AUM Chanting Copy
After the ecstatic dance, bring everyone together for AUM chanting.
According to the ancient Yogic texts, AUM is the sacred sound of creation. There is physiological evidence to show the benefits of chanting AUM:
- When you make a toning sound for an extended length of time, you are extending your exhale. Exhaling for longer than you inhale reduces stress and helps you to relax by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Extending a tone stimulates the cerebral cortex, which calms the hypothalamus and even our pain receptors. This explains why it helps to shout or scream when you get hurt!
- The extended exhale combined with the vibration of the sound you’re making, activates your parasympathetic nervous system and stimulates your vagus nerve. This helps to reduce inflammation, stress, and anxiety in your body.
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved a technique called Vagus Nerve Stimulation, which stimulates the vagus nerve using electrical impulses. It is being used successfully in reducing epileptic seizures, reducing depression, and reducing chronic pain. The Yogis were definitely on to something!
Did you know that AUM is actually 3 separate syllables? Each of these tones creates a vibration in a different area of the body, which becomes deeply meditative when repeated:
Aaaa = Stomach/Abdomen
Uuuu = Heart/Chest/Throat
Mmmm = Brain/Pineal/Pituitary Gland
This toning sequence can stimulate the endocrine glands and energy centres of these areas of your body, restoring and revitalising the cells and organs. This is important for optimal health and well-being.
The highest tone of “Mmmm” stimulates your cortical functions and the pineal and pituitary glands. This is also where the third eye chakra is located.
Benefits of AUM
- Decrease inflammation in the body
- Reduces stress
- Improve concentration and increase focus
- Enter a meditative state for deep relaxation
- Aid in self healing
SOMA AUM Meditation
This meditation is composed of a repeating 16-second pattern. The sequence has no pauses in between the change of tone, so your 4-second inhale at the start needs to last until you have reached the end of the final tone (Mmmm).
Inhale – 4 seconds
Aaaa – 4 seconds
Uuuu – 4 seconds
Mmmm – 4 seconds
Then, you repeat continuously for as long as you want. Once you start practising this regularly, you might find yourself addicted to it. We recommend that you try it totally uninterrupted for 30 minutes at least once.
In the downloads section you will find a 5-minute version, just in case this fits better with your daily practice!
In the Breathe In Beats workshop, you can do this for up to 2 minutes.