Universal
So'ham — the breath mantra
सोऽहम्
Simple reading
So-ham
So'ham
About this mantra
The mantra the breath itself repeats, 'so' on the in-breath and 'ham' on the out-breath. It is the Upanishadic recognition: That I am.
Meaning
Sah is That; aham is I am. Reversed, the same sounds make hamsa, the swan of the liberated; repeated with the breath they stop being said and start being heard. The claim is the Upanishads' summit, identity rather than resemblance. It is offered as something the body has been saying all along, thousands of times a day, rather than as philosophy.
Learn it by heart
Say the first line until it comes without reading, then add the next line and say both, until the whole mantra comes on its own.
Whole mantra
This mantra is a single line. Learn it whole, then add it to your review deck so it comes back for a check.
सोऽहम्
So'ham
0not said yet
Aim for eleven. Stop reading as soon as the whole mantra comes on its own.
Progress stays on this device.
When to recite it
Silent meditation's mantra, observed on the breath in any sitting practice, at night before sleep, and continuously by contemplatives; no ritual is required.
Word by word
- सःsaḥ
- That: the absolute
- अहम्aham
- I am
Source: Īśa Upaniṣad 16; Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.1; Haṁsa Upaniṣad (the breath practice)