What am I? I am that - So'Ham

 

 

I read this mantra first a few years ago in Lama Surya Das's book, "Letting go of the Person You Used to Be". He called it the White Swan Meditation or HAMSA.

 

It is a simple mantra, done with the breath. Breathing in and out through the nostrils. This helps to warm and filter the air, slows the breath and calms the mind.

 

On the inhalation repeat Ham,

on the exhalation repeat So

 

This mantra is said to balance the two energies, masculine and feminine, the ying and yang.

The White Swan is a symbol of grace and purity. So Lama Surya Das writes that when the mantra is said with the breath it is freed and purified, like the wings of a swan helping our spirits to soar.

A way to shed negative thoughts and see the divinity in all.

 

That is why this mantra is also called "I am that". It can help bring an awareness of the connection between the divinity within each of us and the greater infinite divinity.

 

In the end it doesn't matter what syllable comes first.

Ham so

So Ham

 

I am that

that I am

 

Sounds a bit like Dr. Seuss, but isn't that why we loved his books. Simple.

 

Try this one in the morning, it was suggested 108 times, but start with a number that can suit you.

Clear the mind and visualize light, clear energy, openness to the head and heart, a sense of letting go as you repeat this mantra.

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

 

 

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