Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Bij Mantra
A single seed sound, one for each chakra, used as a focus for the mind in meditation.
Meaning
What Bij Mantra Means
Bij means seed. A seed, or bij, serves three functions in meditation: it acts as a focus for the mind, as a fulcrum other thoughts can be leveraged against, and as a template that forms a new imprint in the mind. Each chakra carries its own bij, a single syllable sound:
- Root Chakra: Lam
- Sacral Chakra: Vam
- Navel Chakra: Ram
- Heart Center: Yam
- Throat Center: Ham
- Third Eye, Ajna: Om
- Crown Chakra: Ang
In Practice
How It’s Used
A mantra used as a seed isn't just any sound or thought. Its sound carries focus and provides a template for a higher experience, so repeating it restructures the patterns in the mind that filter experience.
During deep meditation, the subconscious can release a flood of thoughts. A seed sound gives the mind something to return to, cutting through that flood and gradually turning old, negative patterns toward the positive.
