Power
of Aum
Transcending
through time, space, race, caste or creed, the music of Aum flows through all
barriers of age and culture. Made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and
ma, Aum or Om is believed to be the intrinsic sound
of the Universe. It is a mantra and prayer in itself.
The
Upanishads describe Om as the complete sound that encapsulates the entire range
of sounds the human voice can make. It starts with A at the base of the throat,
moves on to U with the tongue and the palate, and ends with M where the lips are
closed and sound emanates through exhalation.
The
Mandukya Upanishad is devoted to the explanation of this mystical cosmic
syllable, which contains three phonemes, a (Vaishvanara), u (Hiranyagarbha) and
m (Iswara), symbolising the beginning, duration and dissolution of the universe
and the associated trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva).
Chanting
of Om revitalises the body, soothes and empowers the mind and nourishes the
soul. Om is considered the most powerful of all mantras, and is the beginning
sound of all other mantras. Repetition of “Om” enables us to maintain mental and
emotional calmness and overcome obstacles and difficulties. Sound has the
ability to rearrange molecular structure and can be used to awaken and balance
consciousness. We carry the universe’s primordial sound internally in our energy
centers, also called Chakras or the vibrating core of our consciousness.
The
syllable ‘A’ starts in our solar plexus center (Manipura Chakra), moves upward
with the ‘U’ or ‘O’ sound in the heart and the throat center (Anahata and
Vishuddha Chakras), and ends with the sound ‘M’ (mmmm), which vibrates the
higher centers in the head (Ajna and Sahasrara Chakras).
As
the sound progresses, we transcend physically, mentally and emotionally from the
material outer world into the inner world. For optimum benefit, Om may be
chanted daily 108 times or for 30 minutes with the first 10 minutes chanted
aloud, next 10 minutes softly, and then mentally repeated, ears closed, for
another 10 minutes. As per Indian tradition 1 stands for one higher Truth, 0
stands for completeness and 8 stands for eternal movement. 108 is also a divine
number attached to 108 stages of the human journey.
Benefits of Om chanting:
*
Slows the breathing down, thereby affecting the nervous system, activates
relaxation response by activating the para sympathetic nervous system.
*
Om mantra is an effective process that uses vibrational sound to help reduce
stress, alter consciousness and create a deep sense of peace, well-being and
better health.
*
Levels of Nitric oxide are optimized. Being anti-atherogenic, Nitric oxide helps
in keeping arteries in healthy condition, thereby protecting the heart.
*
Chanting helps maintain healthy levels of neuropeptides, and they, in turn, can
help release emotion toxicity from the system.
*
Om chanting can harmonize Prana in our systems and help eliminate around 70% of
body toxins through deep exhalation.
*
Constant deep chants of Aum work as a pump for the lymph flow just as the heart
serves the circulatory system.
Om
is the mystical infinite vibration that resonates in everything and everyone,
providing life and sustenance. It is timeless, omnipotent, omnipresent — the one
constant that unites all creation.
