The Power of Om

Connect with vibration and manifest your power!

Full disclosure: I’m a music therapist, performer, and lover of all things music and yoga. Chanting and I seem to be perfectly natural together, but it took some work for me to undo my inner critic and experience the benefit of chanting. I spent lots of time chanting in a room where no one could hear me, where I could focus on my own experience of the chant rather than the sound, before I began to experience the benefits. Oh, it felt good and mighty to practice in this non-judgmental way. How about you?

If you’ve been to my yoga class, you may have started with a chant, sometimes a few simple Oms to connect body & breath. Have you tried it? I mean, really tried it? Not just faked it but really chanted with a big breath and mighty vibration? I’d be curious to see what can happen for you if you gave a few hearty Oms before your next asana practice.

So here’s the deal. By chanting Om you are connecting with your most elemental level of existence. The great scientists of our century have illuminated what those old yogis figured out during meditation: that at our most elemental level we are all just vibrating particles of energy. Om has long been seen as an expression of this vibration, a connection to our fundamental nature. What better way to start a yoga practice than to remember that we are more than we appear, that the solidity of our physical bodies is just an illusion?

Here in our physical experience, it has some pretty nifty benefits too. Give a hearty Om, and really focus on the vibration that occurs in your face-sinuses, throat, soft palate, etc. I’ve been dealing for a long time with some pretty clogged sinuses, and the Om really gives me a lift when I’m trying to clear the gunkies out!

Om also gives a tangible reality to the state of your breath capacity. It’s kinda like a physical touchstone to your power, endurance, and capacity. Practice a couple of hearty Oms a day, seeing if you can hold it longer and longer each time. It’s a super simple, fun, and engaging way to connect with your breath.

Chanting can also help you find your true expression... if you have trouble saying what you need, want, or desire, you may find it difficult to Om away-even in private. If you feel blocked or inhibited in this way, try Om-ing every morning to amplify your power of personal expression. As you chant, imagine all of your truths manifesting through the sound, and feel how wonderful it is to claim your truth!

Did I mention that it’s fun? Chanting a nice Om may bring a smile to your face-even if you laugh and feel a little silly, isn’t that a grand thing? Think of it like a child would: experiment, try with your whole being, and see what happens!