Many students feel awkward chanting Om, especially at first. I did. I felt like a fraud, a fool. I felt self-conscious and ridiculous. I even thought that the practitioners of Om-chanting were pretentious and phony. (It’s fun to watch my mind’s mocking derision about topics, about which I know little. Talk about pretentious and phony!)
I’m not sure when I got over the discomfort around Om, or why. It may have had something to do with a wild New Year’s Eve celebration on the mountain, many years ago. It was the first time we “Ommmed” at midnight. To clarify, this was not a somber, serious affair. Oh, no. We went outside in the crisp, cold, clean mountain air to ring in the New Year. I think it was Cassie who directed, “Let’s Om!” at the stroke of midnight. We drunkenly stumbled together, huddled shoulder to shoulder and Ommmed at the moon, laughing and howling in joy and other mind-altering influences in a sustained embrace. The memory warms me, all these years later.
Or maybe I came to embrace Om from practicing it thousands of times with my regular practice (a one-hour power yoga audio class taught by Dave Farmar). The class starts and ends with three Oms.
Or it could have been when I witnessed the power of Om while teaching yoga to adults with cognitive disabilities, and other mental health issues. This event happened during my earliest teaching days before I was certified. We were all out of sorts one day. There was a bunch of commotion in our room, with people moving furniture in and out while we were trying to start class. One of the participants had just consumed an entire 2-liter Mountain Dew, and he was running around the room. Another person was bickering with her staff person, who unfortunately was bickering back. It was bedlam. We always practiced chanting Om to begin class, so I gave it a try. But I wondered if this class was a lost cause for the day. With prayer hands, we took a smooth, slow, deep breath in, and exhaled a smooth, slow, open-throated Om. And then we breathed in and Ommmed again. And one more time, our usual total of three. I looked around and everyone, including Mountain Dew man, was settled on their mats, comfortable, calm, and quiet. Before I knew what was happening, one of the participants led us in two more Om’s. The man who led the extra Om’s has a very low IQ and limited verbal skills, but his yogi-wisdom radiated. It felt magical. We ended up having a great class.
Over the years, I have recognized the power of Om to heal a moment. Om helps transition from the outside world to the inside experience. Om helps shift from the busy day to the quiet space of the mat. Om brings instant relief from fear and anxiety. Om reminds us how to breathe.
There are two important things to remember about chanting Om. First, there is no wrong way to do it. If it makes you giggle with discomfort, that’s wonderful. Laughter is healing, especially laughing at our own self-consciousness. And if it makes you squirm with discomfort, that’s also fine. Taking risks brings discomfort, just as it brings opportunities. Think of how many times you have wished to do something, wear something, be something, but the risk of embarrassment stopped you. Chanting Om is a safe, easy way to explore courage.
The second important thing: don’t judge the sound you make. Examine it. Study how to make it smoother, longer, deeper. As with all things yoga and life, focus on how you are doing it without criticism. Play with the force of air flowing through your lungs. Explore what supports the longer, slower breath and what hinders it. You may be surprised. My early Om’s were raggedy and weak, but with practice they continue to improve. And with all things yoga and life, there is no end to the improvement, no end to the journey. (Once again, that realization thrills me to the core, even as I sit in my jammies and type.)
Start in a comfortable, steady position, sitting or standing. Position prayer hands in front of your chest. Grow the spine long, with the low abs lightly engaged to support the spine. Lift the crown of the head to the sky. This posture supports a wide-open chest cavity. The shape of the mouth for Om opens the throat perfectly (you can test this by chanting another sound and feel the throat contract). Fill your lungs slowly, smoothly, deeply. Exhale the sound Om slowly, smoothly, fully. Hum the mmm sound at the end to gently release the last little bit of air out. Repeat two more times or as many times as you like.
Notice the immediate change in your experience, from how you felt before Om. Recognize and remember open, easy, calm. Relax in the peace you have gifted yourself. You have flooded your body with life-supporting oxygen.
The practice of Om is a practice of breath. It's a practice of self-control. It’s a practice of being. It’s a mind-altering, emotion-altering, body-altering influence that is powerful, sweet, and simple.
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