2 AUM

Chapter

. Technique
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 29

Om
by Paramhansa Yogananda
Whence, whence this soundless roar doth come,
When drowseth matter’s dreary drum?
On shores of bliss, Om, booming breaks!
All earth, all heaven, all body shakes!
Cords bound to flesh are broken all.
Vibrations burst, and meteors fall!
The hustling heart, the boasting breath,
No more shall cause the yogi’s death;
All nature lies in darkness soft,
Dimness of starlight seen aloft;
Subconscious dreams have gone to bed...
‘Tis then that one doth hear Om’s tread;
The bumble-bee now hums along—
Hark! Baby Om doth sing his song!
From Krishna’s flute the call is sweet:
‘Tis time the Watery God to meet!
Now, the God of Fire is singing!
Om! Om! Om! His harp is ringing.
God of Prana now is sounding—
Wondrous, breathing-bells resounding!
O! Upward climb the living tree;
Hark to the cosmic symphony.
From Om, the soundless roar! From Om
The call for light o’er dark to roam.
From Om the music of the spheres!
From Om the mist of nature’s tears!
All things of earth and heaven declare,
Om! Om! Resounding everywhere!
30 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

The AUM technique is the third of four techniques that are

central to the path of Kriya Yoga:

1. Energization Exercises
2. Hong-Sau technique
3. AUM technique
4. Kriya Yoga technique
These four techniques were taught by Paramhansa Yogananda
as integral to the path of Kriya Yoga. Establishing a consistent
daily practice of the first three techniques is a requirement for
receiving initiation into the Kriya technique.

Each of the four techniques helps one to commune with

specific aspects of God, but the AUM technique is the most
direct in communing with an attribute of God, in this case
as Cosmic Vibration or Sound. In one way, the Hong-Sau
technique is a preparation for meditation by helping one
develop concentration. Meditation then takes that power of
concentration and focuses it on God or an attribute of God.
Deep concentration is a requirement for deeper states of
meditation.

Hong-Sau is also a kind of meditation, since it helps us to

commune with God as Peace. That Peace is the soil in which
other divine experiences can flourish. Sound, or cosmic
vibration, is the easiest of the attributes of God to experience,
because it pervades everything—the entire universe, our souls,
and even our own bodies. It is through cosmic vibration that
we have come from God beyond creation, and it is through
cosmic vibration that we will return back to union with God.
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 31

That is why the AUM technique is so important—it gives us the

ability to commune with God as vibration, and through that
communion to return to the source of that vibration.

The Significance of AUM

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1).
AUM, the ‘Word of God,’ has been named variously “Amen”
in Christianity, “Amin” in Islam, “AUM” by the Hindu yogis,
Ahunavar in the Zoroastrian religion, and the “music of the
spheres” by the ancient Greeks. AUM has also been described
as the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, and the Divine Mother.

Our creation had its origin when a part of God’s consciousness

vibrated from its center of absolute peace beyond creation,
and produced the appearance of a manifested universe. The
universe that we see, always in motion, in contrast to the
stillness of God beyond creation, is comparable to the restless
surface of the ocean, in contrast to the unchanging body of
water that lies underneath.

Before God manifested as this universe, He was pure

consciousness, or Sat-Chit-Ananda: ever conscious, ever
existing, ever new bliss. When He created the universe, it was
created with His own consciousness—He didn’t have to go and
find material to create it with. In order to create the universe,
He had to move. It is that movement which created vibration
and then sound, much as a guitar string in vibrating motion
creates sound.
32 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

That vibration and sound coming from God is AUM. The

AUM vibration is God’s own consciousness in vibratory
movement—it not only proceeds from God, It is God: “All
things were made by Him; and without Him not any thing
made that was made.” (John 1:3-4)

Even in the midst of that movement, God remains untouched,

standing back in the watchful state. In the Bible, that aspect
of God is referred to as God the Father. The AUM vibration
that pervades creation is the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, also
referred to as the Divine Mother, who is active in creation.
The unmoving reflection of Spirit in creation is the Son, the
Kutastha Chaitanya, or the Christ Consciousness that resides
within creation.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit comprise the
Christian Trinity, comparable to the Hindu trinity of “AUM
– Tat – Sat,” which reverses the order of “Father – Son –
Holy Spirit.” The Father=Sat, the Son=Tat, and the Holy
Spirit=AUM.

In certain traditions of mystical Christianity, the Holy Spirit,

or AUM, is described as the mother of Christ, the feminine
aspect of God. Here the teaching is that in the process of
spiritual awakening, leading eventually to union with God,
the devotee must commune first with AUM, or the Divine
Mother. Uniting his consciousness with AUM, he then
must proceed to realize his oneness with the Son. Only after
achieving union with the Son, the Christ Consciousness, can
one proceed toward union with the Father beyond creation.
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 33

Thus, communing with the AUM vibration is an essential step

in the process of retracing the path of our long journey back to
the source of our own creation, and to final union with God.

The AUM technique helps us to attune ourselves to the

sacred vibration, first as it manifests within our bodies; deeper
practice expands that attunement to the vibration in the entire
universe. By meditating on AUM, we gradually retrace our
steps from outward, manifested creation back to unmanifested
Spirit. AUM is the bridge between human and cosmic
consciousness.

“AUM” is properly written with three letters, though it is

also commonly written as “Om.” The three letters represent
three aspects of AUM, explained later in this lesson. It is
pronounced “ōm” (as in “home”).

The AUM Technique

In order to practice the AUM technique most effectively, one
should make or purchase an elbow rest, or AUM board, which
supports the arms while one practices the technique. AUM
technique elbow rests can be purchased from Ananda by going
to www.ananda-boutique.org.

With all meditation techniques, but especially with the AUM

technique, remember that you are not just meditating on God,
you are meditating with God. God and AUM are not out there
or far away. The sacred vibration permeates your own body,
mind, and soul. Meditate with AUM, rather than thinking you
are meditating on AUM. You can also see the AUM technique
34 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

as attunement to that vibration which you are already a part of—

you don’t have to seek it outside your own self.

Preparation
Generally, it is helpful to precede your practice of meditation
with the Energization Exercises. Then, once you are seated,
begin with a prayer and a devotional chant, if possible. Prepare
for practice of the AUM technique by calming your mind with
10-15 minutes of the Hong-Sau technique.

The AUM Technique Mudra

The AUM technique is practiced with a particular mudra.
Meditative mudras are physical positions which help one
become more aware of the inward movement of subtle energy,
and to help direct that flow upward for deeper meditation.
The AUM technique mudra uses the fingers of the hands to
internalize the life force, and to direct it upward to the spiritual
eye.

The mudra consists of closing the ears by gently pressing the

tragi (the flaps which directly cover the openings of the ears)
inward with your thumbs. The thumbs do not go inside the
ear, but only touch the outside of each of the tragus, pushing
them gently inward to close the ear opening and shut out
external sounds.

The little fingers rest on the outer corners of each closed eyelid,
helping to keep them closed. They can also exert very light
pressure against the eyeball, through the closed eyelid. Because
any significant pressure can damage the eye, the pressure
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 35

should be very light. That slight pressure can help one be more
aware of any movement of the eyeballs, and help to stabilize
them. The remaining three fingers of each hand rest on the
forehead, pointing inward and upward. This position helps to
direct energy to the spiritual eye, a practice which aids in the
perception of AUM.

To begin your practice, sit up with a straight spine. If you are

sitting in a chair, sit with your back away from the back of
your chair. Place your upper arms on the AUM board, so that
they are roughly parallel to the floor, but most importantly in
a position that is comfortable for you. The AUM board helps
to support the arms, and to prevent them from becoming
tired while you practice the technique. Bring your hands up
to your head, placing them in
the AUM technique mudra.
Don’t press too hard.
Your position should
be comfortable.
There should be
no strain on your
hands, arms,
back, or neck.

The
diagram
shows the proper
position.
36 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

The AUM technique may also be practiced without the mudra

or the AUM board by using headphones or earplugs in your
ears, but only after beginning your practice with the AUM
board and mudra. You will find that the mudra is very effective
in internalizing the life force that tends to go out through the
eyes and ears, and in stimulating the flow of energy upward
and bringing it to a focus at the spiritual eye.

Practice of the AUM Technique

Once you assume the mudra, there are three parts that
combined make up the practice of the AUM Technique:

1. With closed eyes, gaze deeply at the point between the

eyebrows. Breathe naturally.

2. Mentally chant “AUM, AUM, AUM, …” over and over,

pronounced “ō m,” with a long “ō ” as in the word “home,”
without moving the mouth or tongue. The mental chanting
should not coincide with or follow the flow of the breath or
rhythm of the heartbeat. It should be a natural rhythm that
helps you to stay focused and interiorized.

3. Listen inside of the right ear for the inner sounds or

vibrations. Mantra diksha or initiation is always given in the
right ear. The inner sounds are more easily perceived there.
If you hear sounds in the left ear, enjoy them there for a
while, and then gradually try to hear them in the right ear.
Try to listen with the power of hearing, or intuition, rather
than with the physical sense of hearing.

Of the three parts of the AUM technique, listening for the

Preparation for Kriya Yoga 37

inner sounds is the most important. The mental chanting

of AUM should become mostly automatic, with your main
concentration on listening for the sounds. If you hear more
than one sound, focus on the one that is the loudest. Try to
become absorbed in the sound that you are hearing; listen with
reverence and try to become one with the sound.

The Inner Sounds

When listening for the inner sounds in the AUM technique
you might first hear sounds from the physical body, such as the
heartbeat, the blood circulation, and the breathing. You may
also hear the very high-pitched “electrical” sound of the astral
body. If you hear these sounds, concentrate on them until they
begin to recede into the background. Listening to them will
gradually help to make you more sensitive to the subtler astral
sounds.

As your mind becomes more calm and interiorized, you will

begin to hear the subtler sounds of the individual chakras,
each of which has its own particular vibration. You may first
hear one or more of these chakra sounds before you hear the
full AUM sound. Concentrate on whatever sound you hear;
listening to that sound will lead you to subtler and deeper
sounds. All sounds, even the sounds from the lower chakras,
are helpful to the meditator who listens.

You may see the light of the spiritual eye during your practice—
the AUM vibration manifests as both sound and light. If you
see the light, continue with the practice of listening for the
38 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

sounds. You can concentrate on offering yourself into that

light when you have finished your AUM technique practice.

As your practice becomes deeper, you can try to hear the

sounds not only inside the right ear, but also within both ears,
and in the entire brain. You can then expand your perception
of AUM to include your body, and expand it even further to
feeling AUM throughout the universe, and becoming one with
it in expanded consciousness.

Muladhara Chakra
The coccyx center or muladhara chakra, at the base of the spine,
gives the sound and vibration of a bumblebee. It is a low,
vibratory sound. If it is heard imperfectly, it may sound like a
motor or a drum.

Swadisthana Chakra
From the second chakra, the sacral center, or swadisthana
chakra, about an inch and a half up from the base of the spine,
emanates the sound of a flute. If it is heard imperfectly it may
sound like crickets or running water.

Manipura Chakra
The lumbar center, the manipura chakra, behind the navel, gives
the sound of a plucked string instrument, similar to that of a
harp, sitar, or vina.

Anahata Chakra
From the center opposite the heart, the dorsal center or
anahata chakra, emanates the sound of a deep gong or church
bell—if heard less perfectly, the sound of high-pitched bells.
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 39

Bishuddha Chakra
From the center opposite the throat, the cervical center or
bishuddha chakra, you will hear a sound like wind in the trees or
the waves of the ocean.

The Medulla and Spiritual Eye

At the spiritual eye, and its negative pole, the medulla
oblongata, you can hear a sound like a symphony of all the
chakra sounds. It is a very beautiful and absorbing sound. It
may begin quietly but then becomes quite loud. When heard
perfectly, it is a very loud sound like the roar of the ocean, a
waterfall, or rolling thunder. If you hear this complete AUM
sound, forget the other chakra sounds—the “baby AUM”
as Yogananda called them—and concentrate on the full
AUM sound. Become absorbed in it and try to unite your
consciousness completely with that vibration.

Anyone who attunes himself to AUM can hear and feel the
sacred vibrations. AUM is properly heard with the inner power
of hearing, with the intuition. While the physical ears hear
only a limited range of vibrations (up to 20,000 hertz, if you
have good hearing), the intuition can perceive all sound and
all vibrations. A deaf person can hear the AUM sound and feel
its vibrations; they are likely to be able to hear it more easily
because they are not distracted by external sounds.
40 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

Chakra Sounds
Notes for
1000 Petaled Lotus chanting Aum
at the chakras
7
Christ Center (optional)
Point between the eyebrows 6+ G
Aum–
Symphony of all the chakra sounds
Roaring sea
6- F
Medulla Oblongata (Agya)

Cervical (Bishuddha) 5 Eb
Wind rushing through the trees
or waves of the ocean

Dorsal (Anahata) 4 D
Gong/Bells

Lumbar (Manipura) 3 Bb
Harp/Vina

Sacral (Swadisthana) 2 A
Flute/Crickets

Coccyx (Muladhara) 1 G
Bumblebee/Motor
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 41

Duration of Practice
Practice the AUM technique every day, even if you hear no
sound. Initially, you should try to practice 10-20 minutes,
twice a day. Then try to lengthen your practice as your
enjoyment of the technique increases. Once a week, or during
a longer meditation, practice AUM for as long as you can
do so comfortably. During long meditations you can begin
your practice using the mudra with the AUM board, and then
listen to AUM without the mudra, with open ears or with
headphones or earplugs.

Benefits of Practicing the Technique

With longer practice, deeper concentration, and a devotional
attitude, you will achieve better results. Eventually you will
find that you can perceive the astral sounds of the chakras and,
behind them, the full AUM sound.

Communing with the AUM vibration brings a sense of

deep calmness, protection, and comfort. As your practice
deepens, your consciousness will expand and you will begin
to lose identification with the little self. You will begin to feel
omnipresent in your body and to realize that you are not just
a personality, but much, much more. With deeper practice
you will gradually begin to hear AUM beyond your body and
to feel one with AUM in all creation. Your consciousness will
begin to dissolve into that sound and you will realize that you
are AUM. Expanding like a great sail outward in all directions
to infinity, you will realize that you are present as much in
the most distant galaxy as you are right here on earth. You
will realize that there is no reality to your body and your ego
42 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

except in oneness with God. This state is a form of samadhi—

complete oneness with AUM, or AUM samadhi.

Keys to Deepening Your Practice

Swami Kriyananda has said that the AUM technique may
seem like “a slow starter” but for those who persevere, “a
big finisher.” Because the technique is a relatively simple
practice, people sometimes ask after a short time, ‘is that all?’
Yogananda said, “You have absolutely no idea of the wonderful
realizations and intuitions this technique will bring to you. If
you practice it faithfully and regularly, you will get them all by
and by.”

Enjoyment, and thus success, with the AUM technique comes

from having the right attitude and approach to the practice.
Devotees often get too caught up in trying to analyze the
different sounds. Remember that with the AUM technique,
you are not just listening for sounds, but communing with
God as Cosmic Vibration. Therefore, practice it not only
as a technique, but as a form of divine inner communion.
Practice with devotion and receptivity for the best results—you are
listening to, and communing with God as you practice! That
right attitude, even when communing with the more external
sounds, will eventually take you deeper into the subtler AUM
sound.

Keys for deepening your practice of the AUM technique:

• Listening is the most important aspect of the technique.
• Listen with reverence and receptivity; listen with your
intuition.
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 43

• See the practice as a form of inner communion with God,

or with Divine Mother.
• Make or purchase an armrest.
• Practice every day.
• Even if you can hear the AUM sound with open ears, for
best results continue to practice with the AUM mudra.

Further Hints for Helping You

Commune with AUM
• The Kriya Preparation Technique at the end of this chapter
will help you more easily locate the chakras, and hear the
sounds emanating from the chakras. Practice the exercise
regularly, especially as you begin to work with the AUM
technique.
• You can tune in to the AUM vibration at other times,
when you aren’t practicing the technique. While you are
in nature, listen to all sounds as vibrations of AUM, which
they are, in reality. At other times, such as when falling
asleep or in quiet locations, try to sensitively tune in to the
AUM vibration.
• AUM is “The Comforter” of the Bible. In times of great
need or danger, chant “AUM” mentally or out loud. Many
people have been protected by the power of AUM, in their
outer lives and even in dreams.
• Yogananda said that the path of Kriya is a science, and that
our meditation room is the laboratory. Try an experiment
with the AUM technique: before any creative activity, or
44 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

when looking for a creative solution to a problem, contact

the source of all creation, AUM, through practice of the
AUM technique.
• Always make time after your practice to sit and immerse
yourself in the feeling that comes from contact with God
through the AUM technique. After your practice, dissolve
your little self—your worries, fears, and attachments—into
the blissful experience of AUM. Allow the AUM vibration
to heal and comfort you. Then try to see the light of the
spiritual eye—a blue field encircled by a gold ring with a
silvery-white, five-pointed star in the center. After listening
for the AUM sound it may be easier to perceive the inner
light, because light and sound are both aspects of AUM.

“Listening to AUM you’ll find the greatest bliss imaginable.

It is the loveliest sound in the universe. You’ll never tire of
it: You will feel that you could listen to it for all of eternity.
AUM is so intoxicatingly beautiful that it thrills you to your
heart.”

–Swami Kriyananda

More on the Significance of AUM

Paramhansa Yogananda taught that AUM is more correctly
spelled with three letters (“AUM”), rather than with two
(“Om”). Each of the three letters represents a different aspect
of AUM. In the Hindu philosophy, the letter “A” represents
the creative vibration, or Brahma; the letter “U” represents
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 45

the preserving vibration, or Vishnu; the letter “M” represents

the destructive, dissolving vibration, or Shiva. Shiva is often
misunderstood in both the East and the West—in the context of
AUM, according to Yogananda, Shiva is “that which dissolves
the created universe back into the Infinite Silence.”

AUM is traditionally chanted three times, as a reminder of the

three aspects. When chanted three times, the first repetition,
representing Brahma (the creative vibration), is sung at a
high pitch; the second, representing Vishnu (the preservative
vibration), is sung at a lower pitch; the third, representing Shiva
(the dissolving vibration), has a deep, low sound.

Analogous to the chanting of AUM are the tripartite sounds

that an automobile engine makes:

When an automobile starts off quickly down

the road, its motor runs somewhat loudly at
more revolutions per minute, and its sound is
relatively high pitched. As it reaches cruising
speed, it shifts gears, producing fewer revolutions
per minute; the motor hums more softly at a
lower pitch. Finally, as the car comes to a halt,
and just before the motor is switched off, its
sound is lower still in both pitch and volume.
The sound made by the cosmic “motor” is similar,
in a sense. Its vibratory frequency is highest and
loudest in its creative mode, lower and softer in
its preserving mode, and lowest in its dissolving
mode, which brings universal manifestation to an
46 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

end. The sounds emitted by these three vibrations

are otherwise different from those of a motor,
but they are pitched accordingly: high, medium,
and low, and the same is true of their volume.
—Swami Kriyananda, The Hindu Way of Awakening

Yogananda described the deepest experience of AUM as

“AUM samadhi”, which is union with God as AUM:

Once the mind is interiorized, and withdrawn

from its identification with the world and with the
body, the inner light comes into clear and steady
focus. The inner sounds become all-absorbing.
AUM fills the brain; its vibration moves down
the spine, bursting open the door of the heart’s
feeling, then flowing out into the body. The
whole body vibrates with the sound of AUM.
Gradually, with ever-deeper meditation, the
consciousness expands with that sound.
Moving beyond the confines of the body, it
embraces the vastness of infinite vibration.
You realize your oneness with all existence
as AUM, the Cosmic Vibration.
“This state is known as AUM samadhi, or
union with God as Cosmic Sound.”
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 47

Kriya Preparation Technique:

Magnetizing the Astral Spine
Practice a few times a week in preparation for Kriya initiation.
The gradual stimulation of the astral spine will make you more
aware of the chakras and help you to feel that the spine is
truly the altar of Spirit. It is in the astral spine that all spiritual
experiences take place, and where the Kriya Yoga technique is
practiced.

Technique
First, sit upright and slowly move your body from side to
side. As the body sways, feel that the astral spine resists this
movement. Then, become still, always breathing naturally.
Repeat this process several times with deep concentration.

Now spiritually awaken each chakra by mentally chanting “AUM”

at each one. When we “awaken” the chakras, we are spiritually
magnetizing them. This process helps us to withdraw the life
force from its outward flow through each chakra into the senses,
into desires and attachments. It allows us instead to direct the
withdrawn energy upward toward spiritual awakening. Many new
age practices miss the point: they awaken the chakras by simply
energizing them but then allow the energy to be lost in outward
expression. The Kriya Preparation Technique for magnetizing the
spine gathers the energy awakened in the chakras—including the
lower centers—and redirects it toward God-realization.

Start at the base of the spine, and slowly work your way
upward, mentally chanting AUM at each chakra. Keep the eyes
48 Ananda Course In Self-Realization

gazing upward toward the spiritual eye throughout the practice.

This upward focus will help raise the uplifted energy to that
point. You can begin by spending 10-30 seconds at each chakra.

Mentally, and with intuitive feeling, try to become aware of

the lowest chakra—the coccyx center at the base of the spine.
Mentally chant “AUM” there, spiritually magnetizing and
awakening that center. You can chant AUM a few times at each
center.

Next, move up to the second chakra, the sacral center, about

one and a half inches above the base of the spine, opposite the
sex organs. Mentally chant AUM a few times there, spiritually
magnetizing that center.

Now chant AUM at the third chakra, opposite the navel, trying
to feel that center being spiritually magnetized and awakened.

Move up to the heart center, mentally chanting AUM, trying

to feel that center as it is awakened and magnetized.

Now try to be aware of the throat center, mentally chant AUM

there, and feel that chakra being spiritually awakened.

Chant AUM at the medulla oblongata, the negative pole to

the spiritual eye, and the seat of the ego. Try to feel AUM
helping to dissolve and release the energy of the ego.

Finish at the spiritual eye, offering yourself completely into

the light at the point between the eyebrows, mentally chanting
AUM there, and feeling yourself expanding outward through
the spiritual eye.
Preparation for Kriya Yoga 49

You can go up and down a few times with the practice,

finishing at the spiritual eye. Make sure that you are practicing
with concentration and awareness. This practice can be
especially helpful when it directly precedes your practice of the
AUM technique.

Further Resources:

Swami Kriyananda, “The Three Levels of Spiritual Practice,”

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, explained by Paramhansa
Yogananda (Crystal Clarity Publishers, 2006)

Swami Kriyananda, “Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva: The Trinity

of AUM” and “The Symbolism of Brahma,” The Hindu Way
of Awakening: Its Revelation, Its Symbols (Crystal Clarity
Publishers, 1998)

Preparing for Kriya Initiation

• Practice the AUM technique at least 10-20 minutes every
day, in addition to your regular daily practice of Hong-Sau
and the Energization Exercises.
• Purchase or make an elbow rest (AUM board).
• Continue to work at establishing or strengthening a twice-
daily meditation routine.