This article contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure here.
If you are interested in learning to do Primordial Sound Meditation (PSM), I will do my best to give you a clear understanding of what it is, how to get started and my own experience with it.
What Are Primordial Sounds?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a mantra is a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated by someone who is praying or meditating. Primordial sounds are mantras that have a tone. The vibration of the sounds helps you center yourself and ground yourself quickly.
For the most part, these sounds are multiple sounds used together and include the sound Om. In many religions, traditions and cultures, Om is considered to be the primal sound of the Universe/God and carries a divine vibration. You often hear these sounds in yoga classes and meditation music.
What is Primordial Sound Meditation?
This is an ancient meditation practice from the Vedic traditions of India, and it began thousands of years ago. It’s simple and it works fairly quickly to help you feel calm, relaxed and a wholesome sense of inner peace. Dr. Deepak Chopra and David Simon, cofounders of The Chopra Center, have renovated this ancient practice and made it accessible for anyone to easily learn.
How to Perform Primordial Sound Meditation
To get started, you sit down in a chair and get as comfortable as possible. This may mean wrapping yourself in a blanket or putting extra pillows around you.
Once you’re comfortable, you close your eyes and take a few moments to be aware of your breath. Next, you begin silently repeating a mantra over and over again in your mind.
After 20-30 minutes, you stop repeating your mantra and rest for 2-3 minutes with your eyes closed. Finally, you open your eyes, and you’re finished. It’s an incredibly simple meditation technique, but it’s important to learn the subtle details of the technique and the reason behind those details in order to get the most out of it.
Where to Learn Primordial Sound Meditation
- Learn the So Hum meditation right here. After you close your eyes and notice your breath, you take a slow and deep breath through your nose, and silently repeat the mantra So. Then exhale slowly through your nose and silently repeat the mantra Hum. And repeat…
Gretchen Bleiler, a United States Olympic snowboarder, began using PSM as part of her mental training to qualify for Team USA at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. She gives you a more complete overview of the So Hum meditation in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/x59TcwpJucM?controls=0 - Find a Primordial Sound Teacher. Enter the term “Primordial Sound Meditation near me” in your favorite search engine and finding one should be easy if there are any near you. If you can’t find one this way, The Chopra Center has an up-to-date list of Primordial Sound Instructors. IMPORTANT: Make sure your teacher is a Chopra Certified Primordial Sound Meditation Teacher.
- Primordial Sound Meditation on Demand. If you can’t find an instructor or your schedule won’t make it possible, you can also learn online. The Primordial Sound Meditation on Demand online course gives you the opportunity to learn at your own pace.
The Primordial Sound Meditation Technique
The So Hum meditation is a great place to start, but I don’t feel like it fully captures the depth of the technique. Meditation music that contains primordial sounds is also great but doesn’t give much guidance on how to do the technique.
I highly recommend that you learn PSM through a certified instructor or the online course. When you do either of those, you’re given a personalized mantra that represents the sound vibration that took place in the universe on the exact date and time that you were born. The best part is that you get detailed instruction on how to meditate.
People often believe that all they need to do is follow instructions from an article, book or video. That can be a great place to start and it’s how most people begin meditating.
If you really want to get the most out of meditation, I encourage you to get real instruction. This gives you the opportunity to ask questions, get feedback and make adjustments.
The Benefits of Primordial Sound Meditation
The benefits of PSM aren’t much different than the benefits of meditation in general. In my opinion, what differentiates it from other forms of meditation is the subtle details and nuances of the technique.
From the moment my teacher gave me my personalized mantra, it just felt right to me. Maybe this is because I was sold on the idea that my mantra was the sound that was in the universe at the time and place of my birth. Maybe it’s because I had a good teacher.
Who knows?
All I know is that I’ve enjoyed how soothing it is to repeat my mantra in my mind. In my experience, it’s been soothing mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Also, I began to feel much more grounded in between sessions.
PSM recommends meditating for 30 minutes twice a day, which might feel impossible to some people. After the first month or so, that became easy and it’s something that I now look forward to each day.
NOTE: Nowadays, I often feel my emotions begin to spiral into territory that’s not good for me when I miss a meditation session.
On a personal note, it has helped me spiritually by giving me a tool to connect with my higher power on a deep level, allowing me to experience inner silence and a feeling of pure bliss all at once.
IMPORTANT: PSM isn’t a spiritual technique, but as with anything, you can enjoy spiritual benefits if that’s your intention.
When you learn from a certified instructor or the online course, you also get:
- A guide for new meditators. It contains lots of tips and reminders. I have found comfort in reviewing it every so often.
- An audio of Deepak Chopra guiding you through a meditation session. Although it’s not necessary to use this in your practice, it helped me develop good habits during my first year of practicing PSM.
In 2014, I began exploring ways to take my meditation practice to the next level. I read books on meditation and talked with different people who did it on a regular basis. This led me to make a choice between investing in Primordial Sound Meditation or Transcendental Meditation (TM).
I ended up deciding to go with PSM because it was cheaper. After contacting several teachers in the New York City area, I decided on Donna Visco, who was located in New Jersey, just across the river. We scheduled our first appointment for Sunday, May 4, 2014.
The week prior to our first appointment, I had traveled to several different places to speak at mental health events, and I was exhausted. On Sunday morning, I had an early appointment to meet with a colleague. By the time I got to Donna’s house, I wanted to pass out and go to sleep.
When I arrived at her home, she was very welcoming and made me feel at ease. She offered me some snacks and began the instruction. She spent a lot of time going over the details of what it is, the benefits of PSM, etc.
“Can’t we just skip over this and get to the actual meditation part?” I thought to myself. I couldn’t understand why we needed to go over material that I thought I could simply find online if I wanted to.
After a few hours, Donna finally told me my mantra. The mantra you are given is to be kept secret, so you keep it just for your meditation practice.
She then asked me to follow her out of the back door. We walked through her backyard to a small guest house that she used exclusively for meditation.
Once inside, I saw two chairs facing each other with a table in between. It was warm and cozy and I could smell incense burning. We sat down in the chairs.
After we sat down, she let me know that we were going to meditate together. It was important that I didn’t worry about how much time passed because she would gently let me know when we finished. Once I got myself comfortable, we began meditating.
Thinking back to my experience, I remember trying to repeat my mantra, falling asleep a few times, and I think I might have snored a bit. NOTE: It’s a good thing if you fall asleep during meditation.
The time flew by and before I knew it, she was gently letting me know that it was time to finish. Once I opened my eyes, she asked me what my experience was like.
I told her that it felt like a weird combination of a great orgasm and having just cried my eyes out. She looked at me with a warm smile and said, “Michael, you’re just getting started.”
Since that day, I’ve made Primordial Sound Meditation a part of my life. I kept in touch with Donna and have visited her periodically to help me refine my meditation practice.
Final Thoughts
At the beginning of learning with Donna, I couldn’t understand why she needed to go over so much technical material about the benefits of PSM and its history. It felt very academic and unnecessary.
That’s what I thought.
This is what I now know.
The education you receive in learning PSM is essential to the technique.
Looking back, I wouldn’t have done it differently. I’m beyond grateful that I invested in learning this technique and it definitely took my meditation practice to the next level.
Thank you for reading my story. Learning PSM has been a very important part of my journey to emotional wellness. I believe wholeheartedly that it’s worth exploring and encourage you to invest in it if it feels right to you.
Now I’d love to hear from you. In the comments below, let me know your answer to this question:
How does Primordial Sound Meditation resonate with you?
Remember to share as much detail as possible in your reply. Many people are reading this article to transform their lives. Your comment may help someone else open up to a brand new perspective.
