The Mantrika journal
Notes on the practice.
Field notes, guides, and the thinking behind Mantrika.
- 01
Keeping a Japa Practice Alive — and Returning After You Lapse
Keeping a japa practice alive over years isn't about never lapsing. It's about how you return — and the quiet role of sankalpa in beginning, again and again.
2026-06-11
7 min read
- 02
Mala Beads vs a Counting App: An Honest Way to Decide
Mala beads vs counting app isn't a contest with a winner — each protects a different part of the practice. Here's how to choose without betraying the tradition.
2026-06-09
7 min read
- 03
A Morning Japa Practice for the Hour Before the Day Begins
A morning japa practice doesn't need an hour or a shrine — just the quiet before the phone. Here's how to build a small dawn sitting that survives real life.
2026-06-05
7 min read
- 04
Why Japa Practice Doesn't Stick — and It Isn't Discipline
Why japa practice doesn't stick usually has nothing to do with willpower. It's the streak trap, the perfectionism, and the slow drift of turning prayer into a metric.
2026-06-01
7 min read
- 05
What Repetition Does to a Restless Mind: The Science of Mantra
The science of mantra meditation is less mystical than you'd think — a repeated sound is one of the best anchors attention has, and the research helps explain why.
2026-05-26
8 min read
- 06
Five Quiet Myths About Mantra Chanting That Hold People Back
Mantra chanting myths — that you must pronounce it perfectly, that you need a guru for everything, that more is better — keep sincere beginners from ever starting.
2026-05-20
7 min read
- 07
What Is a Mantra, Really — and How to Choose Your First One
What is a mantra beyond a magic phrase? An honest primer on sound, meaning, and how to choose your first mantra without getting lost in a thousand options.
2026-05-14
7 min read
- 08
How to Practice Japa: The Quiet Mechanics of Counting to 108
How to practice japa is less about effort than about a few small mechanics — the mala, the meru bead, the breath, and what to do with a wandering mind.
2026-05-08
7 min read