Three years ago, during a live yoga class on Zoom, one of my students asked me about the Om symbol in the centre of the lotus on the wall of my yoga/office space, as seen in the photo below. The student found the symbol complicated for something that seemed simple.
I explained that Om was a complex symbol and promised to discuss it in more detail someday.
Recently, another yoga student asked me about Om, and I briefly shared my thoughts.
I have decided to share my writing on this topic again.
The Yoga tradition and teachings originating in the subcontinent of India span over five millennia. The metaphysical complexities associated with the syllable Om are deeply layered, and many scholarly works expound on the richness and sophistication of this mantra (chant). Numerous academics have made this their life work.
Below is my not-so-scholarly attempt at explaining the meaning of Om.
Om, both a sound and a symbol rich in meaning and depth, is often chanted at the beginning and end of a yoga class, sometimes three times, as a way of acknowledging associated triads, some of which are:
Time: past, present and future
Divinity: creation, preservation and transformation
Spirit: immortality, omniscience and joy
The Sanskrit syllable Om is said to be the origin of all sounds. Sound is a form of energy and vibration, and Om is thus considered the primordial vibration from which all else emerged. With roots in Hinduism, the widely recognized Om sound is also found in Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. In Hinduism, Om refers to Atman (soul, self within) and Brahma (the Absolute, the nature of truth, ultimate reality, the entirety of the universe).
Reverend Jaganath Carrera, a longtime disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda, states the following:
“The identity of primordial sound with God as the creative force of the universe is not limited to Raja Yoga. It is a principle found in many spiritual traditions. The Bible declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1.1). The Rig Veda, one of the most ancient scriptures in the world, contains a similar passage: “In the beginning was Brahman (God) and with Brahman was shabda (primordial sound) and shabda was truly the Supreme Brahman.”
The mystical sound Om, the oldest and one of the shortest Vedic mantras known to the ancient sages of India, is considered by many in the contemporary yoga world to be a sacred syllable, a sacred sound, a sacred single-syllable mantra. Sometimes, Om is chanted 108 times (see the YouTube video below).
What is perhaps less known among contemporary yoga practitioners is that the Om syllable contains three constituent parts/letters: A + U + M. When the A and U are combined, forming a long O sound, the chant typically sounds like, “Aaaaaaauuuuuummmmmm…”
As mentioned above, the three parts of AUM represent the past, the present, and the future. They also symbolize the conscious (waking) state, the dream state, and the dreamless state (deep sleep), amongst other representations such as the triad of Divinity: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the maintainer), and Shiva (the destroyer) of the universe. In addition, a silent echo at the end of Om/AUM is described in the Mandukya Upanishad as the cessation of the visible world, tranquil, auspicious, without a second.
The most common written representation of the Om symbol ॐ is a ligature in standard Devanagari form, an ancient, left-to-right pseudo-alphabet writing system of South Asia, combining ओ (au) and chandrabindu (ँ, ṃ). This symbol resembles the number three with a looping tail, with the addition of a large dot placed above an upturned crescent.
The symbol for Om should be treated with respect. Having it tattooed on the body or printed on clothing, mugs, or even a yoga mat where our feet might step on it is disrespectful to many Hindus, yoga practitioners, and others. It is also considered a form of cultural appropriation. Knowingly offending others in this way violates ahimsa or non-harming, the first of Patanjali’s yamas (moral observances).
Since Om is the basic sound of the universe, chanting Om acknowledges within us that we are symbolically and physically connected to nature, all living beings, and the universe.
When we chant Om—Aaaaaaauuuuuummmmmm—the vibrations produced can calm the body and mind. This is because they help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our rest-and-digest response. As a result, we can experience a sense of focus, relaxation, and calmness.
I hope you enjoy the YouTube video “Om 108 Times - Music for Yoga & Meditation”.
With joy and gratitude,
Jeannine
