OM/AUM pronounced A – U- M.
This three syllable sacred the symbol and sound represents EVERYTHING. AUM is the sound of the vibration of the universe. All living beings, the material world, the physical world, the spiritual world, the philosophical world and everything beyond our current knowledge vibrates with a frequency. If this frequency had a sound, it would be AUM. Therefore, when we chant AUM we connect with the cosmic energy of the universe.
In a sixty minute class it can be quite challenging to condense thousands of years of complex and sacred philosophy into 30 seconds. The above paragraph is a template of my simplified explanation to students.
I love to chant AUM at the beginning and end of every class. The first AUM is usually chanted softly. Sometimes people are self-conscious, tired or distracted having rushed to a class, but the purpose of this AUM is to direct and focus awareness away from the chatter of the mind to the present moment and the breath. By the end of the class with the connection to the breath, practice and possibilities explored, a deeper resonance to the path within is sung out through a strong, confident closing AUM that soars beyond the studio walls, beyond time and place. This beautiful mantra connects us with our practice, with each other and the source of the universe. It is always a powerful moment.
The roar of joy that set the worlds in motion Is reverberating in your body And the space between bodies. Beloved, listen.” — Lorin Roche, The Radiance Sutras