"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration."
β Nikola Tesla
Hey lovely,
Last week, I wrote about the number 108 and why it holds such significance in our yoga traditions, and immediately, I was inspired to explore the concept of why we also often do things in 3s, which then led my mind down the path of mantra and the awkwardness some folks have around making sounds. Grab a cuppa and let's get cosy.
There is a sound that has been chanted, hummed, whispered, and sung for at least three thousand years. It has been used in ancient India, in Buddhist monasteries across Asia, in Tibetan temples, in yoga studios in Auckland, London, and Tokyo and everywhere in between. Modern physics has measured its frequency. Neuroscientists have studied what it does to the brain. And yet for some of us, the simple act of opening our mouths and chanting it in a yoga class brings up something unexpected... discomfort, resistance, the quiet worry that we might be stepping into territory that doesn't belong to us, or that conflicts with beliefs we hold dear.
I want to talk about that. Because what Om actually is, what it has always been, is not a religious declaration. It is not an act of devotion to any deity, not a prayer to any particular god, not an invitation to adopt any system of belief. It is something both simpler and far more extraordinary than any of that. πΏ
WHAT OM ACTUALLY IS
Om (also written and spelled Aum) is described in the ancient Vedic and Upanishadic texts as the primordial sound, the vibration from which all of existence arises and to which all of existence returns. The Mandukya Upanishad, one of the oldest yogic texts, opens with the line: "Om - this whole world is Om."
What physics tells us: At the quantum level, everything that exists is in a state of vibration. Atoms are not solid objects; they are patterns of energy oscillating at specific frequencies. The chair you sit on, the mat beneath your feet, the body you inhabit, all of it is, at its most fundamental level, vibration. The ancient sages didn't call it quantum physics. They called it Om. But they were describing the same thing.
When NASA recorded the electromagnetic vibrations of our solar system and converted them to sound, the resonance was remarkably similar to the frequency of Om, approximately 136.1 Hz, known in classical Indian music as the note Sa, or in Western notation as C#. The universe hums. It has been humming since before anything existed to listen to it.
I always say it's the humm we hear in the silence. Go on, test it out, in the wee hours of the night when all is still, listen. What do you hear?
When we chant Om, we are not invoking a deity. We are tuning ourselves, quite literally, in the physical sense, to the fundamental frequency of existence. We are reminding our bodies, through vibration, that we are part of something vast and continuous and alive. It is, at its heart, a scientific act dressed in ancient clothing.
THE THREE SOUNDS INSIDE OM
Om is traditionally written and pronounced as Aum, because it is not one sound but three, flowing together into wholeness. Each sound carries its own meaning, its own felt quality, its own part of the complete picture.
A - Aah
The waking state. Creation. The beginning. Felt in the belly and chest. The sound of the world as we know it. Usually, a very short sound.
U - Ooh
The dream state. Preservation. The in-between. Felt in the throat. The world of the inner life.
M - Mmm
The deep sleep state. Dissolution. The silence beyond. Felt in the skull and crown. The formless beneath all form. Chanted far longer than the A and the U.
After the three sounds comes a fourth. The silence that follows. In Sanskrit, this is called Turiya, the fourth state beyond waking, dreaming, and sleep. The pure awareness that underlies all experience. In that moment of resonant silence after a chant, you are, according to this understanding, resting in the most fundamental state of consciousness there is. That is why the pause after Om feels the way it does. It isn't nothing. It is everything.
So, don't rush past it. Sit with It. Be still and experience it.
WHY WE CHANT THREE TIMES - AND THE CONNECTION TO 108
In our last Yogi Note we explored the sacred significance of the number 108. And the number three sits right at the heart of it - 108 is 1ΒΉ Γ 2Β² Γ 3Β³, and its digits sum to 9, which is 3 Γ 3. Three is the number of completion in yogic understanding. It is the number of the trinity - in nature, in time, in consciousness itself. When we chant three times, we are creating a complete energetic circuit.
Why three - the layers of meaning:
- Three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, deep sleep
- Three bodies: physical, subtle, and causal
- Three dimensions of time: past, present, and future
- Three forces of existence: creation, preservation, transformation
- Three sounds within Om: Aah, Ooh, Mmm
- Three to the power of three within the sacred 108
Each chant addresses a different layer of being. Together they complete the circle. It is the same impulse that makes 108 sun salutations at a solstice feel complete, the number three running through everything, offering wholeness through its own triangular perfection.
OM SHANTI - PEACE AT EVERY LEVEL
Shanti means peace, but in the Vedic understanding, peace is not a single, simple thing. It exists at multiple levels simultaneously, and each level requires its own attention. When we chant Om Shanti three times, each repetition is a deliberate invocation of peace into a different dimension of existence.
FIRST SHANTI - Adhidaivika: Peace from cosmic disturbance
Peace from forces beyond our control - weather, natural events, the movements of the cosmos. What we cannot change, we can meet with peace.
SECOND SHANTI - Adhibhautika: Peace from others
Peace from disturbances that arise from other beings - conflict, misunderstanding, the friction of living in relationship with others in the world.
THIRD SHANTI - Adhyatmika: Peace from within
Peace from the disturbances within ourselves - our own mind, our anxieties, our habitual patterns. The deepest peace of all, because it is the one we can most directly cultivate.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti is not a wishful prayer. It is a precise, deliberate call for peace; outward to the cosmos, to the world of relationships, and inward to the deepest layers of the self. Three dimensions of peace, addressed with three repetitions, in the number that runs through all of yoga's most sacred mathematics. It is ancient precision disguised as simple sound.
And if you've been in any of my classes, you'll also know that we chant it three times to represent peace for our past, present and future or for ourselves, our loved ones and our world.
THE NEUROSCIENCE OF OM
Research published in the International Journal of Yoga and other peer-reviewed journals has found that chanting Om produces measurable changes in the brain and nervous system. Studies using fMRI scans show that chanting Om deactivates the limbic system, the brain's emotional processing and threat-detection centre, in a way similar to the effect of vagal nerve stimulation. In other words, chanting Om physically calms the alarm centres of the brain.
Additional research has found that the vibration of Om chanting stimulates the vagus nerve directly through the soft palate and the eardrums; the resonance literally travels through the body and triggers the parasympathetic nervous system. The humming quality of the Mmm sound in particular generates nitric oxide in the sinuses, dilates blood vessels, and creates a measurable shift toward calm.
You don't have to believe in anything for this to happen. Your nervous system responds regardless.
A NOTE FOR THOSE WHO FEEL UNCERTAIN
If chanting Om or Om Shanti feels uncomfortable because of your religious background or personal beliefs, I want you to know: I understand, and I hold that with complete respect. You never have to chant anything in this space that doesn't feel right for you. Your practice is your own.
But I also want to offer this: Om predates every religion that currently exists on earth. It is not the property of Hinduism, or Buddhism, or any tradition. It appears in those traditions because those traditions, like all human spiritual endeavour, were reaching toward the same fundamental truth: that beneath the surface of things, everything vibrates, everything is connected, and within that connection there is something that can only be called peace.
Om is not an act of worship. It is an act of listening. To the sound of your own body. To the frequency of the world around you. To the silence that lives beneath everything and that is, in every tradition, in every language, in every time, the place where the deepest peace is found.
You are not being asked to change what you believe. You are being invited to experience what you are.
The next time we close class together and our voices rise and fall through those three ancient syllables, know that you are doing something humans have done for thousands of years, across every culture that ever tried to find its way home to itself. You are not declaring a religion. You are not converting to a tradition. You are simply, profoundly, putting your voice to the sound that was here before any of us arrived, and will be here long after we are gone.
Om. Shanti. Shanti. Shanti. π
What's Happening In The Pantry π§ββοΈ OMG SOOOO MUCH!!!!!
Sadly, Cami is no longer teaching on Tuesday night; however, we do have the amazing Kat Purvis, our fabulous Friday night instructor, stepping in. Yin will stay the same, but our 6 pm class is changing, so come on down this Tuesday at 6 pm to get your first taste of what's in store.
We have 1 last Monday night Beginner Yoga series for this year and it starts in a couple of weeks!
If you know someone who's looking to get into yoga and doesn't know how or where to start, then now is the perfect time to start your campaign to get them into our awesome beginner courses. Our beginner Yoga course has been running for 12 years and is the best and most well-rounded beginner yoga course around (if I do say so myself). With a good mix of philosophy, breathwork, and, of course, physical postures, but what really sets us apart is the emphasis on finding ways to let the poses fit you rather than the other way around. Plus, all the wonderful folks who make up our amazing community.
It's also a great course to brush up on your basics and get back into the swing of things if you've been away from your yoga practice for a while...ππ
For more information and to secure a coveted spot in this fantastic course, check out our website and BOOK NOW!!!!!!!
Melt, Release, Restore Workshop - 2 hours to a new you!
September 27
5 pm -7 pm
There are only 2 spaces left in this workshop, where we are going to explore releasing tension and stress through the MELT method of using a tennis ball to access trigger points in the body and coax the body to let go of deeply held tightness and tension; then we will follow that up with an hour of restorative yoga to soothe and soften any lingering tensions. You will achieve jellyfish/sloth status!
AND you'll also get a special tennis ball to take home for your continued home practice, yay!
βCheck out all the details and grab those last two spots before they disappear!
EXCITING MINI RETREAT
Join Karryn in November for a blissful afternoon of self-care.
Return To Self: A Mini Retreat
This 2.5 hour retreat is all about the feel-good stretches, physically and mentally, that will help you connect with your inner peaceful nature and feel more grounded and calm in body and mind. Designed as a mini-retreat, the afternoon session will include an opening circle, breathwork, slow flow yoga (suitable for all levels), journaling (for some introspection and to challenge intrusive thoughts) and a soothing yoga nidra (yogic sleep) practice, leaving you feeling refreshed and centred.
No need to bring anything, just yourself; we will provide the rest. You will also receive a journal and pen to jot down your thoughts and experiences. This will be a small, intimate group, celebrating you and weaving together a beautiful little community of like-minded souls.
Spaces are extremely limited.
βBOOK NOW to secure your spot on Sunday, November 15
3:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Head here to book all your regular yoga classes and maybe even try some new ones!
Remember, you can join us online from anywhere in the world, live or at a time that suits you, with our instant 14-day on-demand Zoom recording!
Don't forget you can also join us for a FREE meditation session every Saturday morning, and even if you can't, you can book in via Zoom and do the meditation later in the day, or every day, until the next session :)
Your YouTube Class Of The Week...
Not quite an Om but still holds the same therapeutic and neurological benefits of sound vibration and mantra chanting.
Feel free to share these vids far and wide because sharing is caring, and it helps me with the algorithm :D
β
With peace at every level, and so much love for every one of you who shows up exactly as you are β€οΈ
Tash & The Yoga Pantry Team
See you on the mat π»
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Letβs spread the yoga love far and wide!
I see you, and I appreciate you. You are awesome...and don't you forget it ;) x
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