Infuse Your Practice with Pure Sounds of Sanskrit - and Really Flow!
by Katyayani Poole, Ph.D.
I’ll never forget the first time I swam in the Ganges.
As soon as I arrived in Rishikesh (the town of saints in the foothill region of the Himalayas), I couldn’t wait to see the sacred river. With no hesitation whatsoever -- as if I were finally getting to meet a lover I’d been separated from for too long -- I hopped on a motor rickshaw, motioning the driver to hurry to the closest shore.
Like a strong tide, the celebration pulled me out onto the street. As I was swept along with the crowd flowing towards the Hoogley River (the last part of the Ganges before it spills into the Bay of Bengal), it finally struck me. Here I’d been just reading about spiritual experiences in old books that smelled like a musty towel, when all around me a celebration of living Spirit was going on.
When I first saw the river’s sensual and graceful curves, a lump formed in my throat. Then tears sprouted from the corner of my eyes and streamed down my face. Before the rickshaw had even come to a proper stop, I handed the driver a rupee note, climbed down, and ran toward the shore. Fully dressed (sans shoes), I dove headfirst into the icy waters and mingled my salty tears with their eternal flow.
I can’t explain my emotional response to seeing the holy river.
Later I shared my experience with fellow pilgrims over thalis (stainless steel plates) of rice and veggies, attributing it to the devotional air that hangs thick above Rishikesh. Just being next to Ganga Ma, you can’t help but be moved by an electricity of unbroken veneration for her compassionate waters--a holy feeling sustained by every person who offers the simple reverence of a candle in her waters--or who releases the cremated ashes of his loved ones in her ocean-bound flow-- and who at the end of his life asks the river to please take him with her.
It is the same with the river of Sanskrit.
When we chant in Sanskrit it’s as if we dive headfirst into the Ganges River where so many have also dove.
Many people ask me why it’s necessary to chant in Sanskrit. Isn’t English good enough if one’s devotion is strong and pure? Not really, because the vibrations of Sanskrit are more powerful than the everyday languages we speak. They are sonic transporters, which Yogis have used for centuries to unite back with the Source.
Sanskrit is the language of Yoga because the 50 letters of its alphabet are the primal sounds of nature.
As humans, we can recreate all the diverse sounds that we hear in creation. When we do this by chanting Sanskrit (just like when we imitate animal forms, for example, in Yoga), we align ourselves in harmony with nature’s rhythms and balance. You can literally feel the electricity generated in your subtle nervous system because the primal sounds of Sanskrit open the inner core of the body. With them, you find the Yoga postures flow out of you like a song.
Here’s a simple exercise in Nada, the Yoga of Sacred Sound, to add to your practice:
For the next two weeks, begin your Yoga practice by chanting Om three times. You can even alternate between opening your practice with Om and not – just to see if there is any difference.
Start by taking a full, deep breath. As you exhale say, “AAA—UUU—MMM” (If you’re in a class and it would disturb others to do this, then quietly whisper the sound to yourself.) Repeat this three times with your eyes closed.
Notice if your practice feels different when do this. Observe how the sound of Om warms you from the inside as the sound travels through the three regions of your central body – AAA (navel); UUU (heart and lungs); MMM (top of the head). Become aware of the beautiful silence that arises after you chant Om and how still the thoughts in your mind become.
After you’ve experimented with this, please feel free to share your experiences with me.
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