Omkar – purity in relaxation, power in mental control

What a strange word.  “Omkar” is a wonderful, simple, yet powerful breathing exercise. It is the repeated saying or singing of the word “aum” pronounced as “aauuummmmm” with each breath for 10 seconds or so.

Omkar delightfully encourages:

1. proper & deep breathing
2. it relaxes the mind
3. it concentrates the mind
4. it connects the body with the mind
5. it echos our internal anxiety
6. increase the amount of oxygen in your blood

HOW

1. Take a deep breath in.
2. Pronounce the letter “a” like “arrr for 2 seconds as you release some breath.
3. Blend that sound as you change the sound to pronouce the letter “u” like the u in “you” for 3 seconds as you release more breath.
4. Blend that sounds as you change the sound to pronounce the letter “m” like the ‘m’ at the start of mother for 5 seconds as you release the remaining breath.
5. Finish to silence for 10-15 seconds and listen to the echo in your mind, as you repeat from step 1.

It’s entrancing because it is so simple yet requires the focus of your mind.  It is relaxing because it removes clutter from your mind as well as calms your breathing to a deep conscious controlled steady breath.

ADVANCED

1. As you pronounce the ‘a’ try to build the sound in your stomach, as you pronounce the ‘u’ let the sound rise to your chest, and as you pronounce the ‘m’ let it come from your lips.  You will see the sound then moves with your volume of breath from lungs to throat to lips in a delightful flow.
2. Over weeks/months you will see that Omkar echos your own spirit – clear and beutiful like a sing bird when you are happy, stiff and dry when you are anxious.
3. It’s also actually a simple, smart, and powerful way to encourage good breathing; as well as flooding the mind with a single focus to measure, pronounce, time, and listen to the act of saying aum.
4. The slow release of breath means that your lungs have a greater chance of absorbing the oxygen in the air.

NOTES

1. Do not rush to pronounce the early letters (‘a’ and ‘u’) and leave no breath for the later  (‘u’ and ‘m’).  Omkar is an exercise in controlled deep breathing.
2. ‘The sound ‘om’ or ‘aum’ is considered as the sound of the universe i.e. if you could hear it in space, the sound you would hear is ‘aum’.  It’s actually just the natural sound that comes from the human larynx.
3. In religions such as Christianity and Islam, ‘ahmen’ or ‘amin’ is used.
4. Om is also drawn as a shape, but this post refers to the sound alone.
5. If the timing is too long or short then adjust to suit your lung capacity.
6. Even in the silence, try to hear the memory of the sound also.
7. Continue for as long as you wish, 5minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes.
8. It’s especially lovely in a group where you can hear your voice and spirit literally tune into your neighbours.
9. You might find your voice is rusty to begin with but after a few cycles it should settle.  If not, then clear your throat and start again.
10. If you get dizzy then just stop and allow your breathing to return to normal.
11. Following the normal timings your breathing will slow to just 4 cycles per minute – slow and strong.  The normal rate is quoted as much as 12 per minute! (Wikipedia)