Om Chanting

What is Om Chanting?

Om — written AUM to show its three sounds — is considered the primordial sound in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. The Mandukya Upanishad describes A, U and M as waking, dreaming and deep sleep, and the silence afterwards as turiya, pure awareness.

Practically, Om chanting is a long, vibrating exhale. Each sound resonates in a different place — A in the belly and chest, U in the throat, M in the head — before dissolving into silence. That silence is as important as the sound.

How to do Om Chanting, step by step

1. Sit with a tall spine and close your eyes.
2. Inhale deeply through the nose.
3. Open the mouth and begin “Aaa”, feeling it in the belly and chest.
4. Gradually round the lips into “Uuu”, feeling it in the throat.
5. Close the lips into a long “Mmm” and feel the buzz in your face and skull.
6. Let the sound fade and rest in silence for a few seconds before the next breath.
7. Repeat 7, 11 or 21 times. Sit quietly for a minute at the end.

What the science says

A pilot fMRI study found that chanting Om was associated with deactivation of limbic brain regions involved in emotion and threat-detection — including the amygdala — compared with a control sound (Kalyani et al., 2011). The researchers suggested the vibration may stimulate the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Om chanting also produces a very long exhale and nasal humming, both of which independently calm the nervous system.

Benefits of Om Chanting

Tips for better practice

• Use a comfortable, low pitch — never force the voice.
• Headphones help you feel the guiding tone in this player.
• Chant in a group occasionally — many people find the shared vibration powerful.

Safety notes

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Kalyani B.G. et al. (2011). Neurohemodynamic correlates of ‘OM’ chanting: a pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study. International Journal of Yoga.