One Billion OMs for Peace

Any of us who’ve been around for a few decades have been told about special moments in time when the Earth is believed to be experiencing a powerful shift, creating a collective raising in consciousness, an awakening of humanity, or perhaps an apocalyptic prophesy. In the 60’s we heard about the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. In the 80’s there was the Harmonic Convergence. In 2000 we had the foreboding Y2K.

Now we are approaching the end of the Mayan Calendar, which will happen on this coming winter solstice, December 21, 2012.  Many are seeing this as the ending of life on the planet as we know it, and at the same time, the birth of a new era of consciousness.

Whether you believe this is true or new age hogwash, 12/21/12 gives us an opportunity to reflect upon what we want to let go of, and what we want to give birth to in ourselves.  Think about it as New Year’s Day expanded to exponential power, or like all your birthdays all rolled into one! Winter solstice on steroids!

But, even if December 22^nd ends up being like every other day, we can usher in a shift in ourselves. As Mahatma Ghandi reminded us, it is our responsibility to be the change we want to see in the world. So we begin by setting intentions and making it a personal practice to live into them, one day at a time. The shift begins within.

I heard the following joke the other day:

Q: What will happen on Dec 22^nd 2012?

A: There’ll be a bunch of Mayans frantically running around doing their Christmas shopping.

Okay, forgive me for digressing…

As part of a global movement honoring this auspicious time, you are invited to participate in OneBillion OMs for Peace, on December 22^nd, at 12PM India Standard Time (that’s 1:30 AM Eastern Standard Time) for three minutes of continuous chanting this powerful mantra.  Imagine the power of one billion people (that’s one seventh of the earth’s population!) joining hearts, minds and voices simultaneously, with shared intention for peace and healing for our planet.

Even if it ends up being just a smattering of individuals in around the globe, it’s a beautiful and simple way to affirm your own intentions for this new era, and to proclaim your commitment to “being the change.” For three minutes, let’s raise the vibration of ourselves and our planet, and see what happens!

To learn more about why we chant OM, click here. To find out more about One Billion OMs, visit www.onebillionoms.com

OM

Why do we chant OM at the beginning and end of class? What does it mean? Is it a religious prayer?

Many students who are new to yoga ask these questions, and due to the unfamiliarity they may feel tentative about participating in chanting OM. A reader of this blog asked me to speak to this topic, so I thought I would share a bit about the practice of chanting OM.

OM is a bija, or “seed” mantra, which has no concrete linguistic meaning but has a powerful effect on the body and psyche through vibration. It is a very simple and direct way to call yourself home to your Center. Chanting OM helps the mind to focus when attention is scattered. It also balances the chakras (energy centers of the subtle body) as the vibration moves up the spine. It is an ancient, primal resonance that simulates the effect of a sonic womb. When chanting OM in a group, many yogis experience a sense of being enveloped by an all-encompassing, loving force that connects everyone.

OM is considered the cosmic YES, affirming the the Divine Presence (however one may conceive of That).

However, the audible OM is just a symbol of the vast cosmic resonance that embraces the universe. The true OM is an unstruck sounding, the primordial field out of which all vibration emerges. It is what the Taoists speak of as Tao, what the Kabbalah refers to as Ein Sof, the root of roots, or the primal emptiness from which all creation emerges.

Since before time and space were,
the Tao is.
It is beyond is and is not.
How do I know this is true?
I look inside myself and see. ~Lao Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell

When chanted, OM is often broken up into 3 syllables: A-U-M. We begin by taking a deep yogic breath, inviting the lower abdomen to expand, then widening the ribs as the air moves into the middle of the lungs, and finally lifting the heart by drawing the fullness of breath all the way into the upper chest. We may pause for a moment to feel the delicious fullness, and then we begin to empty the chest with the syllable “AH.” As we release and soften through the ribs, we round the mouth to flow into the syllable “OH.” Finally, the lips come together as the belly empties and we draw the navel inward, allowing the “MMM” sound to reverberate up the spine, all the way into the cranium.

Through the skillfull contraction of the abdominal muscles, you should control this humming so that it smoothly tapers off into a silence of the body, mind and heart. As you can see, the practice of the great yogic breath is necessary to derive the full benefit of this mantra. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the great yogic breath must accompany the great yogic sound.  ~ Russill Paul, The Yoga of Sound

Each part of the AUM corresponds to a particular state of consciousness: A is the waking state, U is the dream state, and M is deep sleep. The silence that the AUM resolves into is the fourth part of the mantra. It corresponds to Turiya, the field of spacious consciousness, a state of yogic power that encompasses all the other states. This silence is the sound of Brahman, the Absolute.

At a certain point you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world, Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening.  After a time you hear it:  there is nothing there. There is nothing but those things only, those created objects, discrete, growing or holding, or swaying, being rained on or raining, held, flooding or ebbing, standing, or spread. You feel the world’s word as a tension, a hum, a single chorused note everywhere the same. This is it: this hum is the silence.

The silence is all there is. It is the alpha and the omega. It is God’s brooding over the face of the waters, it is the blended note of the ten thousand things, the whine of wings. You take a step in the right direction to pray to this silence, and even to address the prayer to “World.” Distinctions blur. Quit your tents. Pray without ceasing.   ~Annie Dillard

OM is often used as a prefix to other mantras, as an acknowledgement of the sacred. For example, in the Sanskrit mantra OM Namah Shivaya, the words Namah and Shivaya mean “I bow to Shiva, transformative power of the universe.” OM has no translatable meaning, but adds power and sacredness to the mantra.  

In yoga class, OM is offered as a salutation and an invitation to come home to the place of peace within us. It is the simplest of invocations and benedictions, creating a sense of sacredness around our practice. One does not need to believe in any deity or ascribe to any particular religious doctrine—it is simply a calling upon the Essence toward which all spiritual paths lead.

Having said all of the above, I must emphasize that, in my classes, it is always optional to chant OM (or any other mantra, for that matter). One can simply bathe in the vibration rising and circling through the space without choosing to actively participate. Either way, one receives the benefit of the vibration.

OM is a mantra with tremendous power to uplift and transform one’s spirit. May you find great joy and peace in this practice, both on and off the mat.