Universal
So'ham — the breath mantra
सोऽहम्
So'ham
Simple reading: So-ham
About this mantra
The mantra the breath itself repeats — 'so' on the in-breath, 'ham' on the out-breath — the Upanishadic recognition: That I am.
Meaning
Sah — That; aham — 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, offered not as philosophy but as something the body has been saying all along, thousands of times a day.
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)