Lesson 4
IN THIS LESSON
“To understand your breath and the So Ham to be a tool of excavation by which one forges into the Absolute Empty essence of your Self—at this time, at this place, it really is the fastest way. Understood correctly, one can become completely Realized in the space of one inhale and one exhale. It is the space between the breath where all binding of time disappears. Once you get the hang of it, it is quite exhilarating!”
— Mark Griffin
This teaching is both a transmission and an invitation—to enter the sacred rhythm of So Ham, the natural mantra of the breath. Inhalation sounds “So,” exhalation sounds “Ham.” Together they whisper the truth of existence: I am That.
Mark teaches that listening to this breath-mantra is not merely concentration—it is excavation. It is a way to carve a tunnel through thought, emotion, identity, and time, straight into the empty essence of the Self. This is not abstract philosophy. It is a felt, intimate experience, available in every breath—a living doorway into Realization.
In this lesson, you’ll learn to shift from doing the practice to listening to it, allowing the mantra and breath to do their work. With steadiness, subtlety, and attention, this simple act becomes a revelation—one that opens you to silence, spaciousness, and the deep joy of presence.
Listening to the SoHam Meditation
🧘 Module 4 Summary: Listening to the SoHam Meditation
In this meditation, Mark Griffin offers a detailed and experiential guide to the practice of listening to the SoHam — not just as a mantra or technique, but as a cosmic frequency that is always present in the breath.
He explains that:
SoHam (“I am That”) is the sound the breath makes — So on the inhale, Ham on the exhale — and is a sacred echo of the Self recognizing the Self.
Meditation deepens when one shifts from merely repeating SoHam to hearing it — listening into the breath and discovering a subtle current that runs underneath ordinary awareness.
This subtle current is described as a vibration of unity, a soundless sound, a movement toward stillness that opens the practitioner to deeper states of samadhi.
Mark underscores the difference between external effort and internal attunement. Listening, in this case, becomes a way of surrendering the mind to the deeper intelligence of the breath and the Self.
He also highlights the way SoHam bridges the personal and the universal — aligning us with the same breath that animates all beings.
The module encourages students to refine their subtle awareness, quiet the mental chatter, and enter into a receptive state where the breath reveals profound truths about the nature of consciousness.
🌀 4 Contemplation Questions for Journaling
Contemplation is the means by which we can “feel” our way into the deep, existential questions of life. In this way it is a mode of “thinking” that differs from discursive fact gathering —the step-by-step means by which we assemble and organize information. While this form of knowledge gathering can be crucial to our mastery of a subject, contemplation activates the intuitive faculties of mind that lead towards insight, understanding, wisdom, and realization. Begin to observe how this ability to feel deeply into a subject differs from the more rudimentary stages of learning. Let Mark’s words move you into a space where the mind has room to integrate your own fields of deeper knowing. Towards that end each module will offer an opportunity for focused contemplation. We recommend journaling as a means to engage with these questions and to activate one’s own intuitive faculties.
What does it mean to listen — rather than repeat — the SoHam mantra?
Where do you feel the difference between mental repetition and inner attunement?
How does the breath change when you stop trying to control it?
Explore what happens when you surrender to the breath as a teacher rather than an object of technique.Can you identify the subtle presence or vibration beneath the sound of the breath?
How would you describe it? Does it carry a feeling of unity or recognition?What shifts occur in your awareness when you allow yourself to be breathed by SoHam?
Does this change your understanding of who or what you are?