Mantras for peace and loving kindness

A few weeks ago in my yoga classes I introduced a couple of mantras for the theme of peace.

This was to mark the UN International Day of Peace on 21st September.

In some classes we closed the class with the mantra 'Om shanti shanti shanti' which is an invocation to peace.

Here are three different variations for chanting it:

• Om Shanti by Vyanah Music

• Om Shanti by Aligned Muse

• Om Shanti by Deva Premal and Miten

You can of course chant it any way you like to any tune!

And in other classes we also chanted the mantra 'Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu'.

The shorthand translation of this is 'May all being be well, may all beings be happy.' The full translation is 'I wish peace and happiness to all beings. May my actions and behavior contribute to others in a way that brings peace and happiness.' Or slightly differently 'May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.'

There are lots of different ways of chanting this, from saying the words with no tune, to various tuneful arrangements.

I like this version by Deva Premal and Miten (listen on YouTube) and this one by Jane Winther (listen on YouTube),

I'm sharing these here in case you would like to chant them on your own at home, and learn them for when you're out walking, driving etc (you can chant them silently).

The UN also has a list of suggested actions for promoting peace.