The Deity is OM
The doors have officially and grandly opened to SoHum, TriYoga International’s new program space, located on land outside Georgetown, Kentucky. SoHum is a temple for the Flow, a place where 40 or more people can lay out their mats and connect with breath as they experience the cosmic dance of TriYoga.
Entering the building, one comes through a bright foyer where flowers and other offerings are set out in welcome. To the right is a simple gathering area with pillows on the floor, to the left a prop room behind sliding barn doors. Straight ahead, four steps down, an expansive golden room rises up with grandeur, looking out onto the peaceful Kentucky land.
Above the main window hangs Sri Chakra, suspended from a graceful arc of polished wood. Sri Chakra is the sacred geometric form of the Divine Feminine. This particular Sri Chakra once hung at TriYoga Center Santa Cruz where so many TriYoga students from around the world flowed and trained beginning in the mid 90’s. The stained glass is mysteriously illuminated from behind, glowing through the day and night as programs are held under its gaze.
Flanking the front window beneath the Sri Chakra are three gongs that were given to the facility by an anonymous donor whose identify only the company that makes the famous gongs knows. On the first day, as I lie in deep relaxation, Kaliji strikes the gongs. I feel the waves of vibration move over, into and through my body: high pitches, low pitches, faster arcs, slower frequencies, harmonics and reverberations that are as complex and as beautiful as Sri Chakra itself.
I contemplate the sound of eternity. I have heard astronauts speak of space as silent. I’ve always imagined that silence to be so thick you could scoop it up and hold it in your hands. As the gongs echo long after the last contact has been made with the mallet, I feel the meaning of the word “Anahata”, unstruck sound. “Anahata” is the name of the heart chakra, or 4th energy center of the subtle body. Silence of space allows us to tune into the subtle vibration of the living cosmos, the celestial realms. As I lie under rolling waves of continuous vibration, I realize this must be the sound of the Universe - as recognizable as the sound of the ocean, the sound of the wind, the sound of my own breath.
The sounds of the days together continue with calls from a congress of crows, bubbling laughter of friends conversing during breaks, our collective breath during Prana Vidya, brushes of feet transitioning from one posture to the next as sequences are refined. I hear also sounds of places I’ve been previously on my TriYoga journey: the body squirming to find a comfortable seat during meditation; breath flow absently broken by passing thoughts; a short burst of frustration when a movement seems too hard, or a sequence seems too confusing; the unintentional snore as sleep steals someone away from deep relaxation.
I hear the melodies of sacred Sanskrit mantras, the songs of bands, the beat of drums, the tunes of chants, the words of yoga wisdom. I hear inner vibrations that express themselves into outer harmony as I sing alongside Nada Yogis Matthias, Nate and Surya.
For a few days, we fill the temple of SoHum with our vibrations. “The deity of SoHum,” Kaliji explains, “is OM.” My heart leaps. Perfection! Of course OM will be the deity here. OM is the mantra, the sacred sound of Universal Energy. Energy is the Divine Feminine, the Universal Mother, the Energy of Sat Chit Ananda (existence, knowledge, bliss). TriYoga is the dance of that Energy, the dance of the cosmos, the dance of Sattvic vibration, the gift of the Cosmic Mother. Energy, Sound Vibration, OM, these are expansive enough to welcome everyone. Untouched by religious tradition, beyond doctrine or creed, we gather in the embrace of Divine energy and vibration.
Here at SoHum, the deity is OM, and we have sound. Here, hovering over us is the glow of Sri Chakra, and we have light. When sound and light come together, the third always rises, and the third in this trinity is “meaning.” Sound, light, and meaning flood my body, mind and spirit. A vibration passes through, “Wow. This is just the beginning.”
Theresa Shay is the founding director of TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania, where she teaches weekly yoga and meditation online and trains others to teach TriYoga®. Each week, she shares wisdom cultivated from decades of TriYoga study and practice.
Learn more about her here. Theresa can be reached at Theresa@PennsylvaniaYoga.com. Find her on Instagram @theresa_of_triyoga for more inspiration and light.