I was completely enamoured by my first ever yoga class, which I stumbled upon one hot summer’s day the year I left school. I was captivated by the whole thing – the teacher, who couldn’t have been more welcoming; the yoga poses which, even though they were unlike anything I had done before, I relished; the burning incense and the mysterious ‘OM’ that was chanted at the end of class.
Being somewhat self-conscious at the time, I didn’t join in the chanting of ‘OM’ in that first class. I do, however, remember enjoying being surrounded by this captivating sound. I had no understanding of what it was all about and no explanation was given. Nonetheless I loved the experience. I imagine, however, that the chanting of ‘OM’, without explanation, could be rather off putting.
While I appreciate that ‘OM’ is to be experienced rather than understood intellectually, knowing a little more about it, and how to sound it out when chanting, has greatly enhanced my experience of it. I now belt ‘OM’ out in yoga class with the best of them! It makes me feel wonderfully calm and present.
If you have ever wondered what on earth ‘OM’ is all about, here is my (very basic) understanding of it:
Ancient teachings and modern science agree that all living beings, including you and I, are made of vibrating, pulsing energy – often referred to as universal energy. This universal energy emits a sound that is inaudible to the human ear. It can be thought of as the humming of atoms and molecules.
The reason we can’t hear the sound of universal energy is because sounds within our range of hearing are created by at least two elements, visible or invisible, striking or vibrating together. Our brains interpret the pulsing waves of air molecules, created by such interactions, as sound. For example, bow and string; drum and stick; two vocal cords; lips against the mouthpiece of a clarinet; waves breaking against the shore; the wind against leaves.
It is thought that the audible sound that most resembles the sound of universal energy is the syllable ‘OM’. ‘OM’, then, can be thought of as the sound of the universe.
When chanting ‘OM’, it is usually broken down into three vocal sounds – A, U and M:
‘A’ – pronounced ‘AH’ as in ‘father’ – resonates at the centre of the mouth;
‘U’ – pronounced as in ‘who’ – transfers the vibration to the back of the mouth; and
‘M’ – humming with the lips gently closed – resonates forwards in the mouth and buzzes throughout the head.
By chanting ‘OM’, the cells, molecules, atoms and sub-atomic particles in your body are thought to tune into and vibrate on the same wavelength as universal energy, connecting you to all that is. This in turn has a healing and profoundly calming effect on both mind and body.
Even simply listening to the chanting of ‘OM’ has a calming effect! You might like to give it a try with this short video:
