How I Chose the Name “Finding My Om”
At the end of my first yoga class, completely content laying in savasana (yes, finally the nap time I’ve heard about!). “Gently roll onto your side and press up into a seated position,” the teacher cooed in one of the most relaxing voices I’ve ever heard. “Inhale, exhale completely. Inhale, ommmmmmmm.” Om? The entire class joined her. My eyes shot open, what on earth is this witchcraft?!
Even after the freaky chanting, I returned to my mat again. And again. The first few classes I sat silently during the om (still thinking, what is this thing?) but it slowly began to grow on me. Before I knew it, I was joining in. The first few times I joined in on the om, I chastised myself for my terrible voice and inability to chant the om as long as the rest of the yogis in my class. Gradually, it began to feel more natural. I began to feel the vibration of the chorus of voices in my bones. The chant of a group of people, mostly strangers, who twisted, sweat and showed up on their mats, completely releasing at the end of class became magical. The raw, unguarded energy that flowed with the om made me feel connected to something much bigger than myself.
The word om, according to Hinduism, means the entire universe – the past, present and future, everything that was, is and will be. The sound of om lights up our chakras (more on those in this post) and ignites our intuition at the space between our brow at the third eye. Om unites all beings; as we chant it together, we acknowledge our oneness.
Now, sometimes when I om, I even feel like I sound like a little song bird (anyone who has heard me sing is laughing at this). Each time I show up to my mat my om is different. Sometimes I feel like that little song bird and other times when I feel stuck or tired it sounds quiet and hoarse. Each time we step on our mat, our om is different – not good or bad, just different, reflecting our energy and emotions that day. It ignites the light within us and the harmony that we feel around us, always reminding us that we truly are one.
Do you enjoy chanting om in class? Did it freak you out the first time you took a yoga class? Share with me in the comments below!