There was an 80’s sitcom in which a somewhat nerdy woman would regularly recite mantras in an effort to gain some semblance of confidence and success in her crazy life. Though an absolute caricature, I nonetheless felt a sense of kinship with her as I’ve always seen myself as a bit of a geek and I am indeed fond of mantras. Perhaps it was growing up in a household in which the before-dinner-prayer consisted of holding hands around the table and chanting “Ohmmmmmmmm……..”, but I find myself reciting on a regular basis. “You’re the adult. Take a deep breath. You’re the adult. Take a deep breath. You’re the adult. Take a deep breath.” O.K. so maybe that’s not quite what my dear friend, Chandra-Shekar, had in mind making The Magic of Gayatri with guitarist Tomas Michaud, but I do believe in the power of chants and mantras.

For thousands of years, yogis, shamans, priests and indigenous peoples have used mantras - a precise sound and frequency pattern that conveys a directive into our sub-consciousness - toward the delivery of very specific results, as Chandra-Shekar explains (you can visit his blog at http://gayatrilover.wordpress.com/). So what does this chanting talk have to do with being an EcoMom? Quite a lot actually. The repetition of a mantra can change your mood (and/or your child’s), and going back to the EcoMom Alliance’s Sustain Your Home, Sustain Your Planet, Sustain Your Self mantra, anything that brings more peace into the world, helps shift toward a healthier way of being.

I often play chants of some form or another in the car with Corbin. Not only does it open the door for interesting conversation (”What language is this?” “Where do they live?” and so on and so forth), they can also bring calm and healing to otherwise angst producing traffic or “When are we going to be there?” drives. Shekar’s CD, based on the Gayatri Mantra which was written in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and may have been chanted for many centuries before that. “It is said that this sacred prayer spirals through the entire universe from the heart of the chanter, appealing for peace and divine wisdom for all,” explains Shekar. A little divine wisdom never hurts anyone, and certainly can’t hurt the sustainability movement. At the least, it can make your day a lot more enjoyable.