On this week of restorative and pranayama I have been asking “WHAT DOES CHANTING “OM” MEAN FOR YOU? I am asking this question to gain students personal responses. How relevant is opening the class with chanting “Om” for students?

Gipe

For me its a time to prepare my voice and be present in my role as facilitator. Also, I hope chanting OM allows students to feel both a sense of ownership and presences. With “OM” I invite all students attending to share the space .

So I like starting class with chanting “OM”. “Om” starts the class and moves me away from my concerns in the day. So I like starting class with chanting “OM”.

I like to go back to the Sanskrit, which I think means for me, a beginning middle and end so that it's the universality of the sound, which I think I find really comforting. Yeah.

It really lets me connect to the universal Sound. And I feel connected and one with all when I say “OM”. Stillness, arrives in class practice, as the dimensions of time merge.

literally. I've got to say, for me, more than anything, “OM” helps me regulate my breathing, which is a very personal thing for me because I am asthmatic and I can actually feel the breath going in, but I can also regulate it coming out in the sound and for me, that's really helpful.

For me sounding OM / AUM is probably one of the rare things that I do, which does not cause me to be self conscious or judgmental. It takes me away from focusing on myself to something or somewhere less complex allowing me to be focused and calm.

until about 10 days ago, I felt nothing and can say I felt almost was a little bit uncomfortable to chant. But when I went on the retreat last, where we did lots of chanting I now think its one of the best things I can do for myself. I do it every day? Saying the OM, takes me right back to the mountains at the retreat. Yeah. Where I forgot everything and felt really peaceful.

I like to do it because I go to a meditation class quite often and we say it then. So chanting OM it brings the two things together for me, the mental and the physical side.

Nikkie - “I spoke the words but not the UM. I'm not enjoying eating, not enjoying chanting because it all tickles my throat and makes me cough. And I didn't think you wanted to hear this, but that's why I didn't do it today.

Gipe replies to Nikkie - “I am very interested to hear how your are.

Experiencing does not have to be good to be worthwhile acknowledging. We cannot always remove discomfort.

Gipe - You said you spoke the student teacher invocation has that any relevance for you?

Nikkie- I think probably more so than what they did originally. Yes. yeah, yeah, with repetition the more I say the words? I understand how the words are about us coming together in this space, while also working for our own benefits. And I think because you get to know the group, the words have meaning? And even though it tickles my throat. In the rush of getting to class, I valued how it really settles me.

I also I like to hear and be a part of the group chanting I feel it can bring us all together. And also I think it's about the vibration for me that, brings me to my body. Chanting OM is just quite a nice preparation.

The words themselves. I don't know if they mean anything, but Doing it just then I realised how tense I was to start with because I hardly got an OM out and by the end of the three of them. I felt a clear om sound come from me. So I realised how short my breath was at the very start.