You hear it at the start and end of yoga classes, see it printed on mats and tattoos, and hear it at every temple in Nepal. Om is probably the best-known sound in the spiritual world. But in the tradition, it isn’t a decorative opening. It’s a complete practice in itself.
The sound and the symbol
Om is written in Devanagari as ॐ and pronounced as one long syllable. Because in Sanskrit the vowel o is formed from a and u blended together, it’s also written AUM: three sounds flowing into one.
It is sacred across Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. Mantras usually begin with it. In Nepal you’ll hear it in temple bells, in the Buddhist Om maṇi padme hūṃ turning on prayer wheels, and in household prayers every morning.
What the Upanishads say
The short Mandukya Upanishad is devoted entirely to Om. It maps the syllable onto the states of consciousness:
- A: the waking state, awareness turned outward
- U: the dreaming state, awareness turned inward
- M: deep, dreamless sleep, where awareness rests undivided
- The silence after: the fourth (turīya), pure awareness that underlies all three
That last point is easy to miss. In this teaching, the silence after Om matters as much as the sound. The chant is a way of moving through the layers of the mind to the stillness behind them.
What the Yoga Sutras say
Patanjali brings Om into yoga directly, in the first chapter:
तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः
tasya vācakaḥ praṇavaḥ
The word that expresses it [Īśvara, the divine] is Om (praṇava).
Yoga Sutras 1.27
तज्जपस्तदर्थभावनम्
taj-japas tad-artha-bhāvanam
Repeat it, and dwell on its meaning.
Yoga Sutras 1.28
The next sutra says that from this practice the mind turns inward and obstacles fall away. In other words, chanting Om is offered as a path to the still mind that is yoga’s goal, not just a way to start a class.
How to chant Om as a practice
- Sit upright, comfortably, with the spine long.
- Take a full, unhurried breath.
- Begin with “ah”, open, from the back of the throat.
- Let it round into “oo”, the sound moving forward in the mouth.
- Close the lips into “mm”, and feel the hum in the head and chest.
- Rest in the silence afterwards for as long as the last one took, or longer.
- Repeat three times, or for a few minutes, keeping attention on the sound and its meaning.
A common mistake is to rush through Om as a group warm-up and move straight on. Try giving the silence at the end its full time. That pause is where the practice works.
Respecting what it is
Om is sacred to hundreds of millions of people. Using it in practice, sincerely, is welcome in the tradition, which has always shared it widely. What jars is using it as decoration: on flip-flops, bathmats or anything that touches the floor. A small rule many people here follow: keep Om at the level of the heart or above.
Where to go next
Questions people ask
What does Om mean?
Om (also written Aum) is a sacred syllable in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. The Mandukya Upanishad explains its three sounds, A, U and M, as waking, dreaming and deep sleep, with the silence after it representing the fourth state, pure awareness. The Yoga Sutras call it the word that expresses Ishvara, the divine.
Why is Om chanted at the start of yoga class?
Traditionally, Om is chanted to settle and focus the mind before practice, and as an offering. Patanjali recommends repeating it while reflecting on its meaning (Yoga Sutras 1.28), as a way of turning the mind inward.
How do you chant Om correctly?
Sit upright and take a full breath. Let the sound move from 'ah' at the back of the throat, through 'oo' in the middle of the mouth, to 'mm' with the lips closed, then rest in the silence that follows. The silence is part of the practice.
Is Om religious?
Om is sacred in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions, and it carries religious meaning for many people. It can also be used simply as a sound for concentration. Using it with an understanding of where it comes from is the respectful approach.
Sources and further reading
- Mandukya Upanishad
- Patanjali, Yoga Sutras 1.27–1.29
- Bhagavad Gita 8.13