Why Om?

Recently, I started to question why I chant the mantra Om at the end of some of my classes. In the Satyananda tradition, under which I trained, every class and satsang (spiritual gathering) started and ended with the chanting of Om and the Shanti (peace) mantra.

Yet, after the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the increasing number of stories about sexual misconduct and harassment in the yoga world, I started to question aspects of my class that might be considered “spiritual”. And chanting Om is the practice that most students seem to baulk at.

What is Om?

Om is a mantra. A mantra is comprised of sounds or words that are repeated to aid meditation. The word ‘mantra’ is derived from two Sanskrit words: manas meaning ‘mind’, and tra meaning ‘vehicle’, ‘instrument’ or transport’. Its full meaning then is to transport the mind from activity to stillness.

Om is the simplest of mantras and is considered the basis or source of all sounds.

Fully written, it comprises three sounds:

  • A (aahhh) representing the creation energy in the Universe, our waking state and our conscious perception of the world around us

  • U (oooh) representing the preservation of energy and the subtle workings of the mind, a connection to our innate wisdom

  • M (mmm) representing the transformation or liberation of energy and the feeling of being one with everything and everyone around us

The silence after chanting Aum symbolises transcedence, the recognition of your true Self, that is, your spirit or soul.

So Om or Aum can symbolise the cycle of life—the creation, preservation, transformation of energy or the ‘life force’—and all aspects of ourselves: body, mind, and spirit.

Why do I chant?

I like to chant Om at the end of my classes to leave students with a sense of calmess, to create a connection to my teachers and those who have helped me get to where I am today, and because I love the sound!

I love the way Om rolls off the tongue when I enunciate the A-U-M. It’s a sound that I find calming and soothing, and it seems to resonate within me, whether I chant it out loud, chant it silently, or listen to others chant it.

My practice of chanting Om three times, showing gratitude with a gesture, and then expressing a wish for peace (Aum shanti) has evolved from what I liked in other teachers’ classes. This is why I see the practice as a connection to my teachers. Also, in my mind, chanting Om three times shows gratitude to those who have shaped me—my family and friends, my teachers, and others—in essence an adaptation of the Buddhist LovingKindness practice of sending well wishes to all and a nod to my Chinese heritage.

If you attend a number of my classes you’re probably aware that I don’t chant Om in all of them. The classes where I don’t chant are usually those that I’ve advertised or that I think are perceived as ‘exercise’ classes. I feel that these classes attract people who are more interested in the physical aspects of yoga and, from experience, I find that introducing chanting can be disconcerting for some of them, so I focus on physical poses and movements, and physical relaxation.

Why you might like to join me

A recent study found that chanting has positive effects on mood and cognition, and, when participants chanted out loud together, that chanting heightened feelings of connection.

Gemma Perry, one of the authors of the study, elaborated further in a podcast:

  • Chanting improves attention by focusing on a sound or word instead of fixating on negative thoughts

  • Vocal chanting activates the parasympathetic nervous system (also known as the “rest and digest” response) by slowing the breathing

  • The ‘m’ sound of Om helps to extend the exhalation, which triggers the relaxation response

  • Initial findings from ongoing studies show that chanting reduces stress, both physically and psychologically

A review of studies related to the health benefits of singing (which can be seen as a form of chanting) found some evidence that singing can also improve breathing function.

You can choose whether you want to chant Om, or adapt the practice for your needs, as you can with any yoga practice. That might mean:

  • Choosing to chant silently,

  • Choosing another word or sound that has significance for you (for example, you could hum instead of chanting), or

  • Simply sitting there and listening to everyone else.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope that you feel the calmness, connection and gratitude for which I aim.

References & Further reading

General interestDeb @ LaiLin Yogamantra, philosophyComment