The Stories and Symbolism of the HUM colours

Discover the stories, the symbolism and the soul of the HUM colours.  So you can choose your meditation cushion and yoga bolster with intention.

 

There are lots of things we can do on our journey of transformation, as we build our awareness of ourselves and the world around us, and find our way to live with purpose.  Big things and small things.  I believe that consciously choosing the colours we bring into our lives is one of those small but powerful things we can do to support our intentions and our practice, to enhance our life.

 

Every colour choice you make can raise your vibration and change how you feel. Even the colour your choose for your meditation cushions and yoga bolsters can subtly enhance your practice and positively support your journey.  

   

What colour do you like? And how do you bring it into your life?

 

I love red. Red is all around me, in small touches, every day. I love red shoes and wear them often. I love wearing red coats, they bring joy to any day. My wallet is always auspicious red. My journal is also red. Our home is decorated in whites and soft neutrals, but grounded by rich red carpets.  

 

Red has been my symbol of strength, courage and positive energy in the face of challenging times. In my corporate life, I used to wear something red if I was going to a meeting I knew would be stressful. And I always carried a little red notebook. Red was my little way of shining a beacon of positive energy into the room, for myself and for others.

 

Colour is important. We live in colour everyday, everywhere. Colours are identities: they represent brands, concepts, ideologies, emotions... Colour can have a psychological impact on how we feel, enhance our moods. 

 

Colour is energy. The entire colour spectrum, from red to violet, is derived from light. Light is energy. Energy vibrates. Each colour vibrates at a different frequency.  

 

I’ve studied and worked with colour all my life, professional and personal.  So when it came to creating the colours for my brand and then for my organic fabrics, there was no random choice, I chose with intention.  Red, orange, grey, natural, indigo, turquoise… Each colour has a symbolic meaning, like an offering to you, to support your practice.  Each HUM colour has a soul.

 

The intention and symbolism of each HUM colour is not based on any particular tradition. It’s difficult to find a universal symbolism of colours, in any case. Colours have very different meanings in different contexts and cultures.  For example, red symbolizes purity in India, prosperity, good luck and celebration in China, love and passion in Western culture, earth to the Australian Aboriginals.

 

The soul and symbolism of the HUM colours has been inspired by the ancient sources of yoga and meditation, discovered in my travels and in my dreams.

 

These are my colour stories. I hope they will inspire you to intentionally choose the colour that will best support your practice and your journey.  Or of course you can just choose a colour that pleases your eye or the fits with your home decor.  Every HUM colour has a high vibration.

 

The high-vibe colours are paired with specifically-designed patterns that also have meaning and purpose, all designed to resonate along with you and support you as you practice: Medallion, Mantra, Mandala and Jali.  There is also nothing random here either, there is a definite Purpose Behind the Patterns. 

 

And remember that all these beautiful fabrics are 100% certified organic cotton, and our meditation cushions and yoga bolsters are mindfully made in Ontario, Canada.  These choices are part of the HUM Ethos, the commitment I made to create a business and products that are good for your practice, and good for the planet.  

 

RED

Red is a powerful colour.  My red stories originate in my dreams of Tibet, I’ll go there someday. Red is a very sacred colour in Tibet. It’s the colour of Buddhist temples and monasteries.  It has protective qualities, so sacred buildings, houses and doors are often painted red.  It's the colour of the Tibetan Buddhist monk’s robes.  And the colour of the lacquered parasols they carry in some regions to protect themselves from sun.  Red is the colour of coral, one of the five sacred stones in Tibetan Buddhism, symbolizing the energy of lifeforce. Wearing red coral is thought to bring success in life. So Tibetan nomads and farmers wear red bead bracelets, glass beads substitute for precious coral beads, to bring them positive energy and joy, good health and love. Red is certainly the most auspicious colour.

Red is also the colour of the root chakra, helping us to stay grounded, with the power to connect us to the earth.

The Symbolism of HUM Red: sacred, protection, prosperity, joy, it represents connection to the earth and to life itself.

 

ORANGE

I’ve traveled to Myanmar and Thailand and seen many Buddhist monks, in temples, in schools, in monasteries, in the streets. They radiate peaceful happiness and compassion. My orange colour palette is inspired by the spice-coloured robes they wear in these countries. There are different robe colours for different groups, shades of red and orange and gold. The colours are actually not red or orange, but shades of saffron. The different shades come from the dyes used to colour the monks’ robes originally. In ancient days, the monks scavenged for fabric to make their robes, boiled it clean, then dyed it using plants, usually with saffron which was widely available. The saffron dyes fabric inconsistently, so the colours varied, and from those ancient days each group adopted a certain shade of saffron from deep red to bright orange and turmeric gold.  Today the different shades of saffron symbolize the sangha (community) they belong to.

I love the connection to tradition,  to sacred practice,  to compassion and connection to sangha these various shades of saffron-orange represent.

And orange is also the colour of the sacral chakra, representing creative expression, balanced emotions, and joy.

The Symbolism of HUM Orange:  compassion, expansion, creativity, happiness, it represents connection to others.

 

GREY

I dream of Himalayan mountains and mani stones. The mountains are formidable and ancient...Earth, elevation, eternity. Mani stones are a Tibetan Buddhist tradition and they dot the landscape in Tibet, also Nepal and Bhutan. They are mysterious stones with the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM (meaning “hail to the jewel in the lotus”) carved on them in Sanskrit. Carving mani stones and placing them in the landscape is a devotional practice, considered to be a meditation. You will find them by rivers and trails, at the entrance of monasteries and villages, often placed together in mounds and cairns. Like path-finding signs on a spiritual journey.

The HUM meditation cushions in Grey Mandala and Grey Mantra patterns, printed with our own stylized Sanskrit hum mantra in shades of grey, are like our own mani stones, like mantras designed to resonate and subtly support your practice and your journey.

The Symbolism of HUM Grey: strength, solidity, supportive foundations, spiritual practice, it represents ancient wisdom. 

 

NATURAL

I sometimes crave the peaceful, comforting, natural colours of sand and unbleached linen and shades of oatmeal. Sand is the colour of journeys in my mind.  Of desert walks and beach rambles, of bright sun and warm earth, of searching for treasures and finding talismans.  The shades of seashells and soft stones and driftwood.  Memories of wanderings.  It's the colour of sandstone, the natural colour of sacred buildings in India and other places.  I imagine the texture of the walls, the dip worn into the steps from the many passages of pilgrims over the centuries.  The colour of sand is a colour that seems symbolic of spiritual journeys.

The Symbolism of HUM Natural: peaceful, natural, organic, earth, it’s very grounding.

 

INDIGO

Indigo is the colour of the clear night sky and the deep ocean, the colour of infinity and the Divine. Indigo signifies another kind of journey, an inner journey. It’s the colour of the wisdom that comes from going deep, listening to the messages to find clarity within. 

Indigo is also the colour the the sixth chakra, the third eye, and it represents intuition, imagination and transformation.

The Symbolism of HUM Indigo: peace, clarity, insight, imagination, inspiration, it represents connection to our inner wisdom and to the whole universe.

 

TURQUOISE

I remember stories my friend told me of her trip to Tibet. She met with a family of nomads and told me of their kindness, their way of life, and also their traditional jewellery, made of turquoise and natural red coral. She brought home some exquisite antique beads.  Since then, I've associated this image of turquoise and coral red with Tibetan nomads.  Turquoise beads are highly prized and worn as amulets for their healing, protective and symbolic properties. Turquoise is one of the most important stones to Tibetans. It’s one of the five sacred stones along with red coral, gold, silver and pearl. For Tibetans, turquoise is a symbol of happiness, prosperity, well-being and divine presence. It is their most important symbol of love and life itself. Turquoise transforms in colour from continuous contact with skin, from blue to green and eventually to black, as though the stone is a living thing.

The Symbolism of HUM Turquoise: love, happiness, health and well-being, it also represents tranquility.

 These images of antique Tibetan jewellery are from Garuda Trading.

 

Now that you know the stories behind the HUM colours, you can intentionally choose the best colour for your meditation cushions and yoga bolsters to fit and flow with your own intention and to best support your practice.  

And that create a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere in your personal home sanctuary.