Soham
Soham सो is a Vedic mantra, meaning:
I am He or He I am
It is the greatest of all Mantras. In Vedic philosophy it means identifying oneself with the Universe or ultimate Reality. The Soham mantra has been called the Universal Mantra because of the fact that its vibration is already a part of the breath, and everybody breathes. Sooo... is the sound of inhalation, and Humm... is the sound of exhalation. It is considered to be a natural Mantra as it occurs naturally with every breath we breathe. We all repeat it unknowingly 21,600 times within 24 hours. Even during sleep the Soham repetition goes on by itself.
The mantra is said silently, mentally, along with observing the breath, and allows a deepening natural calm and bliss to pervade the whole body and mind. In the beginning of your practice, simply watch the breath every now and then. You can watch the breath with silent Soham repetition while sitting, standing, eating, talking, bathing, etc. This is an easy method of concentration.
The mantra can be also inverted from So+ham to Ham+sa, the meditation then being:
Soham Hamsah - Hamsah Soham
which creates a deeper impression. This gives added force to the Mantra which is said to lead to more and more profound states and eventually to Self-realisation. This form can be practiced in the morning and evening, and for increasingly longer periods of time.
Although the practice is a silent one, it is very relaxing to hear the sound being chanted - here is a link to a very Western choral version:
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