Finding Peace in Hard Times with the Maha Mantra, Fasting, and Prayer

What do you hold on to when your body aches, your mind spins, and life keeps tossing curveballs from every direction? This is a gentle, real-time walk through a simple answer: call the Divine by name, in gratitude and need, and keep going. Here’s a lived-in practice built on chanting, fasting, prayer, forgiveness, and the kind of humility that softens even the hardest day. It is messy and human. It is tender and practical.

The Body Gets Loud, the Heart Gets Quiet

Late afternoon on day three of a fast is not romantic. The stomach whispers, then nags; the head feels foggy; the eyes do their own little dance. You add cold feet, a damp coat, and the not-so-glorious reality of traveling in a cramped van without a proper bathroom for days. It is not pretty. It is also honest. We live in these bodies, these funny suits of skin and bone, and they complain when routines shift.

The thing is, the body can get loud while the heart grows quiet. That is the doorway. Chanting helps. Beads help. A simple rhythm in the fingers, a sacred name on the tongue, and breath that starts to feel kind again. When the senses have a job, the mind stops chewing on problems and begins to listen.

Letting Go to Lighten the Load

Storage units are expensive. Things sit for years, take money, collect dust, and quietly weigh on the mind. Letting go can hurt, because every object carries a bit of story. And still, releasing what we cannot use or store frees energy for what truly matters. In this case, it meant stopping a monthly drain and using those pounds or euros to buy simple, wholesome food we can offer and share. It meant choosing service over sentiment.

There is relief in that. There is also grief. Both are allowed. Both are holy when offered up with sincerity.

A Pop Song, a Promise, and the Presence in Your Heart

Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” comes on in a warm pub while the rain taps on the windows. The line lands softly: “If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting, time after time.” The melody feels like a promise. It mirrors a deeper truth that many traditions teach. The Divine is not far. The presence in the heart waits with patience and love, always ready to receive attention, always ready to guide.

You can turn to that inner friend in any language. You can pray with words or without them. The point is sincere turning. Not to money, fame, security theater, or a clever plan. Turn to the One who is already with you.

Chanting as a Daily Lifeline

When the mind is restless and the body is sore, chanting gives the senses a steady path. There are many names and many traditions. The practice here leans on the Mahamantra, described as the great mantra for deliverance in this age. The sound is simple and profound:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

You can chant on beads, on your fingers, in a whisper, or out loud. You can sing. You can walk. There are no hard and fast rules around language or style. The essence is heartfelt calling. If a name like “Hare” or “Krishna” does not feel natural, try “Praise the Lord” or “Hallelujah.” The point is sincerity, not branding.

If you want a helpful companion piece on the spirit behind this practice, read Realizing God through chanting Hare Krishna. For a simple overview of meaning and practical gains, see Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, meaning and benefits.

Why This Matters When Life Gets Sharp

It takes one stone on a windshield to change a day. One truck too close on a narrow road. One sudden call from a doctor. This planet is a place where death takes place, quickly or slowly, but always suddenly when it comes. We have heard it since childhood and still act surprised.

Chanting does not remove loss. It steadies the heart so we can walk through it with grace. It makes forgiveness possible. It turns pain into prayer. It turns fear into shelter, not because we become strong, but because we remember we are not alone.

The Gentle Rule: Call the Name

One of the sweetest teachings is this: do not try to see God. Act in a way that God sees you. The quickest way to get someone’s attention is to call their name. We all know how that works at home. “Maria, hey love, are you awake?” Names draw presence. Names pull focus. Names open doors.

So call the Divine by name, in love and need. Do it daily. Do it when you are happy. Do it when the body aches. This is not about a club or a badge. It is about the simplest form of yoga, sound to sound, heart to heart.

How to Start Chanting Today

Here is an easy way to begin, no pressure, no perfection needed:

1. Pick a quiet spot, or a corner of a noisy one. Anywhere is fine.
2. Sit or stand with a straight back. Relax your face and shoulders.
3. Take a few slow breaths. Feel the breath settle.
4. If you have beads, hold them lightly between thumb and finger. If not, use your fingers to count.
5. Say the Maha Mantra once per bead or breath. Keep the pace that feels natural.
6. When you get distracted, notice it, then return to the sound.
7. Start small. Five minutes in the morning. Five minutes at night. Grow from there.

You can also set a time goal or a number of names. You can sing along with a recording, or sit with silence and just move your lips. Many people find a daily minimum helps build momentum. Some use a rosary, some say zikr, some chant with mala beads. The technology is simple and universal.

Fasting, Tenderness, and the Humble Heart

Fasting can feel like sandpaper on the nerves. It brings up irritations and old habits. That is not a failure. It is a mirror. If you get snappy with someone you love, pause and make it right. Forgive and ask forgiveness. Then keep going. The practice is not canceled because you stumbled. In fact, the stumble is part of the practice.

A soft teaching rings true here: feel yourself lower than the straw in the street, more tolerant than a tree, without false prestige, ready to offer respect to others. This posture makes constant chanting natural. It also makes forgiveness easy. You remember you are small, loved, and held.

Easter, Grace, and the Courage to Forgive

On Easter, the heart turns to one of the great teachers, Rabbi Yeshua, who loved without measure and forgave beyond reason. If he could forgive those who hurt him, we can forgive one person today. Or at least ask to be shown how. We cannot change the tracks we already laid, but we can lay the next ones with care.

Try this simple reflection:

• Think of one person you can forgive.
• Think of one person you can ask forgiveness from.
• Offer both names to the Divine, along with any pain you carry.
• Chant one round, or one minute, with that intention.

Nature’s Choir, and Joining the Song

In the temperate rainforest of Wales, the air hums. Bees do their little zigzag, birds offer their hymns, and the trees hold space for all of it. The whole scene feels alive with a kind of bright hush. Chanting plugs you into that flow. You become one more voice in the choir of creation, small and sincere, singing the name of the Friend in your heart.

Say haribol if you like, which simply means tell of Hari, tell of God, praise the Lord. Or say thank you. Or sing your own language of love. If a small bee gets curious near your cheek, maybe whisper a blessing for it too. It all goes to the same place.

What the Mantra Means in Plain Words

A simple way to hear it:

• Hare: the energy of the Lord, the compassionate divine potency.
• Krishna: the all-attractive One, the Divine who draws every heart.
• Rama: the reservoir of joy.

A plain prayer that rides on these sounds is this: O Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in loving service to you. When we serve the One, we naturally serve the many. Neighbors, friends, strangers, animals, the land itself. The root feeds the whole tree.

For more context on meaning and lived benefits, explore this gentle guide to the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, meaning and benefits. And for a reflective piece on the heart of the practice, see Realizing God through chanting Hare Krishna.

Troubles Today? Offer Them Up

This might be the hardest part and the sweetest. If your mind feels like a storm, offer the storm. If your body hurts, offer the ache. If you feel scared, offer the fear. Say it plainly. O Lord, I offer this to you. Please give shelter. Please give strength. Then chant your next set of names.

If you want a place to share your journey, questions, or gratitude, you are welcome in our community space. Join the Juicy Magik Agora community portal and feel held by good company. If you feel moved to support the projects that keep this work going, you can visit the Juicy Magik projects and sats support page.

A Simple Daily Flow You Can Try

• Morning: a glass of water, three deep breaths, five minutes of chanting.
• Midday: a short walk, repeat the mantra with each step.
• Evening: write one line of thanks, one line of forgiveness, one round of beads or one minute of names.
• Weekly: a small fast or a skipped meal, offered as prayer, paired with extra patience and kindness.

Keep it gentle. Keep it honest. If you miss a session, begin again. If you get irritated, ask forgiveness. If you feel peace, share it.

When Love Looks Like Saying Sorry

Life together means bumps and short tempers, especially when fasting or tired or cold. The real practice sometimes looks like this: I was careless, I am sorry. Please forgive me. Then the hug. Then the breath that finally drops back into the body. That counts as spiritual life. Maybe it is the whole of it.

Closing Blessing

• The body will complain. Let the heart sing anyway.
• The world will break our plans. Let the breath carry a holy name.
• The mind will wander. Let it return to sound, again and again.

May this Easter season, or any season you find yourself in, be a soft turning. May you find the Friend in your heart. May you forgive and be forgiven. May you feel held, like a gentle swaying, and remember how loved you are.

Thank you for reading. If this helped, pass it to someone who needs a small lifeline today. And if you are chanting now, even for a minute, may peace be with you and upon you.

mariakerwin

As a former serial entrepreneur, she turned from a workaholic in the business world to freedom and creativity, living now as a writer, creator and world traveller. Since an early age Maria is close to death and what exists beyond, courageously exploring the dimensions of existence. A Kundalini Awakening guided her into the abyss of fully surrendering to the life force itself, crushing all known aspects of her old life. Finally, it led her to her purpose of bridging both worlds, connecting to what goes beyond the ordinary.

See Full Bio