Why is Sanskrit Pronunciation important?
From Yearning to Fullness…
It’s a big claim, but it’s entirely possible that adjusting the way you chant could help you cross over from yearning for connection — tasting a tantalizing drop of it in your kÄ«rtan or mantra practice — to accessing the Source of Sound anytime, anywhere.
Learning precise Sanskrit is not so you can be the pronunciation police or only kid on the block who pronounces “chakra” instead of the common mispronouciation of “shakra.” (Please excuse the phonetic spelling – in the course we learn proper transliteration from DevanÄgarÄ« to Roman letters so you can pronounce ANY Sanskrit word accurately in the future.)
It’s like learning to tune a guitar. Anyone can pick up a guitar and totally rock out and enjoy it a LOT. Fantastic. Rock on!
But when someone comes along and shows you how to tune each string, OMG.
Literally – Oh – My – God!
Total game-changer.
Just plucking one string sends you into bliss.
When you learn the Sanskrit letters, the mantras come alive! Pure consciousness is the Heart of Sound, silence pulsing into being from A to Ä, I to ÄŖ… When we tune precisely and subtly… the fullness overflows.
Here’s what one student said: “Anandra, your teachings allowed the mantras to come to life within: Every sound within the mantra became a living, breathing essence that carried me deeper and deeper within the heart. Thank you for this profound gift.” -Kathryn Wiese, Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor, Kirtan Wallah and Director of There’s No Place Like OM Yoga Studio, Waimea, Hawaii
Sanskrit is the anatomy portion of our Yoga Alliance certified 200-hour RYT (Yes, it’s the very same teacher training certification that would allow you to teach a yoga class at a gym or your local studio). It’s multidimensional anatomy, because the alphabet corresponds to the 50 petals of the cakras, the sense organs, limbs and body tissues, and the tattvas, the very elements of creation themselves.
Even Indian students who learned Sanskrit in school, and even a few Sanskrit PhDs I’ve had the privilege of chanting with, are quite amazed at the curriculum for this training.
We focus on the experience of the sound (which anyone can learn and blissfully enjoy), not on the grammar rules (which are really complicated).
It’s quite fun!
I hope to see you soon at one of our Heart of Sound teacher trainings!
You could also taste the wonder of Sanskrit during one of our Online Courses!
In love and service,
Anandra
