Q&AJ: What’s up with all that chanting in yoga class?
‘So, lemme get this straight… you want me to sit cross-legged in a sweaty room, listen to soft music while moving like I’m dancing underwater, and to top it all off, I’ve got to sing? Where do I sign up?’
Sometimes, it feels almost as if yoga was designed specifically to make men feel as uncomfortable as possible. It’s hard enough that we aren’t as flexible as all those women wearing the colorful clothing on the other mats. For many guys, being asked to chant or sing can be more intimidating than attempting to gingerly place our legs behind our heads.
Even if you don’t join in, chanting can be a great way to bring the body and mind into harmony before, during, or after the practice. Chanting sharpens the mind by giving it something to focus on, cutting out the external clutter of a hectic environment. Additionally, it serves to bring a group of yogis practicing together into harmony—not just through sound, but through action and vibration.
Yes, this is one of those things specific to yoga that you either enjoy or don’t. The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to join in if you don’t want to. Listening to the sound can be just as powerful as contributing to it. Since most traditional yogic mantra is based in Sanskrit, the meaning is said to be universally understood, no matter the tune or pronunciation. Thankfully, most yoga teachers who include chanting in their class do so in a call-and-response format, so just listen in until you know what to do and join in when ready.
Different mantras mean different things. The most common and important one is a layup—OM (or AUM, depending on who you talk to or what you read). You’ve most likely seen an OM emblazoned on a yoga mat, a t-shirt, the backpack of someone going to a phish concert, or tattooed on someone’s back at the beach. OM represents the collective connection between all things in existence—it is the sound of universal vibration. For the record, that’s a good thing. Why not take a few moments to appreciate that?