Pranava, or ‘Om’ Yoga
An exploration of the meditative, spiritual aspects of the word "Om," also known as "Aum."
"God is the Syllable Om, out of Him proceeds the Supreme Knowledge." – Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:17 (Hindu Scripture).
Practitioners of Pranava, or "Om Yoga," or "Om Yoga meditation," believe that the word "Om" (also called "Aum") is the first, original sound that ever existed, and that the entire universe is created around it.
The word "Om" is also used as a powerful mantra, or word which when repeated can help a person achieve enlightenment. If repeated enough in a meditative state, a mantra can create an altered state of consciousness through which spiritual oneness with a Supreme Being is possible.
According to the Hindu faith, the word "Om" not only symbolizes but actually is the Brahman (the Absolute Being), and by uttering the word one can achieve complete unity with the Absolute Being.
The word "Om" is mentioned often in the Hindu holy scriptures known as the Upanishads, which are the spiritual foundation for Vedantic Hinduism.
The Prashna Upanishad says the following, "What world does he who meditates on Aum until the end of his life, win by That? If he meditates on the Supreme Being with the syllable Aum, he becomes one with the Light, he is led to the world of Brahman [the Absolute Being] Who is higher than the highest life, That Which is tranquil, unaging, immortal, fearless, and supreme." – Prashna Upanishad 5:1,5,7.
Swami Nirmalananda Giri explains the theories behind "Om" as a chanted mantra on the Atma Jyoti Ashram website (http://www.atmajyoti.org/me_om_yoga_book_01.asp). Giri writes that although humans are imprisoned to a degree within our bodies and within our limitations, there is a freeing aspect to the repetitive chanting of the word "Om" which can quiet the mind with its worries and preoccupations with everyday life. As with any meditated mantra, by focusing on the word itself we can achieve detachment from that mind chatter.
Practitioners of Pranava believe that there is an added transformational power given to the meditation because the actual word "Om" or "Aum" is not only the original sound and word created, but the Absolute Being himself. By chanting it, we become one with all, connecting with the original sound of the universe and feeling the sound vibration that is God (Brahman). Others agree, saying that by becoming one with the vibrational energy of "Om," we dissolve the atomic boundaries that separate our bodies and beings from all other matter in the universe—and we literally become one with all that is around us.
"Om Yoga is the way to freedom from suffering and limitation," says Giri.
B.K.S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar Yoga, explains that as the "Aum" sound has three letters, it represents three different states of being. Iyengar writes in his book Light on Yoga, "The letter A symbolizes the conscious or waking state, the letter U the dream state, and the letter M the dreamless sleep state of the mind and spirit."
Others have explained the power of "Aum" as being in its three distinct sounds when chanted, representing creation, preservation, and destruction.
Experts in the study of Pranava claim that the word "Aum," as the origin of all, has found its way into other religions: the "Amen" in Christian and Hebrew faiths, the Tibetan "hum," and Islamic "amin."
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