Meaning Of Om
Om is a very simple sound with a complex meaning. Om is the whole universe coalesced into a single word, representing the union of mind, body, and spirit that is at the heart of yoga. Often chanted three times at the start and finish of a yoga session, the sound of om is actually three syllables – a, u, and m.
Om In Upanishads
The sound appears to have first cropped up in the Upanishads, a collection of sacred texts that inform Hinduism. The Mandukya Upanishads, which is entirely devoted to om, begins like this: “Om is the imperishable word.
Om is the universe, and this is the exposition of om. The past, the present, and the future, all that was, all that is, all that will be is om. Likewise, all else that may exist beyond the bounds of time, that too is om.” That pretty much covers it; om is big indeed.
The Power of Om
Om is an ancient mantra that is used in Hinduism and Buddhism, among other faiths.
In the Hindu tradition, the sound om is said to contain the entire universe. It is the first sound from the beginning of time, as well encompassing the present and the future. As such, its importance and power are difficult to overstate. It is also a seed syllable, used as a building block for other mantras.
In the chakra system, it is connected to ajna chakra, the third eye, which represents intuition and self-knowledge.
How To Chant Om
- Wherever you’re sitting right now, adjust your posture to sit up straight, and close your eyes.
- Take a nice long, deep breath and let it go.
- With your next deep breath, let an “Ooooo” slip out low and rumbly from your belly.
- When you’re half-way through your breath, slowly bring your lips together into an “Mmmmmmmmm”
- And then taper off and enjoy the silence.
- That’s one Om! You can do as many as you’d like. Shoot for chanting 10 minutes, and embrace the stillness.
Video On Chanting Om
Benefits Of Chanting Om
- Chanting of the Om Mantra purifies the environment around you and creates positive vibrations.
- Your concentration increases when you chant this universal hymn.
- Om chanting gives you better immunity and self-healing power.
- It improves your concentration and helps you focus.
- The Om chanting produces a vibration and sound which is felt through your vocal cords and sinuses. The vibrations open up the sinuses to clear the airways.
- It can place you in a meditational state which gives you deep relaxation.
- The Om not only benefits the person who is chanting it but also to the people around them, wherever its vibrations flow.
- The Om Mantra has cardiovascular benefits – by relaxing our mind and body, our blood pressure will decrease and our heart will beat with regular rhythm.
- Om chanting actually improves your voice by giving strength to your vocal cords and the muscles around it. This is very helpful during old age.
- It is said that rubbing your hands together while om chanting and putting those charged hands on different parts of body heals or activates those body parts.
- Through chanting and meditation, you can have better control over your emotions, thus allowing you to see situations with a clear and rational mind.
- Regular chanting of this Mantra will take you on a spiritual journey to greater happiness and positivity, but only if it is done daily for a longer period of time. Mantras are not an overnight fix to your problems – you must have patience and learn the correct techniques.
- When the OM Mantra is chanted in a group, the effects are amplified and this will produce immense positive vibrations which charge up the entire vicinity.
- It has been experience that Om can even help cleanse your skin. The massive levels of internal positive energy and a cleansed aura that come from chanting the Om Mantra regularly will be reflected externally with a sunny glow on your face and body.
- Your spinal cord is strengthened through the vibrations caused by sound of Aaaa. As this sound is generated from abdomen, it helps to strengthen the supporting muscles of the spinal cord.
- The sound uuu is created by vocal cords which benefit the thyroid glands and the throat.
- If you’re looking at the spiritual eye while chanting, your eyesight will start improving.
