The Wonder of OM
A guest post by Justine Sanchez
Truth is not a religion. Truth cannot be taught. You must discover it in your own self, and the let it expand in OM.
~Paramhansa Nityananda (Curated by R.R. Shakti, Inner Power Yoga 200 Hour Manual)
A-U-M constitute the Pranava or OM; the Universal Sound, the Primordial Sound, the Original Sound.
We begin with A~Creation
The sound originates at the back of your throat, awakening your vocal cords and brightening your thinking mind. It is the root, the beginning, the Aaaaa of giving birth, of release.
We move onto U~Preservation
The sound A originated at the back of your throat, now U moves across your mouth towards your teeth. It brushes your upper palate, the roof of your mouth and is sustained there. It is the sound of your Heart, as in I Love YoUUUUUUU.
We move onto M~Dissolution
The sound U moved across your palate and now terminates in Mmmm at the purse of your lips. M resonates and vibrates up into your sinuses and you make a somewhat nasal sound. The sound dissolves upward towards your brow, relaxing your mind, a head message if you will. It is deep meditation, the delta state.
We move into the state of Turiya~Silence
As the hum of M ceases, you pause and sit in silence. A feeling of timelessness comes over you…you are absolute in your stillness. This is Turiya, the fourth part of OM.
The fifth piece of OM is Maya~Illusion
The veil of illusion is lifted. And then? Creation begins again. Inhale deeply, exhale for OM.
Curious to learn and practice more?
We will open next Sunday's (April 30th, 10:30am MST) Tea Time with a short practice of chanting the Pranava or Om as the doorway into our time together and a taste of what the training has to offer. I will break down the 5 parts of AUM (spelled both ways) so that we find our voices in sync and our understanding and appreciation of the practice deepening. Whether you have considered the training or not, I think you will enjoy learning more about the Pranava and the opportunity to deepen your yogic study!
Sign up beforehand at
https://www.tadasanamountainyoga.com/schedule
OR
Pop on via Zoom on Sunday, the 30th at 10:30am (if prompted the code is 9642)
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83829560976?pwd=ZUpzTk5ySFJuTEpWTTZOMklYTUV2dz09
I look forward to seeing you all next Sunday and back in Tadasana, our Nederland Studio, in June!