Mantra, or sacred word, can be defined most simply as “subtle sound vibration, which through repetition aims at expanding one’s awareness or consciousness” (source). You’ll know a common example from the repetition of “om”; “om” itself is a mantra.

Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, aka Swami J, has a great series of videos about the usage of mantra & how to make the most of the practice. While some of the concepts may be a bit hard to follow at first, Swami J is a fountain of wisdom on all things Yoga, so bear with him and you’ll emerge enlightened!

Your whole being as an ear for mantra in yoga meditation:

More videos & writing about how to best use mantra can be found here.