Ganesha Mantra and Overcoming

OM - The Sound, the Vibration of the Universe, The Primordial Sound
GAN - The Seed Sound, or bija sound of Lord Ganesha
GANAPATAYE - The one who overcomes of obstacles.
NAMAHA - Salutations


Mantra can be a beautiful and useful tool to help cultivate all sorts of things. Want to cultivate courage? There's a mantra for that. Well being? There's a mantra for that. Want to do your part to end world suffering? There's a mantra for that too. You get the idea. Mantra is a tool to focus the mind so that it is better able to identify specific energies, and to act on them.

The mantra Om Gan Ganapataye Namaha can be used to help cultivate the positive energies of Ganesha, within ourselves. Ganesha is a Hindu deity most often depicted as having a human body and the head of an elephant. He embodies the energies of compassion, grace, and prosperity. Ganesha represents an enlightened state of mind. He is considered the remover of obstacles and patron of new beginnings. The energy of Ganesha is related to the root chakra, Muldahra. Ganesha embodies the ideal that we rise to our full potential. In order to rise we must have a strong stable foundation, like an elephants four giant feet. This strong foundation allows us to over come obstacles we encounter as easily as an elephant stomping out a bit of brush that has grown on to the path. Reciting Om Gan Ganapataye Namaha with attention to the attributes or energies of Ganesha directs the focus of our mind toward the positive forces working in our favor and helps us let go of, or remove, any obstacles that may be hindering us.

I learned this mantra in a time when my world had been uprooted and seemed incredibly full of obstacles.I mean things were CHALLENGING. My grandparents were needing my help more and more. At the same time I had taken on a new training and was working two jobs. Things felt unstable but I kept going, mucking along, trying to be cheerful, and mostly feeling overwhelmed sad and scared. Using Om Gan Ganapataye Namaha in my mala practice gave me a sense of grounding daily. During practice, I would focus on the stable energy associated with Ganesha. Sometimes, I would chant the mantra and think of cultivating compassion and grace not just for others, but for myself. When things became overwhelming, I found myself repeating it in my head.

Asana is great for clarity, but I was in a place, where I often felt that I couldn't make time for a physical practice. A home mantra practice was much easier to prepare for and enter my day directly from. Mantra could also happen silently, anywhere. Chanting the mantra 108 times daily with my mala to mark the repetitions didn't take the pre and post preparation of Asana. And it still created mental space for me. In that space, I found clarity. I began to see how I was creating some of the imbalance and obstacles for myself. I saw what I had control over to change. In that space, I was able to cultivate the COURAGE to CHANGE. As I identified and changed the things that I was allowing to weigh on me mentally and physically, my life became more grounded. My heart felt a little lighter..

Things are still a little crazy. I'm caring for just Grandma now but it often feels more demanding than when my grandfather was alive. I’m sure it has to do with being a long term caregiver.  Caregiver fatigue is no joke friends. I also have the course load to prove that the educators at the school I'm studying with to complete my 500hr certification take their roles very seriously.(Good in the long run, right?) I’m not serving anymore, but I am working on expanding into leading more yoga practices and events. And I hold my regular full-time job.

The difference is me. I am more centered because I have a daily practice to keep me there. I am able to more easily discern the unnecessary or created obstacles from the actual obstacles, and handle both more effectively. I almost always begin my day and personal practice with Om Gan Ganapataye Namaha. Often, like a catchy jingle, it pops into my mind during my day. I might think it as I work on something at my desk or sing it quietly while doing dishes.  I’ve added other mantras to my practice and enjoy them as well.  Using my voice daily has been a huge part of my journey.  

I try to include a little mantra in every practice I lead more often than not it is just “OM”  but that’s enough.  It’s really encouraging to watch people decide to join in.  I’ve had several students admit to me privately that at first it made them a little uncomfortable, and now they feel disappointed if we don’t close our practice with some form of chant.  I always smile and say me too.  And then I think about how mantra changed my life, and wonder if they’ll ever feel the same.

Interested in learning more about mantra?  Keep your eyes open for the upcoming workshop where we’ll experience mantra and discuss its history and many forms.