Om

I'm currently reading the Upanishads Breath of the Eternal translated by Swami Prabhavananda and the thing that popped out at me this morning is the explanation of Om.  During the story of Nachiketa meeting with the King of Death, Nachiketa asks the King to tell him the secret of immortality.  The King replies "It is-Om.  This syllable is Brahman.  This syllable is indeed supreme...The Self, whose symbol is OM, is the omniscient Lord."  This Self that he speaks of is our true Self.  "Smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest, this Self forever dwells within the hearts of all.  When a man is free from desire, his mind and senses purified, he beholds the glory of the Self and is without sorrow."
        
           Everyday we are meet with many distractions and obstacles that can prevent us from connecting with our higher selves.  We use these challenges as reasons to not work out, to not eat well or to not meditate.  Sometimes our situation is so bad that we use external devices to drown out the stress, anger and pain.  It's when we use these challenges to go inward and connect with our higher power that we truly connect with ourselves.  I have shed countless tears because of difficult things going on in my life even when I realize that its because of choices that I have made.  After the shower storm I then remember that these things are not as powerful as I make them out to be.  Yes, they cause discomfort at the time that you're experiencing them however, we all have the ability to rise above them and change the flow of our lives.  By using various tools such as prayer, mantras and meditation we can move closer to our true Selves and become more firmly rooted in who we are.  With that security we create a better world for ourselves and those around us. 

Om, pronounced as AUM, is broken up into three parts.  Before beginning, always take a deep cleansing breath.  Then begin by holding the A (kind of like they do in church when saying a solemn Amen).  Next form your mouth into an O and allow the A to flow into a U.  Lastly, close your mouth and stretch the U into a humming M.  Try to make each component as even as possible and again let it flow from one part to the next.  Take another cleansing breath at the end.

Any sound therapy is a greater way to help you connect with your inner voice and especially practicing Om will help you connect with your higher self.  The more comfortable you become with Oming the more powerful you'll become. 



Namaste and Have a LoveLee day!