There's no place like.....

....Om.

I love the chanting of yoga classes.  To sing/chant the universal sound of Om at the beginning of class signals my break from the everyday world to the domain of practice.  At the end of class, Om feels like a summary, a conclusion, a completeness.

Over the past few months, I've noticed that in my usual class, the Om is slightly off key and dissonant in the beginning, but by the end the resonance is pure and consistent.  I see it as the joining of energies thru the practice into one community of voice.

This article came across my consciousness this week.  Good background info for a sound, a symbol that seems to be everywhere.  I hear a union in Om, a blending of sound and hearts and minds.  When I chant Om in class or alone, I sense a deep connection with all that is life and love and peace.

This past weekend was our annual yoga festival.  I've been to the festival in the past 2 years, but have not been brave enough to actually take classes....  I just didn't feel good enough!  But this year, I braved the waters and jumped in.

At first, I felt very at home and a sense of unity of purpose, but as the first day's classes proceeded, some egos started to emerge.   I can recognize who I resonate with and who I don't.....  and picked up some really weird vibes from some of the teachers and participants.

But what I noticed the most was the disharmony of the Oms in most of the classes.  A disharmony that did not go away by the end of class.  In each class, there were one or two voices that just had to be louder, or longer, or just off the mark.  It was sort of ugly a few times, blatant discordance in a culture that should be (IMHO) should be directed toward similar goals.  Rather than blending, they needed to stand out.  And that, to me, is antithetical to all the yoga means.

This article from Elephant Journal raises some excellent questions.  In spite of our shared goals, lines are being drawn.  Competitions exist, hierarchy emerges.  That's not why I practice.

I practice for my own health, serenity, and healing.  I practice to blend my energies, my breath, my essence.