The Sound of Om

I've been thinking about restarting my blog for awhile. Two friends recently started blogging (links on the right), giving me an extra push to get back to my own. It's a sunny Easter weekend, so there is no better time.

I returned to a regular yoga practice in late January and I'm slowly finding my way back to the zen, strength and flexibility that it provides.  I attend a Level 1/2 Ashtanga flow class every Sunday morning and I try to catch a class one evening a week after work.  Each class always starts and ends with the group "Om", followed by a short chant.  After a couple of weeks of this routine, I noticed that each class quickly reaches a natural harmony and each class chants "Om" in a different key.   It gives me goosebumps!  Since the instructor usually starts off the chant, I first thought the key was the key of their voice and the rest of us just naturally matched it.  However, after several Sunday morning classes with the same instructor, it's clear that's not the case.   Of course, if the class has more male baritones or female sopranos, it has an effect on the final harmony.

Om is believed to be the basic sound of the world, resonating throughout the body so that it penetrates to the centre of one's being.   If that's really the case, then the key reflects the unique sound of our unique collective world that day.   It's not just the unique combination of voices coming to class that day, it's also a unique reflection on the day.  In the dark, cold evenings of late January/early February, the harmonies were deeper, darker and likely on the flat side.   By listening to the chants of a yoga class, you can tell if the group has mostly had good days or bad days.  These observations aren't profound; it's the observation itself that I find fascinating.  It's the aural equivalent of stopping to smell the roses.  I am enjoying the fact that I am taking a moment in my day to observe and reflect on something as simple as the sound of Om.

It's also the act of these observations that is inspiring me to return to my blog.  Most of 2009 was documented in photos, which I shared with friends on Facebook and unconnected family members with a photo calendar.  After taking SO many photos in the past year, I find that my passion for it is waning as my photographs return to being snapshots.   Plus, photography is not an outlet for all my creativity.  A picture may be a thousand words, but some thoughts need words, not pictures, to express.   So, along with finding a new balance in my life with yoga in 2010, I will also work on finding a balance between my written and visual creativity.   For Christmas, I got a copy of Wreck This Journal.  So far it's been sitting on my nightstand, but I promise to completely wreck that journal with creativity before the end of the year.

It will be a fun journey :)