By chanting Aum one can grow deeper in concentration of the mind, and the more one can dive deeper in mind he/she can realize the divine. There is no hard and fast rule of chanting the aum you can chant it at any time, in any sitting position, there is no rule whether to chant it loud, whether to whisper, no rule regarding any particular numbers of time. You can chant aum anywhere, any number of times and feel good. The correct pronunciation of aum is to pronounce it om so it rhymes with home. The sound Aum is said to be seed vibration of all creation and that it is the very first sound in the entire universe. Aum connects us to that base vibration. When we all sit together and breathe deeply, we slowly connect to something bigger than ourselves. Therefore, when we Aum together, we are one.
When you repeat Aum, please observe what actually happens within you. It is the symbol of the Creator, it is said to be the life-breath of the Creator; keep chanting and you immediately get an inner feeling, the feeling that enthuses your inner and outer movements to enlarge your vision. It erases the stress, ill feelings, and worries from mind and relaxes mind and body. This is the secret of Aum. Keep chanting Aum and all your desires will be fulfilled; everything will be yours, because it connects you with the Universal Energy.
Swami Paramahansa Yogananda called it “the vibration of the Cosmic Motor.” The great father of yoga, Patanjali, advised using it to triumph over the obstacles and distractions in life, it helps to remove all those obstacles in the path of enlightenment. The great Yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar has devoted nearly two pages in his book, ‘Light of Yoga’, to the range of meanings of aum. Aum became the sacred word hum of the Tibetans, amin of the Muslims and amen of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Christians. Amen in Hebrew means “sure.”
Swami Yogananda noted that everything in the universe is self-possessed of energy and that the evident differentiation between solids, liquids, gases, sound, and light is merely a difference in their vibratory rates. He maintained that by chanting the aum, the divine vibration, we can increase the body’s supply of cosmic energy and even direct it as a healing force to any part of the body, mind, and soul.
It is so simple: try chanting aum in your daily meditation and let the incredible power of sound and vibration work for you. Aum will bring your wavering mind to a single focus. The sound Aum is a great way to feel divine.
Aum actually consists of four syllables: A, U, M, and the silent syllable. The first syllable is A, pronounced as a protracted or prolonged “awe.” The sound starts at the back of your throat and you need to stretch it out. While sounding the ‘awe’ you will start feeling vibration inside your solar plexus and chest. The second syllable is U, pronounced as a prolonged “oo,” with the sound steadily progressing forward along your upper palate. You will feel your throat vibrating. The third syllable is M, pronounced as a prolonged “mmmm” with your front teeth gently touching. You will now start to feel the crown vibrate. The last syllable is the deep silence of the Infinite. Intelligence rises from the deep silence; you need to merge your chant from the ‘M’ with the deep silence.
The three letters A, U and M symbolize the divine energy i.e Shakti and its 3 main characteristics are construction, conservation and liberation. By chanting it we are symbolically and physically tuning in to that sound and acknowledging our connection to all other living beings, nature and the universe.
