By chanting Hari Om, you elevate yourself to a higher level. It is chanted for its vibrations—not to disturb anyone’s religious beliefs. Hari Om is a universal chant and does not belong to any particular religion. Begin with the sound “ha” at the naval. By repeating that sound, the abdomen contracts and you will feel something at the naval area. Try it: Repeat “ha.” Your energy is sleeping at the naval and the repetition of the sound wakes it up. You can feel the “kick” at the naval when you repeat that sound. It’s the best way of giving yourself an energy boost.
When you repeat “Ha,” you feel it in the abdomen and when you repeat the second syllable spelled “ri” but pronounced, “re,” the sound comes up to your throat. Then the moment you begin repeating the “O” sound of Om, the entire head vibrates above the throat. And when you close the lips to repeat “mmmmm,” the vibration rises up into the crown of the head and even above the head. You are literally lifting yourself up and above to have communication from above. This is a very simple, but efficient practice to have communication with a higher vibration.
Whoever keeps a constant communication with the higher sources, is called a holy or divine individual and is a yogi. At one point in the Bible it states “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). That is because they still have communication with the higher source, which we call God. That’s why there is a small, open, soft spot on the head of a baby that is just covered with a thin layer of skin. Babies are still open and not yet closed up but as we grow that spot becomes closed and hard just as we become closed up. After some time we are called “hard nuts.” We have to soften ourselves again so that we can have that communication with the higher source once again. Chanting helps to soften us.
Please don’t feel shy about repeating these sounds. Every day we make lots sounds and are not at all shy. This is another kind of sound and there is no need to feel shy about it. Do it in a meditative way. Try to listen to your own sound. (Listen to “Hari Om” and chant with Swami Satchidananda here.)
Did you feel something nice? It’s a very simple method that anybody can use and you can try it when you are a little disturbed, tired, or when you are not in good shape either physically or mentally. This Hari Om sound heals your body and mind and opens up your own potential and capabilities. It is an ancient but very scientific method and in this age, the scientists are recognizing the great importance of sound and its uses. They are even making machines that can produce sound that can be used to do many things. Many of you might know that delicate jewelry and watches are being cleaned with sound vibration. Some doctors are using an ultrasonic boom to locate certain cells in the body.
I read an article some years ago about a bathtub without water. You sit in a chamber that is similar to a steam bath unit, turn on the switch, and it sends an ultrasonic boom all around the body. Within a few minutes you are totally cleaned, as if you had taken a water bath. It was interesting to learn that such things are possible with the help of sound. In the East, people charm snakes with sound and in the West they have found that cows produce more milk when soft music is played. In South India, music has been used to make the crops grow better. Many of you may have had the experience of talking sweetly to the flowers in your gardens. You will find that the plants will grow very well in response because they feel and listen to your loving words. These are examples of how everything in nature responds to sounds. That is why thousands of years ago, yogis realized the importance of sound and used it for many purposes. They called these sounds mantras. You can make or break things with sounds. The sounds may not always be holy. Unfortunately, sound can also be used for bad purposes such as voodoo and black magic. That is why we only use these beautiful chants to elevate our inner potentials. It’s very simple and is for everyone. This is why almost every faith incorporates sound repetition. You select one sound and repeat it constantly to develop certain elevating and cleansing vibrations in your system. In Sanskrit this is called japa.
