23/11/2020
BUT DO I REALLY NEED TO LEARN SANSKRIT? Well, it depends. Perhaps the question to ask is what you are committing to be a student of? Are you a student of a ‘nice stretch class’ OR are you a student of yoga? There is a difference.
If you are a student of yoga and/or a teacher of yoga then I think yes! Sanskrit to the study of yoga is like latin to the study of medicine - understanding prefixes and suffixes helps to scaffold learning.
While mostly used today as a ceremonial language and in Hindu ritual, for yoga study Sanskrit is the global language. I am grateful to one of my teachers Kate Pell for introducing me to Sanskrit many years back as without it I would have been lost when I embarked on my Iyengar Training and then later when living and studying in North India in the years that followed.
Sanskrit terms give greater insight, piercing the intellect and guiding us into asana in a very specific way. For example, Parsva means flank. In Parsvottanasana, students tend to feel this in the hamstrings yet the term alone tells you where to direct the focus and feel the opening - the flank! In this way how the pose feels so different, bringing the energy more inwardly than outwardly and nervous/excitable. Sanskrit directs action and gives access to feeling at a deep level, quietening the mind it becomes not just about shape.
There are a myriad of further examples like this e.g. Salamba Sarvangasana translates as All Limbs Pose yet it gets called Shoulderstand. All limbs tells you… arms, legs are working hard here so they should be an area of focused action, it is not strictly about the shoulders at all.
Sanskrit just gives more about the working of things. The word ‘smile’ in Sanskrit for example is ‘smitam’ and means ‘bloom, blossom and expand’. See how this is different to turn he corners of your mouth upward to ceiling. The Sanskrit language is rich, be it you know a little or a lot, being open to learning it will give you a more intimate experience in practise.
For beginners, it can be little overwhelming and might even seem cultish. My tip, if using it in Beginners classes, and I do I’d suggest provide an overview of the language to students, explaining your respect for the history of yoga (that is another post right there) and your reasons for using it. Use an inviting and open approach, avoiding any appearance of exclusivity and in the truest sense of teaching… translate the phrases you use as they are newly introduced.
Thanks Merry for getting some Sanskrit poses name on camera over the weekend at teacher training. A pronunciation resource for YTT students, valuable for us all I think just to hear the way some of these words roll off the tongue :)
