Gayatri mantra is a Vedic prayer. It is a universal prayer that can be used by any person, belonging to any country, irrespective of race, religion, or sex. This book includes the symbolism of Om and the Gayatri, the scriptural references where they are mentioned, as well a detailed instruction on how to perform the Sandhya rituals. Text for the rituals is in Sanskrit with transliteration, and English translation.
Those who have succeeded in attaching or detaching their minds at will have succeeded in Pratyahara, which means gathering towards, checking the outgoing powers of the mind, freeing it from the thralldom of the senses. When we can do this, we shall really possess character; then alone we shall have taken a long step towards freedom. Before that, we are mere machines.
-Swami Vivekananda