All of life is energy. Our thoughts, intentions, and words direct the flow of this energy, and literally create how we experience ourselves and our lives. When we set intention through the use of a mantra, we are consciously shifting our focus to higher vibrations, allowing the experience of love and good health more fully into our lives. This practice has the potential to be extremely transformative when used with a healing energy of harmony and balance, requiring us to surrender our anxiety, egoic defenses, and tension.
This article will outline a daily practice for using your thoughts to raise your vibration and change your state of being. It is good to be aware that sometimes we experience resistance to this process as emotional blockages and pain from the past may arise. This is a blessing in disguise. You may have thoughts such as, “this is silly,” “this isn’t working,” or, “I don’t want to cover up how I’m really feeling,” or just find yourself getting irritated by this process. This is actually quite positive because it is helping to uncover negative emotional patterns that cover over deeper unresolved emotional issues within!
When we consciously create loving feelings through mantra, the mind tries to stage a revolt (why would this be so, when love is what we are all seeking?) The mind fears that you will begin to look at what has caused you pain, and that it will threaten your survival (the mind can be surprisingly irrational). And it resists with negativity, or by telling us we can’t do it, or it’s not worth doing. This is when you know you’re on the right track.) But the power of mantra is more than simply repeating positive words, it is the process of changing your vibration.
So take the time right now to do a healing meditation. Get comfortable, close your eyes, sit in silence, and generate th0ughts that invoke the feeling of love within your body. Think of friends, your partner, family members you love, pets you love, a special place, or a wonderful childhood memory, and enjoy the feelings of peace and love that arise within your body. Focus on the center of your chest as you think these loving thoughts. Feel for sensations of warmth, vibration, tingling sensations, feelings of love. Try to pick memories that have a feeling of joyful love, rather than memories that are bittersweet, or have unresolved emotional energy attached to them. Memories are simply help you to re-experience an ENERGETIC state. This is really important to understand. When you have a thought you literally re-experience that particular vibration of emotion in this present moment. We have been conditioned to focus on negative thoughts, believing that is the way to fix or change the problem, yet when we do, we are simply recreating the experience again and again. Memories are ENERGETIC SIGNATURES that we play over and over in the present moment. And whatever we focus on grows in our experience. This is the law of attraction. As a spiritual counselor I teach clients how to use the law of attraction with integrity and for the highest good of all.
If you are unable to find any positive memories, try using your imagination to create the feeling within your body of being TOTALLY HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND LOVED. Imagine your body totally healed. What does it feel like? What sensations are moving through you in this healed state? The more you can really let these sensations of love grow, the more powerful your mantra will be. This process is also known as energy healing, emotional healing, and spiritual healing.
NOW, once you are able to sit quietly and focus on loving feelings within (this can take some practice) begin to repeat any of the following phrases with loving intention,
I AM STRONG, I AM HEALTHY, I AM WHOLE, I AM LOVED
I AM LOVE, ALL IS LOVE
I AM HEALED, I
Again, the words you say are interchangeable. It is the feelings that they generate within you that is important. You are re-conditioning your mind to experience this feeling of love, health, and peace whenever you say these words. As you say these words let the feelings of love expand, relaxing your body more and more with every breath. Continue this for 5 to 15 minutes.
This process was a large part of my healing from ulcerative colitis. Now, as a holistic counselor, I continue to use this type of energy therapy, or healing therapy. This type of alternative healing falls under the umbrella of quantum physics.
Remember, it is the physical bodily sensation that we are interested in, not simply the repetition of particular words. If your mind starts to wander as you say the words, refocus on the loving memories and thoughts until you FEEL the peace return to your body. Think of a meadow, of beautiful fragrant flowers, a peaceful lake, soft newborn kittens or puppies, anything that allows you to feel love. No need to feel timid or silly in this practice--YOUR THOUGHTS DON'T MATTER, HOWEVER, YOUR VIBRATION DOES--so use whatever thoughts you can to change how you feel. If you can’t feel any love, don’t worry one bit! Just take a few breaths, let yourself get comfy and relaxed, and focus again on loving thoughts. Make this a fun exercise. The more you relax and put yourself in a playful mood, the easier and more natural this will happen. 
DAILY PRACTICE
As soon as you wake up in the morning, sit up in bed, take a few relaxing breaths and say your Mantra with intention (remembering to really feel the sensations in your body as you say your mantra--this may take practice before you begin to feel the sensation, but if you keep going, it is only a matter of time before you notice big changes). If it helps, write it over and over in a journal. Allow yourself a few minutes (the more time the better) to really FEEL the sensations in the body as you are repeating your mantra. If, when saying your mantra, the feelings are not present, stop saying the mantra and refocus on the THOUGHTS, MEMORIES, AND FEELINGS THAT EVOKE LOVE. This is very important. This practice is not something you just do and wait for it to work. You need to give yourself the time to create these loving sensations in your body.
Whatever Mantra you decide upon, start repeating it (out loud or in your head) whenever you notice a negative thought or feeling rising up within you. Interrupt the negative thought with I AM LOVE, ALL IS LOVE, or, I AM HEALED. Know that the more you are able to feel it in your body as you say it, the more powerful it will be. Focus on relaxing and keeping your attention on your breath as you say the mantra. You will notice that if you say your mantra whenever you feel anxious or have a negative thought, you are going to be saying it A LOT! This is a great wake-up call that will show you how much anxiety (dis-ease) you have been holding within your body. When you notice this, thank yourself for having the wisdom and love for yourself to want to break this negative cycle and to start healing. Offer yourself love! If you have a judgement of yourself for being so negative, just smile, take a few relaxing breaths, and say your mantra!
Now get really creative with your mantra! Make little signs for youself and leave them around your house. Make sticky notes that say “I AM LOVE” and post them on your bathroom mirror, by the front door, in the kitchen, wherever you will see them A LOT! The idea is to let this message become such a big part of your awareness throughout your day that you can’t ignore it. Your subconscious mind will start to absorb it, and the effects will be miraculous. It may take some time to begin shifting old thought patterns, but do not let yourself become discouraged. Just notice the discouraging thoughts, take a few relaxing breaths, and say your mantra!
These thoughts of negativity are actually covering up deeper emotional blockages and pain that our ego has been distracting us from for so long. When we start to raise our vibration with positive thoughts, we begin to shake the foundation of the negative beliefs, thoughts, and emotional energy we have been holding in our body. This is an important step in allowing us to release and heal these parts of ourselves (I will discuss how to move through this “stuck” energy in the following blog). But it is important to notice these negative thoughts and feelings, and not let them discourage you from continuing on.