Many of us are familiar with the droning hum heard at the start and close of yoga classes, but how many of us consider the meaning of the word?
It is said that this is the sound of creation; the vibrational tone that literally created the universe and everything in it. For instance, if we put it in the context of the quote "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1), this would be the word referred to from a Hindu or yogic perspective.
Most appropriately, OM is pronounced AUM, with three distinct and separate syllables that flow naturally into one another. The opening of the mouth to release sound naturally creates the AHH; the sustaining of the sound with open mouth creates the UHH, and the closing of our mouths as the breath empties from our lungs creates the MMM. Each syllable represents a part of the creative cycle, from inception, to sustenation, to the the close of the cycle, that it all may begin again.
Each stage of the cycle is represented by a god: Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. Together they make up the Trimurti, or the Hindu Trinity.
So the next time you find yourself smiling at the end of class, lost in the soothing sea of OM, take a moment to bask in just how vast that sea really is.
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