Om Chanting: Connecting Heaven and Earth
‘Om’ and Om chanting is the primal cosmic vibration emanated by the Universe. To the ancient Indians who discovered this vibration thousands of years ago, and other cultures who have adapted this sound to suit their phonetics, Om chanting represents the sound form of Consciousness which drives incubation, sustenance and transformation of matter and energy.
The word OM comprises triad sounds, ‘A’, ‘U’ and ‘M’ respectively. According to the Mandukya Upanishad (a body of knowledge devoted to an explanation of Om), Aa (arising from abdominal region) supports the creative energy called Brahma, Au (originating in the chest/throat region) infers to the Hindu God of sustenance called Vishnu, and Ma (originating in the head) denotes the transformative energy of the Hindu deity Shiva. The universal appeal of Om chanting is reflected in the various adaptations of Om in many faiths. And today, modern science corroborates the therapeutic effects of chanting Om after findings that the droning vibration of Om sound is emanated by the Earth and thus attunes our health and behavior favorably if chanted regularly.
The fact that ancient Hindu sages, accomplished in science and self-knowledge, already knew about the power of chanting om, is a testimony that yoga and meditation enhances one’s receptivity to knowledge. Om disclosure in the Vedas (one of the oldest scriptures of science and spiritual knowledge in civilization) is practiced in Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Other adaptations of Om are prevalent across faiths, as Amun (or Amun-Ra— God of Kings and King of Gods) among Egyptians, Amen (meaning “So be it”) in Judaism and in Christianity, Amin (or Alm) in Islam, and Ogham in Celtic.
Om is associated with the Sanskrit word Pranava, which means ‘that which nourishes life and functions through the Prana’ (life-giving force in breath). Om and om chanting is also associated with the four states of the Brahm (Sanskrit for Supreme Being), namely, the wakeful state, the dream state, the deep resting state, and the turiya (silence) state that engulfs the first three states. Therefore chanting Om is the simplest and most effortless path for a person to unite with the cosmic intelligence and develop intuition, calmness in disposition and dynamism in actions.
Regular chanting of Om is an invigorating experience that relieves chronic headaches, weak retention, nervousness and inner restlessness, bodily toxins, and balances the three energies that correspond to the abilities of creativity, maintenance and transformation essential for academic and professional excellence. The intoning and chanting of om expands the consciousness enabling one to relate to people around with a sense of belongingness. The om sound vibrations also benefit the surrounding atmosphere by charging it with a positive, uplifting energy.
The ideal seating position for Om chanting is the lotus posture (padma-asana) in yoga. Lotus posture is identified with sitting on a firm surface by folding and inter-locking the legs, hands resting on respective thighs with open palms facing skywards, spine erect and muscles relaxed. People who experience discomfort in this posture may sit comfortably in sukha-asana by folding one leg above another without crossing them. With eyes closed, in order to draw the mind’s attention inwards, one may take a few deep breaths with attention on breath.
Every Om in om chanting is done by pronouncing the three syllables ‘aa’, ‘au’ and ‘ma’ in an uninterrupted sequence during exhalation after every deep inhalation. First, one may pronounce a long, deep ‘aa’ sound (originating in the navel), with open lips and lasting from three-five seconds, followed by a ‘au’ sound (around the chest region) with partly closed lips for a similar span of time and culminates in a shorter ‘ma’ sound (in the head region) and is pronounced with lips closed for around four seconds gracefully until it fades. One may continue chanting for at least ten minutes or longer. The tendency to drift into silent chanting is a good indication that one repeat Om mentally, with awareness towards the breath. This is the basic way of doing om yoga chanting.
