The Power of the "Om" in Hawai'i

At my core, I believe that you need to learn from many different sources and then apply that knowledge to your life as it best fits.  I was raised by my family instructing me in the spiritual practices of my Hawaiian ancestors.  As I got older, I started noticing that people came from all over the world to practice yoga and meditate in Hawai'i.  I decided to investigate some of these groups and I discovered that so much of what is taught in the different disciplines of yoga is very similar to the lessons that I had learned through the studies of Hawaiian movement.

As I was learning more and more about other cultures, I noticed throughout all the practices of yoga I ever attended was the word "om" or "aum" that people chanted.  I was fascinated by this.  As a kid growing up on my little island, I had never heard this word before.

When I was in my early 20s, I got a job working for a traditional Hawaiian luau.  Before I went on stage, I used to sit and meditate to calm my nerves.  One day, as I sat in deep meditation, I suddenly became conscious of a noise vibrating me to my core.  It was the deep, resounding sound that could only be described as "Ommmm".

I have to admit it brought me out of meditation.  This was that sound, that amazing word that people chanted all over the world! 

This magical sound announced the beginning of the luau with the blowing of the "pu" or conch shell.  Every Hawaiian ceremony begins this way as a devotion of spirit.  This sound, like chanting the sound "om" moves your soul. 

I knew then why we didn't have this word - we had been blessed with this sound in nature all around us, a way to connect our inner selves with our outer world.