Picture it: you just completed a yoga class that has you feeling free, empowered, and rejuvenated. Your instructor somehow knew exactly what poses to present and the cues you needed to get into position. The class ended with a restful savasana and you are then coached into a seated posture with your hands in prayer at the center of your chest. Suddenly, your instructor mentions something about Om and now everyone around you is humming an unfamiliar, sound. You tense at the unfamiliarity and aren’t sure whether to laugh, pray to God for fear you might be in devil worship, or let your own voice bellow along.
Been there?! We all have our first Om experience and live to tell the tale, but why do we, here at Ignite Yoga, include Om at the beginning and/or end of our yoga classes? The answer may surprise you…
Let’s get into it, shall we?!
Om is a chant used in spiritual practices across the globe and is believed to be the greatest of all mantras. Without getting too technical, the Sanskrit aum (further translated into om) represents multiple triads. These triads include things like earth, atmosphere, and heaven; speech, thought, and action; goodness, passion, and darkness. Essentially, this little bitty sound is the whole universe, beginning to end. Om is also referred to as the primordial sound of the universe, incorporating creation, preservation, and finally dissolution. It’s literally everything.
Why do we chant Om at the beginning and/or end of a yoga class?
At its very basic level, Om is a way to envelope your practice into a beautiful gift with an audible bow of sorts. When opening your practice with Om, the vibration helps to unify the energy among all participants in the room. Furthermore, it warms up your breathing muscles by sustaining the tone, one, two, or maybe even three times. At the end of the practice, we use it just like one might say Amen at the end of a prayer—as a way to honor and end your practice, helping you to transition beyond your calm state on your mat back into the world.
Breaking down Om into A-U-M
Let’s dive deeper into the individual sounds of the chant. For the purpose of this explanation, let’s use the a-u-m spelling of the word and break it down into the three parts. The chant begins with the A sound, deep in the belly, near the diaphragm. This initial sound represents a beginning or genesis. The A sound is the birth of the chant and represents such by using the deepness of the breath, starting low in the abdomen and vibrates more toward the back of the throat. The sound then progresses to the U sound which is carried through the heart and vibrates more toward the head—lifting the yogi into the life of the sound. It is recommended that this U sound be held longer than the initial or final sound in the chant, because it represents the preservation of existence. Imagine the act of living as you hum the U sound as it represents our individual living experience and our community as a collective moving through life. Finally, ending the chant with the M sound, is completed with a vibration that can be felt up through the crown of the head and vibrates forward on the lips, thus activating a calm and regulated state for the yogi. The M part of this chant represents an ending and the completion of peace. You will notice a pause and silence following this ending sound. Many yogis use this time to soak in the last bits of peace and will often release a warm sigh in the silence.
Even though we encourage you to participate, chanting is always optional and is not necessarily included in all Ignite Yoga classes. However, simply being in the presence of the auditory input is beneficial. When you are in your post-yoga calm with your fellow yogi community, your body is primed and ready to receive the vibrations of Om even if you are not producing the sound yourself. The sound and vibrations activate the vagus nerve, which is in charge of the body’s regulation. Everything from digestion, to heart rate, and even immunity is controlled by this nerve, which runs from the brain, through the face and chest down to the abdomen. It makes sense, then, that chanting would stimulate this nerve from bottom to top. Imagine it like a massage for your insides, or the strumming of a guitar string. The vibration felt during the chant brings life and moves energy for all who are present. And who doesn’t want that?!
While we typically include Om at the beginning or end of our yoga practice, there are numerous ways to chant, and just like yoga, the more you practice, the more you benefit. Next time you’re in class with us, take what you’ve learned and see if you can apply it to your practice.
