Hello fellow travelers,

I want to start chanting as part of my morning practice but I'm not sure what.  Or if what even matters that much?  I only know the Gyatri mantra.  I have a friend who suggested the Mahamrityunjaya chant because she loves it, but I feel it might be too much to start with (pronunciation, etc).  There is a version of Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam I like but I don't know if this is something you would chant for 30 or 60 minutes a day?  I lean more towards Theravada Buddhism.  The internet has been woefully inadequate.  I'm wondering if anyone is willing to share what they chant and why, and how it has helped you?  I have gone through the threads, and it seems like a lot of people are chanting but not a lot of people are sharing what, when, and for how long.     

Also, any suggestions for clearing the energetic gunk!  I don't think it's coming from someone or somewhere necessarily.  It feels more I'm 55 years-old and a lifetime of accumulation.  As I said, I do have a personal practice, and I get in the ocean most days, but I feel like I am needing something else or more.  Maybe this is why I've been feeling the nudge to start chanting. 

Thanks for reading.

Kahena
(Australia)        

You can mentally generate the sound of counting. Clearly crisply produce the sounds of ... one .... two .... three .... four ..... five. Reset back to one.

This generates mindfulness by producing a challenge of:
1. Continuously remembering that you are meditating
2. Continuously remembering the count as you count
3. Continously remembering to reset the count
4. Continuously remembering to mentally produce a crisp clear sound
5. Continuously remembering to mentally listen to that crisp clear sound

With some degree of mindfulness, concentration, relaxation thus generated, a bit of curiosity can be added to the mix as a vipashyana practice.
With some momentum the mind is now doing the following:

1. Generation of the count
3. Remembering of the count
4. Listening to the count
5. Metacognitive awaring of all the above

Just be curious as to what exactly you  have taken 'birth' as. Have you taken birth as the one who is generating the count, remembering the count ... and so on.
With the above exercise continuing, use slow gentle abdominal breathing and relaxing/sighing on the out-breath to walk back from this birth again and again as many times as you notice it.