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Spiritual Element
A few participants wanted to use mantras that didn't quite fit the goal.
"We had one guy who said he wanted to know why he couldn't choose 'cheeseburger,'" Bormann says. "When he eats cheeseburgers, it makes him happy. So he thought that if he walked around and said cheeseburger all day that would make him happy."
Another man wanted to use the golf terms "greens and fairways" for similar reasons.
A word like cheeseburger keeps people on the surface level of consciousness, while a mantra has the potential to go deeper and tap inner spiritual resources, Bormann explains, adding that the cheeseburger fan switched to a different mantra.
Using the Mantra
Participants were instructed to repeat their mantra silently throughout the day or night. They could use the mantra during stressful moments or during calmer times.
"You could say your mantram once or twice, or you could say it for 20 minutes. Most people use it several times throughout the day," Bormann says.
Bormann adapted the approach from the late spiritual teacher Eknath Easwaran, who founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in Tomales, Calif. Bormann says she's been to the Blue Mountain Center and has practiced the technique for 18 years.
"It helps me live in the present moment. It helps me slow down. I feel that I'm much more compassionate, and I have a better ability to concentrate on whatever it is I'm doing," Bormann says.
