What exactly is a mantra? A mantra is a sound, word, phrase or sentence you repeat to channel a specific energy or intention. They’re often used during meditation, but can also be used anytime you need an extra pick-me-up.
My life hasn´t always been what it is today. It´s actually evolved a lot, so much I can´t actually remember what my old life actually looked like. It´s as if I was brought into a completely new movie where the main character (I) was replaced by another actor. Still me though. Same body, same name. Although this body has drastically changed. And my name now carries a different identity to it. I worked hard to overcome my insecurities and limiting beliefs. These are two things that never go away, they´re not things that simply vanish rather you embrace them. You live with them and learn to co-exist in a consciousness so aware you are awake to when you are projecting yourself. Mantras are a great way to constantly re-program your internal dialogue and help you manage any situation where you might feel insecure and where you feel your ego is taking control of the situation. Using mantras is simple — you simply repeat the sound, word, phrase or sentence. Since the following are mantras for a fresh start, it’s recommended to repeat the one you choose in the morning, since every time you wake up, you’re presented with the opportunity to make a change and take a different route. However, in no way is it required that you use your mantra in the morning. But what does it mean, you ask?

1) Om:

Like most things in yoga and meditation, Om is one of those things that can’t really be explained. In order to truly understand the meaning, it’s one of those things that you have to feel for yourself. Om is the sound of a sacred spiritual symbol in Indian religions, mainly in Hinduism, wherein it signifies the essence of the ultimate reality which is consciousness. Recite Om Mantra purifies the environment around you and creates positive energy that feels you happier and stress-free. It helps you to focus and concentrate on one thing at a time. Chanting Om can also help you to improve your immunity system and self-healing power. When you chant Om, a vibration sound felt through your vocal cord that clears and opens up the sinuses. Chanting Om also has cardiovascular benefits. It reduces stress and relaxes your body that brings down the blood pressure on the normal level and the heart beats with a regular rhythm. I might get a bit geeky over here. As a current disciple and practitioner of the art of sound design and engineering, I´ve learned to recognize different sounds and identify at which frequency they come into this world at. When chanted Om vibrates at the frequency of 432 Hz — the same vibrational frequency found in all things throughout nature. Om is the basic sound of the universe; chanting it symbolically and physically tunes us into that sound and acknowledges our connection to everything in the world and the Universe. I first learned to properly Om after taking multiple meditation classes from a wise friend and teacher of mine. After every session we would end the practice with three long and powerful Oms which created within me an extreme sense of peace and tranquility. It fueled my self-confidence to a great level and left me feeling with a feeling of empowerment, like anything I desired to achieve was easily attainable.

2: “I will judge or criticize no one, not even myself.”

As you prepare for a new beginning, make a conscious effort to rid your mind, body and spirit of any judgement and criticism. So much unhappiness comes from self-judgement. It’s the one thing that stops you from doing and saying what you want, and ultimately, the one thing that’s standing in your way to a fresh start. I´m extremely guilty of having judged myself and others way too harshly. Judgments can have harmful and negative consequences. They can get in the way of fixing problems, hurt other people’s feelings when you don’t need or mean to, and they can harm your own self-esteem and happiness. But why are we so quick to judge? According to an article in Psychology Today, our brains are attempting to make sense of why people do the things they do. We make snap judgments about people because it moves us on to the next thing our brains need to work out. By constantly seeing the bad in others, we train our minds to find the bad. This can lead to increase in stress. Stress can weaken the immune system and cause high blood pressure, fatigue, depression, anxiety and even stroke. Sometimes we don´t even realize we are judging someone, this means we could be harming our body without even realizing it, we have pure intentions but our mind is quick to judge, that is why you must be very aware of the way your perception can deceive you. Accept people for who they are, just as you see them, just as you hear them. Even though their actions may seem harmful, negative and outright mean, find a place in your heart for them, you will feel much better. You might even effortlessly spread some of your powerful love sensation to them and help them heal. The key to capitalizing on this mantra is to apply it to both yourself and others. Self-judgement and being judgmental of others is simply never good for your mindful aspirations. So, just get rid of it entirely by repeating this motivational mantra.
“Therefore you have no excuse or justification, everyone of you who [hypocritically] judges and condemns others; for in passing judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, because you who judge [from a position of arrogance or self-righteousness] are habitually practicing the very same things [which you denounce].”
— Romans 2:1 (AMP)

3: “I give myself permission to go after what I want.”

A new beginning is going to send you on a journey towards all sorts of new experiences, opportunities and feelings, and it’s important to give yourself permission to go after them. Don’t let fear, self-doubt, guilt or any other negative thoughts and emotions get in the way of you achieving what you want to achieve on this new path. Instead, give yourself permission with this motivational mantra. Changing my perception to permission mode instead of “having to” mode, has greatly changed they way I put forth my attitude into things I want to achieve and create. It helps me overcome mental obstacles of laziness and my tendency to quit things when they get hard. Waking up every day and writing down what I give myself permission to do brings forth feelings of immense satisfaction, excitement and gratitude.
When giving advice to friends, it’s so easy to say things like: “You’ve got this,” “Just go for it,” “you deserve better”, and so forth. Yet, have you ever noticed that when it’s time to give ourselves the same energy, we become less inclined?You’re not alone. For a lot of us, it’s difficult to give ourselves permission to go for what we want and know we deserve.This hesitance to give ourselves permission is often deeply rooted in self-belief and can be swayed by our internal self-doubt. But what if we did give ourselves permission — and opened ourselves up to the potential of our greatness? Hint: We’d cultivate the ability to create more space for things to happen. We tend to allow external factors, such as lack of experience or resources, hold us back from making life-changing decisions. But all we’re really waiting for is that greenlight — that permission, to get started or take action. And though we may look for it from others, the best source is ourselves and doing what our intuition tells us is necessary. Imposter syndrome is one of the reasons some of us find it difficult to give ourselves permission. She describes it as “the inability to accept your greatness,” which can, in turn, limit your ability to truly enjoy life. I can´t stress enough how important it is to be 100% honest with yourself in this part of the process. Sometimes, permission isn’t all about the large-scale changes and can be as simple as allowing yourself to feel. When we give ourselves the space to acknowledge that we aren’t happy or satisfied in a current situation, it opens up the possibility for change. Simply saying to yourself, “I am unhappy right now,” instead of fighting it, can take some of the pressure off and give you room to develop a plan of action to change that.

So how can we actually being practicing giving ourselves permission on a regular basis? There are three strategies and techniques you can have in mind in order to start effortlessly practicing permission.

Grant yourself the compassion and understanding you extend to others so easily.
Similar to the example made earlier, we’re more willing to give our friends and loved ones encouragement and permission to take the next step. It’s important to also give yourself that same consideration, too. You may not always succeed, but by putting yourself out there you’ll get closer to your goals.
Praise your small wins and notice your baby steps toward change.
There’s great power in the journey. We tend to get so wrapped up in the destination that we don’t focus on the strides we’re making along the way. By giving yourself permission to celebrate your small wins, you’re reinforcing that you are enough.

*Remove your ideas about how things are supposed to show up for you. A.K.A. Let go of expectations.

Expectations are a big no no. We often get caught up in what the potential outcome of situations will be, which can lead us to not getting started or being disappointed if it doesn’t go exactly as planned. This kind of fortune-telling, will hold you back from getting the very things that are good for you. It’s important to hold off on any predictions and instead lead with self-belief. When you let go of what you think will happen, you give yourself permission to see what happens — and that openness and self-trust can unlock so many doors. Then: All you have to do is give yourself permission to walk through them.

I hope this has been of use to you, remember to live without putting too much pressure on yourself, focus on doing the things you love and give yourself the permission to do so!