Six Ways to Get Your OM On

What does OM mean to you? Whether you frequently OM during meditation or are completely unfamiliar with the mantra, there’s more to learn about the historical, cultural, and scientific significance of the sacred syllable at the Rubin.

OM Lab is closing on Monday, May 8, but there is still time to offer your voice and keep the spirit of the OM Lab alive with these six activities.

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1) Record your OM

If you haven’t recorded your OM in the OM Lab yet, now’s the time! After learning about the sacred syllable, you can practice your chant alongside recordings of monks and then join thousands of others in contributing to the largest collective chant of OM ever generated.

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2) Come back in June to hear your OM on display

The collective chant of OMs recorded in the OM Lab will be strung together for a unique art installation in The World Is Sound, an upcoming, Museum-wide exhibition opening June 16th. After you have submitted your recording, come back to hear your voice on display at the Museum.

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3) Learn about OM from the experts

In an effort to understand why OM is such a powerful tool for the mind, we spoke with experts in different fields to hear about their thoughts and experiences with the mantra. In the Rubin Media Center you can watch videos of master yoga teacher Rodney Yee; psychiatrist Dr. Joe Loizzo; Rubin Museum curator Risha Lee; and others discussing their thoughts about the OM mantra.

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4) Join the conversation online

OM is considered the “universal sound.” Anyone can try it out and feel its effects. Since the OM Lab opened, nearly 10,000 visitors have OM-ed at the Museum, many of them for the first time. On Instagram, you can read the stories and hear the voices of hundreds of #OMLab participants! Why not join the conversation?

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5) Bring OM Lab Home with You

Inspired by the design of our OM Lab? You can custom order OM Lab apparel and accessories designed by the Rubin Museum and the “slow fashion” company Print All Over Me. Check out the Rubin’s design page on PAOM and choose from a selection of items including t-shirts, duffle bags, and a “kimono-style” cover-up.

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6) Explore New Kinds of Meditation

OM isn’t the only way to focus the mind. Attend one of our weekly Mindfulness Meditation programs, led by meditation experts like Sharon Salzberg, to harness the power of the present moment.

You can also attend a special sound meditation session, led by Acoustic Mandala Project, on Friday, May 12. For this program, traditional sound meditation instruments will be used in concert with a bespoke eight-channel spatial sound system, exploring acoustic and electro-acoustic layers and textures of sound and their properties in space. Learn more and purchase tickets.