Where the word comes from
The syllable om has a long history. It appears in Vedic texts and later in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In the Upanishads it is analysed as "a-u-m", three sounds plus the silence after them, and it is linked with an idea of the ground of all that exists. It has no translation in the usual sense: it is closer to a sacred sound than to a word.
For believers the sign ॐ is religious. In modern classes it is more often chanted as a shared sound: for many people it helps to settle before practice, and others take it neutrally.
How to say it
Begin with an open "o" (sometimes "ah-oo"), glide into a closed "m" and hold it on the exhale. A group usually chants it three times, one breath each. Choose your own pitch and length; nobody expects beautiful singing.
How it sounds in class
A teacher may open or close the class with om. Sometimes it is part of longer mantras or chants led by the teacher. Most dynamic classes do not include it at all.
If you do not feel like chanting, you can sit quietly with your eyes closed, repeat the syllable in your head or just listen to the group. That is fine in any class.
Om, mantra and breath
The syllable om is the best-known mantra, and chanting it works like a breathing exercise: you breathe in, then make one long sound as you breathe out. That is why it is sometimes placed at the start or end of a class, when it is time to calm the breath and gather attention.
Listening to the sound and the long exhale is something you can feel in your body. You can describe it without religious ideas: one slow exhale on one steady note. If the syllable is religious for you and you want to treat it so, that is accepted too. What matters is respect for those who see it differently and for the class itself.
Common misunderstandings
- "You have to chant om." Taking part is voluntary.
- "The syllable must produce a special state or effect." Practice gives no such guarantee, and none should be promised.
- "The ॐ sign is just a nice picture." For many people it is a sacred symbol, and it is treated with respect, including on clothes and jewellery.