om spirit
and too shy to chant ‘Om’ with a group of
strangers. What was not helping either was
that my mother had always stressed my lack
of a ‘musical ear’ and specifically asked me
not to sing when we had guests round, in
order ‘not to embarrass myself’ and scare
our guests away!
And so I decided to play it by ear with
regards to chanting in my own classes. I ask
every single student who comes to complete
a questionnaire, which includes the question:
which aspects of yoga interest you the most?
Certainly, for the first three months of my
teaching experience, nobody put a tick across
‘chanting’. This gave me a kind of relief, so
it was easy not to introduce chanting to
the class. However, I played mantras in the
background to help create an atmosphere
which appeared to be more authentic to me.United chant
This seemed to be all fine, until one of my
students brought her aunt to the class.
When I looked at her questionnaire I saw a
tick expressing a strong interest in chanting.
She said that she would like to experience
all of the aspects of yoga. I then asked my
students whether they would approve of
chanting ‘Om’ at the beginning and end
of a class. Some of them said ‘yes’ with
hesitation, while others kept silent.
Well, I took it as a ‘yes’, and after a short
explanation of the ‘Om’ mantra, I suggested
we start the class with three chants of the
A-U-M mantra. I sung the first ‘Om’, looked
around and realised I was the only person
singing. Then I said: listen, it’s not going
to work like that, we all have to try. So I
continued with my second ‘Om’, and by the
time we were singing ‘U’, one of the girls
started laughing – and then everybody.
I then asked everyone (including myself)
to get a bit more serious about it, and the
third ‘Om’ was a more united chant. We
then carried on with the class, and when we
reached the end, we all chanted ‘Om’ once
more — and, again, nobody laughed and it
all sounded united.
(It turned out that one of the girls in the
class even had a tattoo of the Sanskrit
symbol of ‘Om’ and she was very interested
to learn more about it).What is Om?
Indeed, what is Om? The symbol has
become widespread, and can be seen on
fashionable yoga clothing and accessories.
However, its deep meaning is sometimes
completely forgotten.In Sanskrit, the sound ‘Om’ represents
the universal consciousness and the three
tiers of time including the waking state, the
dreaming state and the deep sleep.
According to the Yoga Sutras of Paranjali,
chanting Om helps to free us from obstacles
that are defined as “disease, dullness, doubt,
carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false
perception, failure to reach firm ground and
slipping from ground gained” (sutra 1.30)
and “dawns the knowledge of inner self”
(sutra 1.29).
It is also believed to be related to the
crown chakra, which connects to the source,
and may be beneficial for brain activity. In
addition, chanting Om helps to set the mind
for practicing yoga in a more focused way.
That class in a way was a beginning of
a new era of teaching for me. Since then I
carried on with chanting Om with my students
at the beginning and end of the classes.
Being able to compare, I can feel a
difference in the vibration of the class:
our group practice is more united, it sets
the correct intention for the practice from
the very beginning, helping the students
to silence their minds for an hour or so,
switching off from their daily responsibilities,
and bring themselves more fully to the mat.Focused practice
Chanting makes the whole practice more
focused, increasing the concentration of
the students, helping to connect the body,
breath and the mind in harmony. This
aspect of yoga is indeed helping to make
the practice so very special, differentiating it
from any other classes.
Indeed, with the yoga industry now
booming, and in an attempt to try to make
classes appeal to the largest audience, some
aspects of this ancient discipline are taken
out, leaving a class only the physical asanas;
almost like a fitness class, ignoring the fact
that yoga is so much more.
So I am very grateful to that lady who put
a tick by ‘chanting’ in the questionnaire. She
gave me the courage to include this aspect
into my teaching and to make it an integral
part of the class.
One does not need an opera voice to sing
Om in a yoga class. Everyone can do it in
their own way.
Some newcomers to yoga might feel a bit
shy about it in the beginning, just like I did
many years ago.
But this aspect of yoga is just as
important as any other, and for me, in the
future, it will always be a part of my class.A Year of Self Discovery
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