Soham means (literally) ‘That I am’ . Here, ‘Sah’ means ‘That’ and ‘Aham’ means ‘I’.(Swami Sivananda) . Let’s now understand vividly, what Soham means, what is Soham meditation/Ajapa Japa and what are the benefits of Soham mantra.
The meaning of Soham
Soham means ‘I am That!’. This meaning is reiterated in the Vedas, Upanishads, Tantras and other scriptures. But who is referred to as ‘That’? ‘That’ is the Cosmic Divine, the effulgent Brahman, the Supreme Self/Spirit!
So, Soham meditation/ Ajapa Japa/Hamsa Yoga is a self-assertion that says ‘I am the Divine’! Meaning, the God that I seek outside, is already within me. And one of the most important benefits of Soham mantra is that it can root you to the present moment like no other mantra/meditation. Therefore, Soham simply means centering our attention on the ‘So…’ sound of inhalation and the ‘Ham’ sound of exhalation
Soham mantra’s identification with the Cosmic Divine is similar to other Maha-Vakyas such as ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ (Thou art That) and ‘Aham Braham Asmi’ (I am Brahma). Isa Upanishad also refers to this profundity as ‘Soham Asmi’
The Upanishads say that a part of the Cosmic Divine resides in each of us as the Soul (Jiva). We can perceive it Nirguna (without form) or Saguna (with form as in Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu etc). Saint Kabir is famous for his Nirguna worship through the Ajapa Japa of Soham meditation.
What is Soham Mantra, Soham Meditation, Soham Ajapa Japa or Hamsa Yoga?
Ajapa Japa Soundless chant (Internal chant) and Soham Meditation
A human being has around 21,600 breathing cycles in a days. Soham is the inner non-vibratory sound (Anahata Nada) of this respiration. Each cycle makes the sound of ‘Saaaaaah’ at every inhale and ‘Haammmm’ at every exhale. The ‘Ham’ is the seed mantra of Shiva and ‘Sah’ is the seed mantra of Shakti
This Anahata Nada of Soham emanates from the Heart Chakra (the spiritual energy center of compassion and love). This sound of breathing can be heard in an intensely centered state.
Since the Soham meditation is not really a Japa (verbal chant) but a hearing of the internal sound, it is called a chant less-chant ‘Ajapa Japa’ or Ajapa Gayatri (Gheranda Samhita 5:83) . As each being is born with Soham, there is no need for an initiation into this mantra nor is there a need for rosary beads.
Hamsa Yoga/Soham meditation
Some scriptures (like Vijnana Bhairava), reverse this order. Soham becomes Hamsa, with ‘Haaaaammm’ at every inhale and ‘Saaahhh’ at every exhale. That converts the mantra into ‘Hamsa’ , which means a Swan. When compounded, this mantra is internalized as ‘Soham… Hamsah’. Now, it means ‘I myself am the Swan (Swan being the metaphor for the Supreme Spirit)
As per Indian mythology, Hamsa is the vehicle of Goddess Gayatri. It is a bird with the remarkable ability of separating milk from water. Hence, it is representative of Viveka (the ability to discriminate) between what is real and what is transient. Also by virtue of being spotlessly pure-white, it represents the Soul. (Swami Sivapriyananda) So, success in Soham meditation/ Hamsa Yoga makes the spiritual aspirant ‘Raj Hamsa’ or ‘Param Hamsa’ – benefiting him with the highest pinnacle of spiritual illumination and righteousness.
More on the Soham Mantra…
The letters S+O+H+A+M make up the word Soham. But excluding the two consonants of S and H, leaves us with ‘OAM’ or ‘OM’ the greatest of all mantras!
The crux of Soham meditation/ Ajapa Japa is to reach the purest divine state possible. So, Soham (listening) must be blended with an effort to inhale the Cosmic Prana with each ‘Saaaah’ and to exhale Ahankara (Ego) with each ‘Haaaam’.
Also, a proper Bhava (emotion/devotion) and a strong Sankalpa (determination) can reward the aspirant with elevating benefits. An unshakeable belief in Soham’s meaning of ‘I am Divine’, ‘I am Omnipotent’, ‘I am beyond space and time’ can work miracles then.
Learn all about the amazing benefits of Mantra meditation here
Top 12 Benefits of Soham mantra, Ajapa Japa or Soham meditation
1. Keeps us rooted in the present, mindfully
Soham mantra fully engages the power of breath to reach the Cosmic Divine. It is impossible to think of anything else while attending to Soham sound of the breath. Try and see! Either you can watch your breath or you can follow the gyrations of the thought factory.
Soham mantra benefits by neutralizing our tricky mind that drags us into the past or the future! It pulls the mind out of this ever-engulfing swamp of desires and regrets. Hence the constant onslaught of trivial concerns ceases. This makes you mindful of the task on hand. Soon, you are giving each moment the best and living life fully.
In short, long term feeling of peace and wellness raises the happiness quotient by several notches
2. Soham mantra benefits by greater mind control, greater concentration
Soham is the greatest tonic for a errant mind. Most people would trade anything to keep their mental hyper-activity in check. Problems of lack of concentration, fear of failure, anxiety about the future all arise due to an undisciplined mind.
Soham mantra consolidates the divergent directions of the mind, body and senses. It achieves this by insisting on being present breath by breath. This imparts a sense of wholeness and quiets the mind. We gain power as the mind stops romping around recklessly. Soham has reined it. The mind can only unleash its power on the present moment now.
Naturally, this leads to heightened concentration and creativity, greater self control and a sublime quality of output
3. Very Convenient, Very powerful
How many times a day can you do this Ajapa- Japa? 21,600 times if you are awake and willing through the day!
When should you dedicate time for Soham meditation? You can do it anytime while walking, cooking, travelling or even at your work cubicle…. anytime, anywhere!
Do you need a place where no one can hear you? Nah! remember its an Ajapa- Japa, soundless chant!
Do you need rosary beads, intiation etc? No! All you need is the willpower and belief to do it.
4. Scientific benefits of Soham Mantra on the attention, working memory and emotional regulation
A study tested the effects of Soham meditation/Ajapa Japa on long term meditators. An fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) was done, both when they were meditating and not. As explained by Wikipedia, Functional magnetic resonance imaging measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow. As cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled, blood flow increases to that area of the brain that is in use.
This study found:
Activation in left prefrontal cortex (MPFC), left inferior frontal gyrus, left supplementary motor area and left precuneus, during meditation compared to no-meditation period.
These areas correspond to regulation of the emotional state, attention and working memory.
5. Scientific benefit of higher gray matter density with long term- Soham meditation
Another study tested the long term effects of regular Soham meditators using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Voxel-based morphometry is a computational approach to Neuroanatomy that measures differences in local concentrations of brain tissue, through a voxel-wise comparison of multiple brain images (as explained by Wikipedia).
This study found that:
The local concentrations of brain tissue was significantly higher in long-term Soham meditators as compared with non-meditators.
The analysis showed higher gray matter density in the brain stem, ventral pallidum and supplementary motor area
6. Ajapa Japa or Soham meditation can reduce stress and relax the nervous system.
Another study, conducted on 20 students studying in degree college, tested the benefits of Soham mantra on academic stress. The study found that :
There was close to 20 percent drop in their post-test stress levels (as compared to their pre-test stress levels) within a single sitting of 20 minutes of Soham meditation/ Ajapa Japa
Thus Soham induces mental peace that overflows into the nervous systems and other vitals. This banishes energy-dissipating worries and relieves stress. Also read the benefits of Gayatri mantra for students and Top Bhagavad Gita quotes for students
7. Ajapa Japa or Soham mantra charges up the vital Life force (Prana)
Soham is a mantra of the fundamental life-force, the Prana.
Just like oxygen is the source of the physical vitality (of the gross body) , Prana is the source of the Life Force vitality (in the subtle and causal body)
We take up exercise, jogging, aerobics etc to increase the intake of oxygen supply. Similarly Pranayam increases the Prana or the Life force element. High levels of Pranic energy is evident when a person is brimming with enthusiasm alertness and creativity.
Being intricately related to respiration, Soham mantra can rapidly build up Pranic energy.
8. Soham chant is a risk-free alternative to higher spiritual practices
Higher spiritual practices are sensitive and prone to dangers if done incorrectly. Therefore a Guru holds a paramount place in Indian spiritual practice. Aspirants must take up higher Sadhanas strictly under the instructions of a qualified adept.
But today it is very difficult to genuine adepts. And even after finding one, it is impractical to leave the domestic responsibilities and stay with the Guru for dedicated spiritual practice.
And that’s where Soham mantra, one of the greatest mantras for Self-Realization comes to the rescue. A serious aspirant can perform Soham meditation sans a Guru, from his home. The only pre-condition is Sankalpa(determination) and Bhava (devotion) to the practice.
9. Personal success in physical, material, spiritual domains comes naturally with Soham
As the aspirant keeps inspiring goodness and divine virtues with each ‘So’ inhalation. his personality soars. His intellect, creativity, compassion and character keep rising. He is now able to conquer new frontiers that were earlier beyond him.
At the same time with every ‘ham’ exhale he consciously disposes off egoism and restrictive negative tendencies. This elevates and expands the scope of his existence, multi-fold.
Physical benefits like health, energy, vitality and attractiveness emerge as a result of inner purification through Soham. Material benefits accrue as a result of one-pointedness and creativity at work. Spiritual benefits like an inclination to choose right action, take over.
10. The development of goodness overflows to the world at large through altruism.
Another key benefit of Soham mantra is the awakening of an altruistic side in the aspirant. Not only does he radiate goodness in every part of his life, but this goodness starts to overflow to the world at large.
Rather than being wrapped up in one’s own comforts and pursuits, the heart opens up to the world with empathy. The aspirant starts to develop an attitude of Nishkamya Karma (selfless service/action). Helping the needy, serving the unfortunate, comes naturally to him now. While his personal needs and wants dwindle, a powerful desire to promote society’s welfare takes over him.
11. The easiest path towards enlightenment (Self Realization)
Soham is a Moksh Mantra. It has the potential to free one from the continuous cycle of birth and death. And yet, all it needs is this… Be constantly aware of the two sounds made by inhalation and exhalation!
If an aspirant manages to keep this Soham awareness in all three states of his consciousness i.e wakeful (Jagarita) dreaming (Svapna) and deep sleep (Sushupti), then he will reach the fourth state of Turiya which is enlightenment! Through this simple technique we can transcend human limitations and conncet with the Cosmic Divine.
12. Harmonizing of the Individual Soul to the Cosmos Divine
The sound of Soham harmonizes the aspirant with the rhythm of life, the rhythm of the Creator. When we let down our resistance and let this sound take over our mind, we open the floodgates to the Universal Prana Shakti. We are then transformed into the best version of ourselves, with minimum effort.
But not all aspire just for enlightenment. For many of us, the goal is to achieve the objectives of Purushartha : Dharma (righteousness), Artha (material prosperity) Kama (love and pleasure), finally Moksha (liberation) in that order. Even for them, Soham mantra can benefit greatly by reintegrate the personality in the best possible combination so that these achievements become easy. and effortless.
Soham meditation/ Ajapa Japa/ Hamsa Yoga : How to do it
Here’s a summary of Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya advice:
Hamsa Yoga/Soham meditation/ Ajapa Japa has two objectives:
- Regulating the breath to harmonize and assimilate the Prana inhaled.
- Attract the Cosmic Prana through mindful determination (Sankalpa)
One without the other would be ineffectual. Only deep breathing would have superficial benefits. But a strong and consistent Sankalpa added to that will lead to spiritual elevation.
During Soham meditation, the aspirant should concentrate on feeling an illuminating current of Prana fill up his body with each incoming breath. Then continue to feel it get absorbed in the body during Kumbaka (breath retention).
Apart from living with this breath awareness day in and day out, set aside around 20minutes a day purely for enhancing the Soham awareness.
1.Sit in a comfortable posture, Sukhasana or Padmasana
2. Calm yourself steadily for the meditation.
3. Keep the spine straight so the flow of Prana is not hindered.
4. Breathe in deeply (Puraka) so that the lungs are filled with oxygen. Concentrate on the ‘So’ sound.
5. Hold the breath for a few seconds (Kumbaka). Visualize the inhaled light of Prana healing and fortifying every chakra, every atom of the mind, body and soul
6. Then release the breath (Rechaka) concentrating on the internal sound of ‘Ham’. Imagine expelling ego, vices, weaknesses, negativities with this outgoing ham.
Stopping the breath for a few seconds, one can restart the next breath cycle.
That was it! Good luck, with your Soham road to greatness!
Also, Read all about Om chanting benefits here, Powerful Ram Mantras , Gayatri Mantra benefits and its meaning and Best 20 Dhyana Yoga verses here
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