longer like this to pull out a good, short mantra.
   
   

2. Look through each word of your mantra. This part may feel tough, but it’s necessary to find the core of what you need from this mantra: Cross out any words that feel too specific or superfluous to your needs.
   
   

3. Look at your remaining words and match any words that seem to belong together in a group. For example, if the words “love” and “caretaker” popped up in your long mantra, it’s likely that these would fall under the same category.
   
   

4. Determine your leading words in each group. Under each of your groups, circle the one word in each that seems to encompass the spirit of each word set you’ve created.
   
   

5. Look through these final words and determine which words are your most active words. For example, if your leading words from your groups are “compassion,” “friendship,” and “courage,” you can use these main words to develop a much shorter mantra. You can even select a single word from this group to encompass the entire mantra.

Your mantras can change to suit what you need most during your meditation or when used throughout the day, making them a fantastic tool for calming your mind–no matter what you’re concerned with most at the time.