Mantras to Help Children Meditate

Nov 09, 2023

Mantra is the repetition of sacred sound. It’s sacred because the vibrations of these particular sounds are high and help cultivate connection.

Separation and fear are low vibration. This isn’t hippie talk. This is science. The whole world, including the human body, is made up of sound vibration. Repeating a clear sound that has sacred energy is a practical and effective way to raise your vibes. Love, connection and appreciation are all high vibration.

When describing mantra to children, I explain that it’s like those big Zamboni machines that clear the ice between skating sessions. Water is sprayed evenly from the machine while a squeegee-like bar runs across the top of it picking up all the loose bits of ice.  The water quickly freezes as it’s laid into the grooves and the rink goes from being marked with uneven cuts and little piles of loose ice chips to a smooth-as-glass skating surface.

Mantras work like this on the mind. Repeated thoughts create grooves in the mind. You’ve likely heard the phrase, “neurons that fire together wire together.” Walk through the forest once and you can’t tell anyone was there. But when many people walk through the same way, over and over, a well-worn path appears that’s easy to find and to follow. 

Repeated thoughts are like habits. You can brush your teeth, get dressed and even make familiar meals without really thinking about it. That’s a neural groove. When you consider all the thoughts in a day, about 60,000 – mostly negative and mostly repetitive – that’s a lot of well-worn grooves. To counter this, you can repeat a positive sound and create a groove in your mind that makes it easier to feel positive, inspired and connected. 

The science of mantra is thousands of years old. And now, as with so many other yoga techniques, modern measurement tools can validate this. 

A study published in the International Journal of Yoga reported that chanting “OM” can deactivate the amygdala. This is an area of the brain that plays a big role in generating anxious feelings, so it’s like turning off the stress switch when it gets stuck on. 

Mantras also calm the mind. It’s like the soothing repetitive motion of rocking a baby. This leads to better focus and attention. Sounds good, right? But how are you going to get kids to chant Sanskrit mantras?

Turns out that much like other less commonly taught, but very effective techniques, kids like them! It’s kind of like singing. It feels good and it’s engaging. 

Keep it simple with kids.  These two very basic mantras can benefit your child today. 

Om 
This is like a key that opens the door to all the other sounds. Chanting Om is a complete practice unto itself. Chant Om 3 times to start a practice of yoga, or specifically a practice of meditation. In fact, the whole meditation practice can be the repetition of the sound Om. Set a timer for 2 to 5 minutes and chant Om the whole time.

Shanti 
This is the Sanskrit word for peace. It’s often repeated three times after Om. So, the whole phrase is “Om, shanti, shanti, shanti.” This can also be repeated over and over again while sitting quietly.

A child came up to me after one of my weekly kids yoga classes and said, “shanti is like shhhhh. It makes me feel quiet.”  

These tools are so valuable for children because they can be easily incorporated into daily life. They are accessible to all, and they promote wellbeing without side-effects.