Reading these sacred teachings felt like returning to the pure foundation of sadhana, which, to me, is simple, disciplined, and deeply honest. In my view, true spiritual growth is not found in complexity but in revisiting the basics with awareness, sincerity, and regular self-reflection.

Gurumayi’s guidance to observe my thoughts, actions, food, behavior, and inner responses helped me understand that transformation begins within and gradually becomes reflected in the outer world. I realized that discipline is not restriction; it is a pathway to inner strength, balance, and clarity. Through mantra, awareness, and steady effort, my mind becomes  tranquil, my heart becomes light, and my life begins to feel purposeful and blessed.

This teaching awakened in me a renewed commitment to do my practices with consistency and devotion, and to nurture the sacred connection between my inner and outer existence. I offer my deepest gratitude to Gurumayi for illuminating this timeless wisdom and guiding me gently back to the essence of sadhana and the joy of conscious living.

Ahmedabad, India

I have longed to have sweeter, more ethereal dreams and to make the practice of mantra japa as natural as breathing. Gurumayi’s teachings in “Bond with the Mantra” give me concrete guidance to fulfill my longings.

When I explored the definition of the word bond, I resonated with this one: “a strong force of attraction holding atoms together in a molecule, resulting from the sharing or transfer of electrons.” I also resonated with the suggested synonym union.

Since the Indian scriptures say that every night is a night of Shiva, as Gurumayi tells us, I am amplifying my intention to immerse myself in the mantra as I fall asleep by following Gurumayi’s instruction to quietly repeat it in my heart.

In just this short time, I feel Gurumayi’s powerful intention for my success already sweetening my dreams, and I awaken more refreshed. Also, I am happy to be remembering the pivotal practice of mantra repetition more often throughout the day.

Washington, United States

Yesterday, as I was repeating the mantra before falling asleep, I had an amazing experience. I suddenly found myself in Gurudev Siddha Peeth, standing directly in front of the statue of Lord Ganesh. He smiled at me and I offered him sweet laddus. He took a laddu with his trunk and put it in his mouth, then he took the next laddu and put it in my mouth!

Then he stood up and said, “Come, lie down on my back and we will fly to Shree Muktananda Ashram.” It was so much fun to fly through the night and see the illuminated cities and the vast ocean! When I touched the ground of Shree Muktananda Ashram, I was filled with the sacred energy of this place. I waved to Bade Baba with love.

Then I lay down again on Lord Ganesh’s back and we flew back. I fell asleep on the way, happy and with a sweet smile on my face. It was so much fun and I still feel the joyful energy bubbling inside me today.

Konolfingen, Switzerland

I fell asleep last night contemplating Gurumayi’s words. It is amazingly synchronous to read them now, since I am currently refining my daily schedule and what I do with my time. Specifically, I am working on what I do from dinner to bedtime. I sometimes feel drawn to eat something sweet or to watch comedy shows, but then I wake up feeling unwell and I am late for my morning practices.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night feeling some disturbance in my mind. I asked myself, “What is bothering you?” I kept asking until I finally saw that I was disappointed that I had not yet implemented Gurumayi’s teaching to repeat the mantra as I fall asleep.

With Gurumayi’s grace and my self-inquiry, I am seeing how to adjust my choice of actions to create a clear path for my sadhana.

Colorado, United States

What a priceless and timely gift are these teachings from Gurumayi! Her words wonderfully encourage and empower me to strengthen my resolve to keep my mind focused always on the highest, deepest, and most timeless truth in the form of the mantra, and to resist the endless parade of distractions that tempt me to stray elsewhere.

Gurumayi’s words are also a reminder to me that each moment, each breath, is precious.

California, United States

I recently learned about a health issue that needs attention, and naturally, many questions and concerns arose about how to manage the condition, handle uncertainties, and calm my mind. I asked for grace and mentally offered many questions to the Guru.

The next morning, as I opened the Siddha Yoga path website, I saw Gurumayi’s “Bond with the Mantra.” Reading her words, I discovered that Gurumayi had answered my questions.

Of late, I have been chanting the mantra not only when facing challenges but also during my daily chores, and I repeat it before going to bed. However, I sometimes find myself focusing on the negativities of my own mind, or on my own or others’ faults. Gurumayi’s words once again remind me to look for and focus on auspiciousness, to remember to chant the mantra, and to believe in my own experience of chanting it and receiving its protection and grace.

I am grateful to Gurumayi for her teachings, her immense love, her kind guidance and care.

Melbourne, Australia

For me, this extraordinary and inspiring teaching from Gurumayi prompts me to intensify my connection with the practices of mantra japa and chanting the mantra.

It also reminded me of something I heard when I was offering seva in New Delhi, India, supporting a satsang that was being held in a Siddha Yogi’s home.

A woman shared that the mantra Om Namah Shivaya had been in her family for generations and was part of her upbringing since early childhood. However, she said that while chanting and meditating in this Siddha Yoga satsang, which was charged with Guru’s grace, she felt she had experienced the mantra for the first time.

Washington, United States

“Bond with the Mantra” feels to me like a call to acknowledge the reality of life and refresh my commitment to my sadhana with even more enthusiasm. I have a strong “bond with the mantra” and will tune in to its flow, for I have seen it working many times in my life.

I have a sixteen-month-old daughter who is still catching up on her developmental milestones. I chant the mantra to her with the intention that it will light up all the areas of her life. Like other Siddha Yoga mothers, I am keen for her to develop the same love for the mantra as I have. So we repeat it as soon as she wakes up, when she bathes, before leaving the house, and sometimes playfully with different rhythms when we’re climbing the stairs. At night when she sleeps, I repeat the mantra twenty-one times to thank Gurumayi for the day.

My daughter listens to it very attentively. And now I’m going to chant the mantra with even greater enthusiasm and more respect for its power.

Indore, India

Gurumayi’s “Bond with the Mantra” fills me with profound hope. Whenever challenges arise, I turn to the repetition of the mantra. It reminds me that my Guru is with me and protecting me, and this awareness brings me strength and reassurance.

At times, I retire for the night with an agitated mind, yet the mantra remains with me. I observe that my mind continues to repeat it naturally, and this experience offers me deep comfort and support.

I am sincerely grateful to Gurumayi for this guidance and for the gentle reminder to remain steadfast in my practice.

Virginia, United States

As I was travelling home from my recent visit to Gurudev Siddha Peeth, I made a firm commitment to repeat the mantra daily. This practice helps me to remain balanced, fearless, and focused within. I feel Shri Guru’s presence in every moment.

Reading Shri Gurumayi’s teaching about the immense power of the mantra deeply inspired me to continue my silent repetition of the mantra. In moments of uncertainty or misperception regarding family business and my work in general, the mantra keeps me calm and grounded. The mantra gives me presence of mind. I truly feel the Guru’s bountiful protection over me.

The Houghton, South Africa

It was reassuring to read Gurumayi ji saying, “Throughout the day and night, different emotions will arise within you” and “you will have to consciously go through the process of undoing the knot of the heart”—because I have had these experiences lately.

The energies of other people in my surroundings do affect my emotional state. Recently, this happened while I was offering seva and I became stressed. I made the self-effort to repeat the mantra as I sat quietly for meditation. Focusing on the space between my breaths, I visualized my Guru. This all worked beautifully: I felt calmer, I developed compassion for the person, “the knot in my heart” was released, and I started feeling lighter.

Even after that, I kept repeating the mantra with focus to sustain this state of calmness. I am proud of myself for my self-effort in repeating the mantra, with the support of my Guru’s grace. May I hold this practice in my heart and in my intelligence and keep walking the path the Guru shows us.

Pune, India

Over the years of my Siddha Yoga sadhana since childhood, chanting has become my strength throughout life’s ups and downs. When I chant, I am instantly in a plane of bliss. At night, I sometimes observe that the mantra has been going on in my dream state. Repeating the mantra before I eat has become my established practice.

Nowadays, despite challenges in the outer world, I am experiencing more calmness than ever before. I make balanced decisions regarding what I should think about, how much energy to invest in it, and how to time my responses to it. I feel this is the fruit of my daily singing of certain stotrams. I do this as a “ritual”—something Gurumayi teaches about here.

I would love to strengthen my “bond with the mantra” even more so that I can experience the mantra’s full blessings. For this, I have decided to follow Gurumayi’s guidance and make it a habit to repeat my mantra at bedtime so that when I wake up, my mind and body will feel renewed the next day.

Dombivli, India

I experience “Bond with the Mantra” as a lustrous teaching that’s rich with the mantra itself. Every night for some time now I have gone to my nightly rest with my rudraksha mala held in my right hand. I place the mala over my heart, and I begin repeating the mantra, installing it in the “hub” or “cave” of my heart. Not long afterward, I am peacefully and deeply asleep for quite some time.

The mantra is like an elixir that calms my mind and body. As I type this, I feel like the mantra is streaming through my fingertips. O beautiful mantra, I invite you to bond with me eternally!

California, United States

Repeating the mantra is my “safe place.”

Wherever I may be,

It empties my mind, calms me, soothes me, comforts me,

And connects me to the heart.

Florence, Italy

I love this! I’m so grateful to have a living Guru who gives me clear teachings and direction for my life.

The last few weeks I have been immersed in the Siddha Yoga music on a streaming platform and have been playing especially the different ragas and melodies of the Om Namah Shivaya chants. So much grace, so much shakti! My being and my living space have been transformed to beautiful light and love.

Colorado, United States

Remembering the first line of Gurumayi’s Message for 2026—“Renew! Reset your mind”—I have been noticing the ways that my mind sometimes talks to me with thoughts such as “Is this winter ever going to end?” and “Maybe I should skip going to the gym today.” This is when my mind needs an uplifting “reset.”

Over time, I have been regularly practicing meditation with the Hamsa mantra. I stay aware of my breath as it continues on its constant journey in and out, and, at the same time, I listen for the sound of the mantra that the breath makes. If I notice a pause between the breaths, I rest in the quietness of that space for as long as it lasts.

During my day, I have been practicing this more and more, especially when thoughts occur that are not uplifting. Rather than listening to and believing these thoughts, I am able to experience the stillness between the breaths. The thoughts then disappear into that silence.

A “reset” mind—a truly quiet day!

New York, United States

Gurumayi’s exposition has inspired me to become more vigilant about the thoughts and words I feed into my “grazing” mind. The content I watch and read, the conversations I engage in—everything shapes my inner world. I must take responsibility for what happens inside due to the choices I make outside.

Looking back over the years of my sadhana, I see that repeating Om Namah Shivaya is like lighting a lamp in a dark house. Wherever the lamp is lit, it illuminates its surroundings. If lamps are lit throughout the house, the entire space is filled with light. Similarly, when I repeat the mantra even once, a corner of my mind is illumined. When I make it a steady practice, the light begins to permeate my entire being. In every state, in every moment, the mantra redeems and centers me.

Thane West, India

This year, despite moving my body more and recommitting to the discipline of my daily practices, I have been feeling a “knot” in my heart. I have been praying to Gurumayi and asking how I could bring the refuge, sense of safety, and auspiciousness that I experience in meditation into outer circumstances that feel neither safe nor auspicious.

In this exposition, Gurumayi addresses my prayer so specifically, reminding me of the exquisite power of the mantra. Before, I had been going to sleep repeating the mantra, perhaps more by rote than with intention. Now I intend to refresh that practice and soak each repetition in the light of Consciousness and the sweet love of my Guru. And if I get up in the night, when I return to bed, I will again repeat the mantra so that it permeates my dreams.

I feel renewed and inspired to be ever more vigilant and to focus my mind on the light of the mantra, especially during activities that do often seem “tedious.” I feel that Gurumayi has opened a window into my consciousness.

New York, United States

Recently, a work colleague’s behavior toward me made me feel both a lack of self-worth and a certainty that my actions were well-intentioned and considerate. With great effort, I have been working through my feelings and connecting to my inner guidance, to the knowledge that grace supports me, that I need to keep space between myself and the work colleague, that I must stay connected to the Siddha Yoga teachings and practices, and that I have to keep being who I am.

Gurumayi’s words spotlighted the importance of continuing my spiritual practices with dedication. And I felt she was directly addressing my situation when I read these words: “And then, when it appears your life is being upended by insidious forces, you find that these forces have no hold over you. They are weak and you have all the strength to be who you want to be.”

I felt deeply reassured that focusing on my spiritual practices and sadhana will protect me and support me in continuing to bring my goodness and authentic self to my workplace.

California, United States

I love to rest in the mantra. When I repeat it silently to myself, I merge into the scintillating presence of divine love within me. I experience the deep inner stillness of the Guru’s love and the sweetness of her presence.

California, United States

In recent months, I have noticed a change in my inner state, from nearly perpetual and intense anxiety to a state of greater and greater serenity. Even with the current challenges in my life, I can redirect my thoughts and steady myself in calmness and peace.

I can only conclude that this is the result of Gurumayi’s grace, decades of doing Siddha Yoga practices, and genuine self-effort to be free of negative energies and states. There are big challenges on the horizon, but the journey forward feels very different now—grace-filled and divinely guided.

West Vancouver, Canada

Since receiving Gurumayi’s Message for 2026, I am recognizing the patterns of this lifetime and am able to perceive them as separate from me. So, they can no longer take hold as deeply.

Now, when I recognize an old pattern, I turn to the mantra and the breath, and I can see these patterns soften. I now turn to the mantra with full trust that the shakti knows what I need. I know that outer circumstances may bring the patterns back, but I am learning, with my own disciplined habits, that I can let them go again.

California, United States

Today, I read “Bond with the Mantra” by Gurumayi ji, and these were the words that flowed through me:

In silence, the mantra softly stays,

Not just in words, but in quiet ways.

Breath by breath, my mind feels free,

A gentle friend inside of me.

Shubh Mahashivaratri!

a fifteen-year-old from Gandhinagar, India

Gurumayi has spoken directly to the challenges I have been facing. I have been noticing and working with unexplained emotions that arise during the day—particularly when my energy gets low in the afternoon and late evening. I have noticed that this is when I fall into unhelpful actions, including eating too much. My body and mind both go “grazing” as a habitual way of distracting myself when these feelings arise. It was so automatic, I hadn’t noticed the triggers. But through reflection, observation, and journaling, I started seeing the pattern.

A few weeks ago, I went before Bade Baba in the Temple at the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland and asked for direction. I heard him say very clearly “More mantra.”

Since then, I have been repeating the mantra with energy and full presence during the moments in my day when these feelings occur. When I do this successfully, I feel a great energy of love and light arise.

Reading Gurumayi’s words confirmed this whole process for me. I feel her love and support and guidance. 

California, United States

I’ve found myself relying on the mantra more and more—it wipes away my tiredness and the useless thoughts that sometime gather. I listen to the mantra every night, and for me, it is the perfect doorway to a restful sleep. I’m continually amazed at the power of this simple practice.

Connecticut, United States

Bond is such a beautiful word. It denotes the steadfast relationship I have with the mantra, as well as the innate power of the mantra’s connection within me. For me, the mantra is God speaking directly to me and in the world around me. The mantra is my “constant companion” throughout the day and night. My “bond with the mantra” is my connection with my Guru. It is a connection that is unbroken and eternal.

Maine, United States