“The breath goes out making the sound ‘HAM’ and comes in producing the sound ‘SO’. You repeat the mantra ‘HAMSO’ 21,600 times every twenty-four hours.”
Yoga Chudamani Upanishad, 31-32
You can purify and calm your mind by limiting your intake of sensory impressions just as some people cleanse their bodies by fasting. Sealing Off Your Senses (see opposite) is a technique that frees you from external stimulation so you can focus on the sound of your breath, which strengthens your ability to control your udana. In the profound silence that ensues, you hear your breath repeat the syllables “SO” on the in-breath and “HAM” on the out-breath. So-ham is a profound Sanskrit mantra that links you with all other creatures that breathe, since their breath makes the same sound. The literal meaning of So-ham is “I am.” If you reverse the syllables by listening to the exhalation first, you hear hamso or hamsa, Sanskrit for “soul” and “swan”, symbol of the divine spirit.
If you block off external stimulation, you sometimes hear anahata (literally “un-struck”) sounds that have no physical source, referred to in Western philosophy as the “music of the spheres”. In sense-deprivation exercises you might like to listen for such sounds, which may manifest as:
• Tinkling wind chimes
• Bells ringing
• The blowing of conch shells
• Lute-like sounds
• Chinking cymbals
• Flute music, heard most often early in the morning
• A drum beating
• Distant thunder rumbling.
In Sanskrit, shan means “six” and mukhi, “face”. In this exercise, you close the six “gates” to the face by which you recieve external stimuli – two ears, two eyes, nose and mouth. At first you may find that the sensory deprivation makes this exercise more challenging than others. But those who persevere often report a sensation of deep peace and wellbeing. Start by choosing a comfortable sitting position (see pages 35–7).
1 Sit with your back straight. With your mouth closed, become aware of the natural movement of your breath in and out through your nostrils.
2 When ready, bring both hands to your face. Gently insert the tips of your thumbs into your ears. Use your index fingers to carefully close your eyelids (without applying pressure to your eyeballs). Rest your middle fingers softly on each side of the bridge of your nose. This reduces your intake of breath, but do not cut it off completely. Close your mouth by placing your ring fingers on your upper lip and your little fingers on your lower lip (see image).
3 Breathing lightly through your nose, turn your focus inward and listen to the sound of your own breathing. Notice how, as you inhale, your breath utters the sound “SO”, and how with each exhalation it spontaneously repeats the syllable “HAM”.
4 As a beginner, practise this for at least 5 minutes, focusing your mind back on the syllables “SO” and “HAM” each time you become distracted. Then lift your hands away from your face and relax them, and gently open your eyes. With practice, gradually increase your sitting time to 20 minutes.