If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you might have heard your teacher chanting Om. If you sat there cross-legged wondering what that two-letter word you’re chanting actually means, don’t worry you’re not the only one! But if you’ve always opted out of joining in with the Om chanting, you might be surprised to learn that this tiny word can do big things! By chanting Om you could feel calmer and less stressed!

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits and it isn’t just the fact that chanting can help deepen your yoga practice, the benefits these vibrations have on your mind and body have scientific back-up too. The International Journal of Yoga reports that Om meditation can help to slow down the right amygdala - the part of the brain that controls negative emotions, stress, anxiety and fear. More research by the Asian Journal of Psychiatry found that om chanting can have a positive change on the autonomic nervous system, which regulates things like your blood pressure, heart rate and metabolism. During chanting, the brain has also been studied and it was discovered that during the ‘oms’ a stimulation was mirrored that is similar to stimulation created by the vagus nerve, which is used to treat depression.

Science aside, there’s also something really magical about feeling and hearing the vibrations and chants of your fellow yogi’s around you. Om allows us to separate the time of our practice from the rest of our everyday lives, uniting in class as one source of energy.

There are many why we chant “Om” at the beginning and ending of a yoga class: Om allows us to separate the time of our practice from the rest of our everyday lives, signifying that our practice time is a sacred time in which we care for ourselves while also practising mindfulness.

Why do we chant Om?

There are several other reasons why we Om at the start and/or end of a yoga class, when we chant Om it creates vibrations in the body. These vibrations have a frequency of 432 Hz which is the same vibrational frequency as everything in nature, so it becomes a way to ground yourself. Om is also the basic sound of the universe; chanting it symbolically and physically tunes us into that sound and acknowledges our connection to everything in the world and the Universe.

Ultimately, the rhythmic vibrations have a calming effect on the body and the nervous system in a way that’s similar to meditation. This lowers blood pressure and increases our heart health. Om also connects us to our practice in a deeper way and takes us beyond the physical asanas.

Am I chanting it right?

Om has four syllables and is pronounced A-U-M. The ‘A’ should begin in the solar plexus (abdomen) and send vibrations up into the chest. The ‘ U’, moves the sound up into the throat and the ‘M’ brings the vibrations into the mouth. The final syllable is silent, the infinite sound of the universe.