# How to Chant Mantras: A Simple First Session > A beginner's first chanting session using the Om Namah Shivaya recording on Mahakatha, step by step. - **Published:** 2025-05-17 - **Author:** Mahakatha - **Category:** practice-lifestyle - **Canonical URL:** https://mahakatha.com/blog/how-to-chant-mantras/ To chant a mantra, you repeat its words, aloud or silently, usually while following a recording or a teacher, and usually for a set number of times or minutes. That's all it is. This guide walks you through one short first session with a real recording, and then covers counting, chanting silently, and choosing what to learn next. The steps below are a suggested way to learn. They aren't a religious rule. If you have a teacher, or your family follows a particular tradition, use their instructions. ## What you need - About ten minutes when you won't be interrupted. - Somewhere you can sit comfortably: a chair is fine. - The [Om Namah Shivaya page](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/shiva/om-namah-shivaya/) open, with the words visible and the recording ready. The page has a free 2-minute preview to play. Headphones help but aren't needed. We use Om Namah Shivaya because it's short ("Om, I bow to Shiva"), the words are on the page in Devanagari and English letters, and the page has a recording to follow. ## Your first session: ten minutes **1. Read the meaning (1 minute).** Read the words, ॐ नमः शिवाय / Om Namah Shivaya, and the meaning: "Om, I bow to Shiva." Notice that it's a greeting and a bow, not a request. That's all you need to know to begin. **2. Listen once (2 minutes).** Play the recording and don't chant yet. Follow the words with your eyes. Listen for where each line starts, and how long the singer holds "Om". **3. Join in softly (3 minutes).** Play it again and chant along under your breath or very quietly. Match the singer's pace rather than your own. Breathe between repetitions when you need to; there's no prize for doing it on one breath. **4. Chant on your own (3 minutes).** Pause the recording. Chant slowly by yourself, aloud or in a whisper, at a pace that feels unhurried. If you aren't sure of a sound, go back and listen to that part again. **5. Sit for a moment (1 minute).** Stop and sit quietly. Notice one thing: a word you want to hear again, the pace that felt right, or a question about the meaning. That's what you take into your next session. That's a complete session. Doing it again tomorrow will teach you more than doing it for an hour today. It also helps to tie the session to something you already do every day, such as just after you wake up or before your evening meal, so it becomes a habit rather than a decision. ## If you lose your place It happens to everyone, especially when chanting along with a recording. Stop, wait for the start of the next repetition, and come back in. You don't need to catch up, and you don't need to start the session over. If your mind wanders while chanting on your own, notice it and go back to the next word. Coming back is part of the practice. ## Counting is optional Many traditions count repetitions. The most common count is 108, often kept on a mala: a string of 108 beads plus an extra marker bead (the meru) where you start and stop. Shorter counts such as 11 or 21 are also common. For your first sessions, counting isn't needed. Learning the sound comes first. Once you're comfortable: - Use a mala: move one bead with each repetition. - Or count on your fingers in groups. Listening to a recording and chanting yourself are different activities. If you're keeping a count, count your own repetitions, not the recording's. More on japa practices: [Japa](https://mahakatha.com/japa/). ## Aloud, whispered or silent Traditions describe three ways of chanting: - **Aloud (vaikhari):** easiest for beginners, because your own voice keeps your attention on the words. - **Whispered (upamshu):** lips move, little or no sound. Useful when others are nearby. - **Silent (manasika):** repeated in the mind only. It takes more concentration, so most people come to it after they know a mantra well. Start aloud or whispered. Try silent repetition once the words come without effort, for example in bed before sleep, or on a commute when you aren't driving. ## What to learn next Once Om Namah Shivaya feels familiar, choose one more and give it a few weeks: - **[Om Gan Ganpataye Namo Namaha](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/ganesha/om-gan-ganpataye/)**: short. Many people chant it before starting work or study, since Ganesha is honoured at beginnings. - **[Gayatri Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/saraswati/gayatri-savitri/)**: a Vedic verse, longer and harder to pronounce. Learn it line by line with the recording. In some families and traditions it's learned from a teacher, for example at the sacred-thread ceremony. If that applies to you, follow that tradition. Stay with one recording of a mantra while you're learning. Different recordings sometimes use slightly different words or pacing, and switching early makes it harder to learn. ## Common questions ### Do I have to be Hindu to chant? Many mantras are chanted by people of different backgrounds, and recordings are freely available. Approach them with respect for where they come from. Where a tradition asks for a teacher or initiation, as with the Gayatri in some families, honour that. ### What if I mispronounce something? Keep listening and adjust. Everyone mispronounces at first. Follow one recording closely and your pronunciation will improve. ### When is the best time to chant? Early morning and evening are traditional, and the Gayatri is linked with sunrise and sunset. In practice, the best time is the one you can keep to. A regular slot, even five minutes, matters more than finding the perfect hour. ### How long before I notice anything? People's experiences differ. Many find a few minutes of slow chanting calming at the time. Treat it as a practice to keep up, not something with a guaranteed result. ## Where to go next - New to the idea? Read [what a mantra is, with three examples](https://mahakatha.com/blog/meaning-of-mantra/). - Browse the full [mantra collection](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/) by deity or purpose. ## Related mantras - [Om Namah Shivaya Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/shiva/om-namah-shivaya/) - [Om Gan Ganpataye Namo Namaha](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/ganesha/om-gan-ganpataye/) - [Gayatri Mantra](https://mahakatha.com/mantras/saraswati/gayatri-savitri/) --- Source: https://mahakatha.com/blog/how-to-chant-mantras/ — Mahakatha, https://mahakatha.com