Whether you're attending a yoga class, joining a kīrtan chant session, or receiving sound healing, there's often that beautiful, shared moment when a group OM is chanted together. For some, it’s a moment of blissful resonance. For others, it can be surprisingly awkward or uncomfortable — even if you love the idea of chanting.
As someone who has spent decades immersed in the practice and teaching of sacred sound, I’ve witnessed all kinds of responses to this one simple syllable. Here’s a little breakdown I put together — see if you can find yourself in any of these:
A- Don’t feel confident I can sing on pitch, so I just listen while others chant
B- Don’t know which note to sing on so it takes me most of the chant to figure out where my voice is comfortable
C- Want to sing but just can’t get the sound out of my tight throat
D- Want to feel as free as others but I’m afraid they’ll hear me doing it wrong
E- Don’t really know how it’s supposed to flow from A - U - M so I just mumble with hesitation
F- Chant it fully but don’t really feel the “primal force” or “unstuck sound” that people (and the sages and scriptures) say you should be able to feel
G- Take it as an opportunity embody a felt sense of love/God on the sound of my voice
H- Burst into an inner cascade of contentment, feeling deeply at home just thinking about AUM, don’t even need to chant it out loud
Did I miss something? As a teacher of chant leaders I’d love to know if I missed a category of obstacles that gets in the way of G & H… LMK!
😍 Embodying a felt sense of love/God on the sound of my voice
🥰 Accessing an inner cascade of contentment, feeling deeply at home just thinking about AUM (without even needing to chant it out loud)
After nearly 30 years of chanting, and 12 teaching teachers, I’ve learned a few things about what NOT to do, what gets in the way of the mystical communion through sound that is available to us all! I’d love to share these keys with you, to possibly rock your mantra world!?
Leading Aum is about more than technical precision—it’s about creating a space where participants feel safe to explore the sound’s profound resonance. By focusing on clarity, synchronization, and a supportive structure, you can elevate the experience for everyone.
Ready to lead your next Aum?
After 27 years of mantra study and 15 years of training teachers you can imagine Anandra has heard learned a few things about Auṁ chanting, and how to lead a therapeutic (not right or wrong!) chant session!
Both of our All About Aum mini masterclasses got such good response, we are featuring both as replays (by donation)
#1 covers all the FAQ about AUM vs. OM, how to isolate the therapeutic benefits of the 5 sub-sounds, and chant leader essentials: how to avoid a total OM FAIL!
#2 centers on the direct experience of the sound therapeutic benefits of Auṁ... we had rivers of communion flowing inside of us that flowed out as sweet tears.
No dogma guaranteed, just direct experience & observing effects of different techniques of chanting the most popular mantra of all time!
Catch the replays of both events!
Does your heart long to lead others in transformative chant experiences?
Do you want to be a kīrtan leader, nāda yoga or mantra meditation teacher? We made this free peace mantras chant leader training for you to get started with easy, universal peace mantras (non-dogmatic, non-religious) that you can lead with or without instruments.
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