Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-18399-Honolulu-Health-and-Happiness-Examiner~y2009m8d20-Bring-Inner-Peace-With-a-Simple-Word--Remembrance
OM, like Amen, means the Divine which manifests as all that is. OM is the "word. As the Bible says in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word." One interpretation of "Word" in this passage is primal sound or vibration from which all other names and forms arise and to which we all return. OM is the Alpha and the Omega.
Repetition of OM or AUM dissolves the mind into its Divine Source. If you chant OM several times out loud it purifies the atmosphere. It clear the mind, and it brings you peace. Try it. Chant at least 7 OM's in succession. Make each breath last as long as possible. Take a deep breath in and start the exhalation with Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh then Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh then Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Also, try this with a group of people. In the group, each person - all together - chants OM continuously with no breaks for 5 minutes. Fill the air with OM. It will ring through your whole heart and body. You will experience such joy and peace. (Note: If you feel self-conscious, then please just continue and practice allowing your voice to be heard. Practice self-acceptance, and your body will begin to relax.)
Each day, practice chanting OM for five or ten minutes. (Even one minute helps so much.) Then sit for a moment of Silence. You will be amazed! Experience is better than all words! Practice is better than tons of study. As Rumi said so beautifully, "Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don't open teh door to the study and begin reading. Take down the dulcimer. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."
Try repeating OM as a mantra for meditation. Repeat OM silently to yourself. You can practice this all day long and everyday. It will always bring peace to your heart and life. It will bring you into the "new" as my beloved guru Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati teaches us (www.kashi.org). When the mind wanders bring it gently back to OM again and again.
You can also practice this with the word "God" or your name for your Beloved. Repeat "God" all day long. When the mind wanders and gets stressed, simply bring the thoughts back to God. Aloha.
© 2009 Heather Havey, M.A. www.peacethroughkindness.com
