You’ve seen it in our clothing a lot, and will have seen it all over the yoga world, too. But what does the Om symbol mean? Why do we use it in our clothing, and why do some people chant it at yoga class? In simplest terms Om means… everything! It represents the whole universe, and the first sound of creation. It has such spiritual significance because of this all-encompassing idea. Om also symbolizes the Crown Chakra in tantric tradition, so you will often see it along side (or inside) the holy lotus, to show the expansion of the self and consciousness.
What does the symbol itself say? Is that sanskrit?
As you can see in the diagram, the different strokes in the Om symbol represent different states of conciousness. There are four of these: The concious self, the unconcious self, the dreaming self, and transcendental (often called the spiritual or divine) self. The final brush stroke represents the world of illusion – the veil or state that keeps us from truth and a true awareness of the universe.
Why do you see it so much in Yoga? Why does it mean so much to so many yogis?
Om is a constant reminder of the unification of the self, and peace and harmony with the universe. For many, the practice of yoga is to find this peace, and become part of some larger spiritual idea. When we chant Om, we are speaking of the whole universe and the whole self – letting go of the ‘veil’ between ourselves and truth, and opening ourselves to feeling both oneness and nothingness.
Even non-spiritual yoga practitioners recognize the power of om as a symbol of peace and unity, and that we are all part of one larger, interconnected universe beyond the every day. This certainly feeds into its popularity – you do not have to ascribe to Hinduism or Buddhism to accept it’s message as a good one! The improvement and connectivity of the self is the core of yoga – so Om pretty much sums that up!
So is that why you have it on your clothing?
We feel that being inspired to practice is massive part of Yoga. Pulling inspiration from around yourself motivates you to keep practicing. The more you practice, the better you feel! The better you feel, the closer you get to that Om peace. We also use a lot of Chakra symbolism in our designs, so you’ll see a lot of Oms representing the Crown Chakra.
We hope we’ve cleared some things up for you. Embrace the power of Om and get inspired!
Yogamasti
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