Yesterday marked my return to Monday Mantra on Facebook Live, and I decided to share something very simple and personal: my morning devotional practice to Ganesha.

I’m a simple person at heart, so this isn’t a showy performance; no grand gestures or complicated steps. And of course, I’m a convert to Hinduism, and there’s still much I don’t understand on anything deeper than an academic level, so my rituals and devotions are always simple, full of things I understand, not just academically, but in the heart too. My morning devotion is not about perfection (I’m not a perfect person, nor a perfectionist!). Instead, it’s a short practice that helps me turn towards the Divine at the beginning of the day, before emails, admin, teenagers, animals, work, and the general chaos of life start demanding attention.

Ganesha is most often known as the remover of obstacles, but I also experience him as a steadying presence. He brings me back to the ground. He reminds me to begin again, gently and with intention.

My practice begins by lighting a candle and incense. These small acts are enough to shift the energy of the space. They say: this moment is different. This moment is sacred.

I then make a simple offering, usually a flower or even just some fresh water, with the words:

This part matters to me because it changes the tone of the practice. I’m not beginning the day by asking for more, or demanding Ganesha fix everything for me. I’m beginning with thanks. Sometimes that gratitude flows easily, like it did yesterday. Sometimes it feels more like gently reminding myself that life is still holding me, even when the to-do list feels overwhelming and new lifeforms are trying to breed in the children’s bedrooms.

After this, I chant the Ganapati mantra for one mala (108 repetitions):

Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

This mantra is one of the most well-known Ganesha mantras. It can be used at the beginning of a new project, a new day, or any moment when we need clarity, grounding and support. I chant this with the thought “I am here with you”.

I then chant the Ganesha Gayatri fifteen times. The repetition gives the practice shape. It also gives the mind something steady to rest on, which is especially helpful when the brain is attempting to run seventeen tabs, three of which are playing music. Most deities have their own Gayatri mantra. It’s very much a devotional verse.

Om Ekadantaya Vidmahe Vakratundaya Dhimahi Tanno Danti Prachodyat

We devote our thoughts to the One Tusked Lord; we meditate upon him who has a curved trunk; May the Tusked One guide us on the right path

To close, I set the intention:

May my actions today be an offering to the Divine.

This is the heart of the practice for me. It takes devotion out of the ritual space and carries it into the day. The emails, the work, the care, the cleaning, the teaching, the tiny acts that nobody sees; they can all become part of the offering.

Finally, I chant:

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
May all beings everywhere be happy and free.

I repeat this five times, then bow.

And that is enough.

https://youtu.be/BUod_T1BGMI

A devotional practice doesn’t need to be long to be meaningful. It does not need to be elaborate to be sincere (though if that’s what works for you, go for it!). Sometimes the simplest practices are the ones we are most likely to return to, and that’s certainly true for me.

After I finished, I turned to the camera to chat and whilst doing so, I added white sandalwood paste and red vermillion powder to my ajna (the point between the brows). The white sandalwood semells amazing, and feels cooling, calming and devotional. The vermillion added a sense of sacred presence, commitment and blessing (and is also a nod to Shakti, the Divine Goddess energy). It serves as a personal reminder too: “I have turned towards the Divine today”