It’s the opening and closing sound we all enjoy and take part in during yoga class, but what exactly is the meaning of the sound “OM“? The answer is by no means simple, and as Yoganand Michael Carroll, dean of the Kripalu School of Yoga explains, “It’s big. OM is nebulous, and it’s vague. It can mean almost anything.” Valerie Reiss of Huffington Post writes: “For starters, it’s all about sacred threes. Most faiths have trinities in their roots and Hinduism, where OM was born, is no different. Even though it’s usually pronounced seamlessly so it rhymes with ‘home,’ OM is made up of three syllables: A, U, and M, or, phonetically, ‘aaah,’ ‘oooh,’ and ‘mmm.’ Experts say these syllables can represent a slew of trios, including: the heavens, earth, and the underworld; the Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (aka creator god, sustainer god, and destroyer god); and the waking, dreaming, and dreamless states — ‘to represent all of consciousness,’ says Yoganand.” OM is also considered the mother of the bija, or “seed” mantras — short, potent sounds that correlate to each chakra and fuel longer chants. You can read the full explanation of OM by CLICKING HERE. And to learn more about the amazingness that is the Kripalu School of Yoga you absolutely must check out the link just below.
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