Affirmation · “The Subconscious Says Yes”
Om Namah Shivaya Japa
Repeat ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ — ‘I bow to the inner Self’ — with love and feeling, immersing awareness more and more in the Self the mantra names.
In 5 lines: Take “Om Namah Shivaya” — “I bow to the inner Self.” Repeat it with love: chant it, then whisper it, then say it silently within. Feel each syllable arise and settle. Carry it through the day; when you forget, simply begin again. Let the name draw you inward to the Self it names.
What it is
Om Namah Shivaya is the initiation mantra of the Siddha Yoga lineage, which Muktananda called the king of mantras. He translated it as “I bow to Shiva” — Shiva understood not as an external god but as the inner Self, so that the mantra means “I honour the divine Consciousness that is my own true nature.” In Muktananda’s teaching the mantra is not a mere word but mantra-chaitanya, “living” sound: each syllable is said to pulse with spanda, the subtle vibration of the Self, arising from and subsiding back into it.
The practice is to repeat it — aloud, whispered, or silently — with love and feeling, so that awareness is steadily drawn inward and “immersed, more and more, in the Self.” Its distinctive note is the mantra-is-the-deity teaching: the name and what it names are held to be one.
The Method
- Take the mantra “Om Namah Shivaya.” Adopt it as your inner refrain (the five-syllable Namah Shivaya with Om).
- Repeat it with feeling, not mechanically. Muktananda stressed love — let the repetition carry warmth and reverence toward the inner Self, not just dry recitation.
- Choose a mode. Chant it aloud or in song to begin (this primes the heart and steadies the mind), then let it sink to a whisper, then to silent inner repetition (manasika japa), which is held to be the most powerful.
- Let each syllable resonate. Feel the sound arise within and settle back; let the meaning — I bow to my own inmost Self — accompany it.
- Use a mala if helpful. 108 beads for counted rounds; or simply repeat it continuously through the day, in the gaps of activity.
- Return whenever you forget. Forgetting and gently resuming is the practice; no self-reproach.
- Let it deepen toward meditation. As repetition steadies the mind, allow it to subside into quiet awareness of the Self it names. (Sourcing note: “Om Namah Shivaya” = “I bow to the inner Self,” its status as the king of mantras and the Siddha Yoga initiation mantra, mantra-chaitanya / spanda, and “immerse awareness in the Self” are from Muktananda and Siddha Yoga teaching.)
Source & Lineage
Swami Muktananda received and transmitted Om Namah Shivaya as the core mantra of Siddha Yoga, rooted in Kashmir Shaivism’s non-dual vision of Shiva as universal Consciousness identical with one’s own Self.
He taught it as a mantra empowered (chaitanya) by the Guru’s grace and capable of awakening the inner energy (Kundalini-Shakti). This entry is distinct from the generic, and: it captures Muktananda’s specific Shaivite “I bow to the inner Self” / mantra-as-living-Consciousness emphasis. → (existing Voice).
Common refinements
Mechanical muttering. Muktananda’s whole emphasis is love; without feeling the practice dries out.
- Treating it as a timed session only. Its power, in his teaching, comes from constancy — let it run through the day.
- Straining to “make it work.” Let the repetition be easy; force defeats the calming effect.
- Self-reproach for forgetting. Returning to the mantra is the practice.
- Stopping at the words. The point is to let the name draw you toward what it names — the silent inner Self.