Three easy to remember mantras for mindful living

A mantra is a word or sound that is repeated to aid in the concentration of meditation. The following three mantras are easy to remember and use whenever you have a mindful moment to spare. They are designed to be used at any time throughout the day and they only take a few moments to practice one or all of the following.

You can practice these mantras lying down, sitting down or standing up. You can practice with your eyes open and focused on a point or with your eyes closed.

Be here now

This mantra is used to bring your attention to the present moment, to be mindful, to be aware, to be conscious.

The mantra is be, here, now: So on the breath in silently say to yourself ‘be’, then on the hold say ‘here’ and on the breath out say ‘now’… Continue this for three or more long, full breaths.

Let go

This mantra is used to accept whatever is, whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, to open up and make room for discomfort, pleasure, peace, anxiety etc. This mantra is about letting go of the struggle with your thoughts and emotions.

The mantra is let go: So on your breath in silently say ‘let’, hold for a moment and on your breath out say ‘go’…Continue this for three or more long, full breaths.

Do what matters

This mantra is about taking action that is aligned with your personal values. That is, behaving in a way and making choices based on what is most important to you.

The mantra is do, what, matters: So on the breath in silently say to yourself ‘do’ then hold for a moment and say ‘what’ then on the breath out say ‘matters’…Continue this for three or more long, full breaths.

These three themes; be here now, letting go, and doing what matters are based on a form of psychotherapy called ACT. To read more about ACT jump to click here