2008-09-22 - 11:44 a.m. In addition to being German-American Friendship Month, September is also National Yoga Month, so I think I may include a short bit of yogic ephemera here every time I blog in September. Today's yoga-related item also is a word-y matter. When you hang with the swamis for any length of time, an expression that comes up a lot is "Hari om." Hari om is one of those expressions that means 20 different things, depending on context and inflection. Literally, "Hari" can be translated from Sanskrit as "shining," "yellow," and "transcendent," and "om" is the primordial vibration of the universe. Together, the words connote hailing, greeting, and acknowledging the life force. Conversationally, it can mean: "All hail the great primordial vibration of the universe" "Achtung!!" A sort of chaste "hubba" "I agree!" "Respectful greetings." "Thank you." "Word, my brother." It is also a basic chant that many teachers use at the beginning of class. So "hari om" is all about openings, beginnings, greetings, "yes." It is a really nice phrase! thoughts? (2 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact