Several times Srila Prabhupada interrupted a lecture or a japa session to tell someone, “Sit properly.” One devotee related to me that Prabhupada told him to “sit properly” when he was sitting on the floor with his knees up and his feet flat on the floor. Prabhupada writes: “First one must be able to sit properly, and then the mind and attention will become steady enough for practicing yoga.”
Physiology affects psychology. How we sit, stand or walk when chanting affects our ability to concentrate and pray. Right now slouch a bit and chant a few mantras while looking all around the room. Now sit up straight and chant a few mantras while either closing your eyes or looking at one thing (it doesn’t have to be a picture; it can even be one spot on the wall).
I am sure you immediately noticed the obvious difference in your ability to focus. It’s impossible to focus well on your japa when slouched over and constantly looking around.
Both the Hari Bhakti Vilasa and Srila Prabhupada state that it’s best to chant while sitting. Standing and walking are given as the second and third less desirable options. Sitting properly (sitting up straight) in your sacred space, focusing on your Diety or devotional pictures (or sitting with your eyes closed if you are not tired), will enable you to better focus on your japa. The more the body moves around and the more you look around, the more the mode of passion enters, thus causing a greater tendency for the mind to be distracted.
If you find it difficult to sit cross legged on the floor, get a firm cushion to sit on that is raised at least three inches off the ground (yoga supply websites sell these), or sit in a chair crossed legged. If you can’t sit crossed legged, then sit up straight in the chair.
If you chant while walking, keep your vision focused in a way that your chanting doesn’t become a site seeing tour. Also, remaining relaxed while standing or walking will keep your mind more focused.
When you sit down for chanting, experiment with chanting softly by whispering (this is called upamsu chanting). Many devotees find this kind of chanting helps them better control their minds than chanting loudly (although whispering, you can be loudly crying out internally). Softly chanting tends to bring increased internal focus for many devotees.
You can try two other things while sitting straight and chanting softly. First, relax your body. This frees up energy for controlling your mind (you exert energy when your body is tense and stressed). Secondly, place your bead bag over your heart (this is recommended by Bhaktivinoda Thakur). This may put you in a more prayerful mood (as often happens when your hands are folded in a prayer mudra in front of your heart).
Many devotees who have learned the techniques mentioned here have found them so beneficial that they are now chanting all of their rounds in one sitting. However, if you find it difficult to do this, then at least chant a portion of your rounds sitting. And experiment with the principles mentioned above when you chant while standing or walking (stand straight, beads by your heart, relax your body, chant softly, and focus your eyes.).
There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. These are recommendations that come from the Hari Bhakti Vilasa. They are given as suggestions. Many devotees find these simple techniques do make a noticeable difference in their chanting. So give these techniques a try and see how they work for you.
