Do you ever feel like you need a healthy dose of good luck? Today might be that day, for it’s Friday the 13th!
If you’re a tad bit superstitious, or just want to usher in a bit of extra good luck this weekend, let the following yoga techniques and teachings uplift your spirits and bring you good fortune whenever you may need it.
Mantras for Good Luck
Good Fortune Ganesha
Ganesha, the beloved elephant-headed god, is the head honcho of good luck in the yogic pantheon of Hindu gods. Simply by chanting his mantra, Om Gam Ganapatayei Namaha, you can usher in Ganesha as your good luck charm.
Ganesha is known as the almighty remover of obstacles. His blessings are believed to be extra helpful when it comes to new beginnings. To let Ganesha do his work for you, chant Om Gam Ganapatayei Namaha at least 108 times each day, for 40 days.
Make a ritual of it, with a set of mala beads to help you keep track of your repetitions. You might also want to buy a small statue of Ganesha to keep with you as a reminder of his charms. Make use of this mantra to bring in health, happiness and oodles of good luck.
(Here's more on The Story of Hinduism's Elephant-Headed Deity, Ganesh (and How to Call Upon His Good Fortune).)
Lucky Lakshmi
Along with lucky Ganesh, Lakshmi is known as the goddess of good fortune, luck and abundance. This beautiful goddess bestows us with many boons–material and spiritual abundance being the most well known. Even in the darkest of days and nights, she is believed to bring good fortune and light. Lakshmi is the very essence of the divine feminine, and as such, she can give us hope, courage and strength when we most need it.
To invoke the good luck goddess, you’ll want to chant a mantra that’s specific to her. One of the most popular mantras to invoke Lakshmi’s auspiciousness is Om Hreem Shreem Maha Lakshmiyei Namaha.
As with mighty Ganesha, you’ll want to make a ritual of invoking this goddess of good fortune. Light a candle. Buy a little Lakshmi statue and place it on your bedside table. Use a pretty set of mala beads to keep track of the number of times you chant. Try also chanting this mantra 108 times each day, for 40 days.
(Learn more about this Abundance-Boosting Mantra & Meditation of Goddess Lakshmi.)
Good Luck Yoga Pose: Headstand
Headstand, also known as sirsasana, might just be one of the luckiest yoga poses of them all. Why? Because your brain gets a boost in a very powerful way when you're upside-down. By safely standing on your head, you’re reversing the flow of blood so that it runs to your brain, giving it a flood of auspicious energy and clarity.
After standing on your head, you can see things from a greater perspective. Practicing headstand regularly can help you usher in your own good fortune, as you’ll be able to see solutions to problems more clearly, and come up with new drafts and insights. If you’re a beginner, do headstand up against a wall for support and stability. With time, you’ll be able to go upside down on your own. As with any yoga pose, go slow, and don’t let your ego get in the way. Falling out of challenging poses is part of the process, so have fun and enjoy the ride!
(So, if you're up for this one, here's How to Safely Practice Headstand.)
Meditate on Being Lucky
The act of meditation itself can make you a luckier human being. If you’ve been meditating for quite a while now, you probably know what I mean. It seems we have greater luck and experience more synchronicity as we tap into our intuitive powers through a regular meditation practice.
Meditation helps you calm your busy mind, the one that clouds your intuition. Another thing I’ve noticed with meditation, is that it helps us come up with more creative solutions as we light up certain parts of the brain. A regular meditation practice also helps us cultivate resilience. In other words, we’re more apt to make lemonade when we get lemons. We can see the silver lining and turn “unlucky” situations into lucky ones. Sometimes, luck is all about turning our thinking upside-down. We saw this with headstand pose, and we also see this through the art of meditation. The more you meditate, the more you will notice things starting to align. And being in alignment with the Universe is what luck is all about!
(This mental aptness to make lemonade out of lemons, may also be known as Psychological Flexibility: The Other Type of Flexibility That Yoga Helps Improve.)
Good Luck!
In whichever way you choose to usher in more luck and good fortune to your life, do it with a light heart and little expectation of outcomes. This will increase the chances for things to go your way. If you’re grasping and clinging to a specific outcome, you’re likely not to get it.
Have fun and enjoy whatever ritual or rituals you choose to integrate into your sadhana. Luck is often in the eye of the beholder, so choose to see things as lucky and synchronistic, and — with time — they will be!
During These Times of Stress and Uncertainty Your Doshas May Be Unbalanced.
To help you bring attention to your doshas and to identify what your predominant dosha is, we created the following quiz.
Try not to stress over every question, but simply answer based off your intuition. After all, you know yourself better than anyone else.