Donna De Lory performs a devotional meditation combining Om Namah Shivaya—the Sanskrit invocation honoring Shiva—with Thy Will Be Done, a surrender-based affirmation rooted in Christian mysticism. The piece explores how two distinct sacred traditions can coexist within a single chanting practice, bridging Hindu Tantra and Western contemplative spirituality through vocal resonance and rhythmic repetition.
What Is Om Namah Shivaya?
Om Namah Shivaya is one of the most widely recognized Sanskrit mantras in Hindu devotional practice. The phrase breaks down into fundamental components: "Om" represents the primordial sound of creation and consciousness itself; "Namah" means "I bow" or "I honor"; and "Shivaya" refers to Shiva, the Hindu deity associated with transformation, meditation, dissolution, and ultimate consciousness. When recited together, Om Namah Shivaya translates as "I bow to Shiva" or "I honor the divine consciousness within all things."
This mantra sits at the core of Shaivite Hindu practice and appears in the Upanishads and Tantric texts as a tool for spiritual awakening. Practitioners traditionally use Om Namah Shivaya to cultivate inner stillness, to remove ego-based obstacles, and to align the individual consciousness (atman) with universal consciousness (Brahman). The mantra is not merely a prayer request but a statement of recognition—an acknowledgment that divinity already exists within oneself and all beings.
How Does Chanting Om Namah Shivaya Affect the Nervous System?
Chanting Sanskrit mantras like Om Namah Shivaya engages specific neurological pathways. The extended "Om" sound, which can be sustained for several breath cycles, activates the parasympathetic nervous system—the body's rest-and-digest response. As vocal cords vibrate to produce the mantra, they stimulate the vagus nerve, which directly influences heart rate, digestion, and emotional regulation. Regular chanting has been shown in meditation studies to lower cortisol levels, reduce blood pressure, and shift brain wave patterns toward slower, more coherent alpha and theta frequencies associated with deep relaxation and insight.
The repetitive structure of mantras also engages the default mode network of the brain—the neural system associated with self-referential thinking and mind-wandering. By focusing attention on sound and meaning, mantra practice gradually quiets the inner commentary and creates space for what practitioners describe as "witnessing consciousness" or pure awareness itself. The rhythmic anchor provided by chanting serves as a meditation object, allowing the mind to settle naturally without force.
What Is the Spiritual Purpose of "Thy Will Be Done"?
"Thy Will Be Done" is a phrase rooted in Christian contemplative tradition, most famously appearing in the Lord's Prayer. In the context of this meditation piece, it functions as an affirmation of surrender—a deliberate relinquishing of personal will in favor of alignment with a higher or divine purpose. Unlike a petition or request, "Thy Will Be Done" operates as an acceptance statement, signaling the practitioner's willingness to trust in a greater order beyond individual ego-driven preference.
This surrender principle appears across many contemplative traditions. In Advaita Vedanta, it parallels the concept of "Thy Will" as the seamless operation of universal law (dharma). In Sufism, it echoes the Islamic concept of "inshallah"—if God wills. The Christian mystic tradition, particularly through figures like Julian of Norwich and Meister Eckhart, emphasizes that personal will aligned with divine will generates freedom rather than constraint. In this meditation, "Thy Will Be Done" serves as a counter-balance to the assertive invocation of Om Namah Shivaya, creating a dual movement: first honoring the divine within (Shiva recognition), then releasing the need to control outcomes.
Why Combine Two Different Sacred Traditions in One Chant?
The pairing of Om Namah Shivaya with Thy Will Be Done reflects a contemporary approach to spirituality that recognizes universal principles underlying diverse religious languages. Rather than viewing Hindu mantras and Christian affirmations as separate or competing systems, this approach understands them as different expressions of identical truths accessed through different cultural lenses.
Hindu philosophy, particularly Advaita Vedanta, teaches that all names and forms of divinity point to a single non-dual consciousness. This theological openness makes Hindu mantric tradition naturally hospitable to integration with other paths. Meanwhile, Christian mysticism—less visible in mainstream Christianity but present in contemplative orders and apophatic theology—also emphasizes direct experience of the divine beyond doctrinal boundaries. When practitioners combine chants from both traditions, they signal that the goal is not sectarian loyalty but direct spiritual experience, accessible through any authentic path.
From a practical standpoint, combining two chants creates rhythmic variation and prevents monotony during extended meditation practice. The shift from the Sanskrit invocation to the English affirmation also accommodates practitioners whose first language is English, making the practice more accessible without diluting its power. Different brain regions respond to different languages and phonetic patterns, so alternating between Sanskrit and English may engage multiple neural pathways simultaneously.
How Can This Chant Be Used in Personal Spiritual Practice?
This meditation can be approached as a complete practice on its own or integrated into an existing routine. For beginners, listening to the recording repeatedly allows the mind and body to become familiar with the melodic and rhythmic patterns. Many practitioners find that regular listening, even in the background during daily activities, creates a subtle shift in baseline awareness—a gentle recalibration of attention toward spiritual aspiration.
For more engaged practice, singing or chanting along with the recording deepens the effect. The vocal engagement creates resonance within the body, particularly in the head and heart cavities. Some traditions teach specific hand positions (mudras) or visualizations to accompany chanting: visualizing Shiva in the heart center, imagining blue light filling the body during Om Namah Shivaya, or sensing a release or opening during Thy Will Be Done. Others simply focus attention on the sensation of the voice and the meaning of the words.
A structured approach might involve chanting for 11 minutes (a traditional sacred number in many meditation systems) or for 40 days consecutively, which some traditions believe creates a permanent shift in consciousness. Alternatively, practitioners might use the chant as a transitional tool: singing it each morning to set intention, or each evening to release the day's accumulated tensions and preferences.
What Is the Relationship Between Shiva and Transformation?
In Hindu mythology and philosophy, Shiva embodies transformation and destruction in the generative sense—not as annihilation but as the dissolution necessary for renewal. Shiva is the yogi supreme, the ultimate meditator, depicted in ascetic pose in high Himalayan caves. He is also the cosmic dancer (Nataraja) whose movements create and destroy worlds in endless cycles. In Tantric traditions, Shiva represents consciousness itself (Purusha), the unchanging witness to all phenomena.
When practitioners invoke Om Namah Shivaya, they are not asking Shiva to do something; they are recognizing Shiva-consciousness as the very ground of their own being. This transforms personal identity from a limited, isolated ego into an expression of universal, transformative consciousness. The "bowing" in Namah is not submission to an external authority but recognition of one's own deepest nature. Practically, this invocation helps practitioners release fixed beliefs about who they are and what they must achieve, opening space for genuine transformation to occur.
How Does Vocal Resonance Support Meditation?
The human voice is a powerful instrument for accessing altered states of consciousness. When sound is sustained—as in the "Om" portion of the mantra—the vibrations stimulate the pineal and pituitary glands, often called the "master glands" of the endocrine system. Some meditation teachers point to these glands as energetic centers of spiritual perception. Whether understood neurologically or esoterically, the physical vibration of sustained vocalization undeniably affects physiology.
Melodic chanting, like that performed in this piece, adds another dimension. The specific pitches, intervals, and harmonic structures used in devotional music are often intentionally designed to resonate with the energy centers (chakras) described in yogic philosophy. Western research on sound healing and binaural beats has confirmed that sustained tones at particular frequencies can entrain brain waves and shift consciousness. Beyond physiology, the beauty of the voice—whether one's own or a skilled vocalist—naturally draws attention inward and upward, toward higher emotional and spiritual registers.
Where to Go From Here
To deepen exploration of this practice, consider studying the philosophical backgrounds of both traditions. For the Hindu side, texts like the Shiva Sutras or the Bhagavad Gita provide context for the invocation of Shiva consciousness. For the Christian contemplative dimension, the works of Meister Eckhart or Thomas Merton explore surrender and divine will. Many kirtan artists and spiritual teachers (such as Krishna Das and Snatam Kaur) have created extensive bodies of devotional music that bridge East and West, offering related paths into mantra practice.
Experiment with different approaches: listen passively for meditation, sing along for active engagement, or use the chant as a focal point during other activities like walking or gentle movement. If drawn to the practice, consider connecting with a kirtan circle or devotional chanting community, where group resonance amplifies the individual experience. Finally, observe whether regular engagement with this chant shifts your inner sense of freedom, trust, and openness—the practical fruits of spiritual practice that matter more than any theoretical understanding.
