I have been reading about the meaning of Aum, the sound that we make, the song that we sing, at the beginning and end of each yoga class. There seem to be several different meanings out there. One that I like very much is that Aum means “it is”. One reason why I like that is because it’s really important to look at things as they really are, our bodies, our minds, our selves, those around us. And since yoga, in effect, allows us to get down to essentials, Aum is a reminder of that by singing, “it is”. This is how my downward facing dog is today, this is how my mind is today, this is how my teacher is today. This is.

But Aum also refers to the universal sound, the sound that encompasses and reflects everything. And that is an amazing thing because by encompassing everything, it unifies everything, it allows everything to connect, if even for just a breath. And with all these extraordinary things happening in the world these days, and the ripple effect they have, the more and more we begin realize how connected we truly are.

I love it when in class we do a bunch of asanas that seem independent of each other but in reality they are all connected. Aum is kind of like that. It brings us all together and all that is around us together. And it is a reminder that we are about to do something, engage in a practice that isn’t independent but is part of a greater whole. We practice yoga to feel good but we also practice so we can be better humans in the world.