The Language of Yoga: An Introduction to Sanskrit
This class is taught by:
Seth Powell
Seth Powell is a longtime practitioner of yoga and a scholar of Indian religions, Sanskrit, and yoga traditions. He is currently a PhD Candidate in South Asian Religions at Harvard University. His research focuses on the history, theory, and practice of medieval and early modern Sanskrit yoga texts and traditions, as well as their intersections with the culture and practice of modern transnational yoga. Seth also holds degrees in the study of religion from the University of Washington (MA) and Humboldt State University (BA). In addition to his academic pursuits, Seth has spent much of the past decade “on the mat” in the American yoga studio culture, engaging in a variety of forms of modern postural yoga including Ānanda, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara, and vinyāsa more broadly. Beginning in 2010, Seth has spent extended periods abroad studying with teachers and yogīs in India, as well as conducting doctoral field work and research. He completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Ānanda Yoga in Grass Valley, CA, as well as a 200-hour clinical Yoga and Āyurveda training at Santosh Puri Ashram in Haridwar, India. As a scholar-practitioner, Seth is gifted in his ability to present the ancient teachings of yoga clearly in an accessible, light-hearted, and inspiring manner—while maintaining a rigor and sensitivity to traditional Indian knowledge systems. Seth conducts workshops and lectures regularly on the history and philosophy of yoga at studios, teacher trainings, and universities around the country. Visit Seth's website, Yogic Studies to learn more.
Sanskrit is one of the most ancient languages in the world, and is the lingua franca of yoga. In ancient and medieval India, Sanskrit was the dominant intellectual, spiritual, and cosmopolitan language—its literature spreading across the broader South and Southeast Asian world. Often written in the Devanāgarī script, it is said to be the language of the gods—the “perfected” language (saṃskṛta). For some, it is revered as the language and voice (vāc) of the entire cosmos, the vibratory ground of reality itself. Hundreds of yoga scriptures were written in Sanskrit on palm-leaf manuscripts, only a small percentage of which survive today. For thousands of years, sacred Sanskrit mantras—efficacious sound technologies—have been chanted, sung, and meditated upon for spiritual benefit. Innumerable hymns, works of poetry, literature, dramas, and philosophical treatises have been composed in this beautiful, complex, and ancient Indo- European language. In this 2-part workshop you will be exposed to this rich legacy of Sanskrit’s literary past, and guided through a unique experience of studying the Sanskrit language today. We will begin with a brief introduction to the history of Sanskrit—learning about its grammatical nature, scripts, literature, and Sanskrit’s unique role as the purveyor of yogic wisdom through its precise syllabary. We then focus our attention towards learning how Sanskrit is represented
phonetically in Roman characters with “diacritic” marks. Understanding only a few rules of Sanskrit in transliteration will allow anyone who can read English to pronounce any Sanskrit word properly. In particular, we give attention to the correct pronunciation of the names of common yogic terminology and postures. Slowly, we will progress towards chanting a few Sanskrit mantras, some short sūtras from Patañjali’s Yogasūtra, building towards our “peak” practice—the recitation of a few traditional Sanskrit verses (śloka) from yogic scriptures.
phonetically in Roman characters with “diacritic” marks. Understanding only a few rules of Sanskrit in transliteration will allow anyone who can read English to pronounce any Sanskrit word properly. In particular, we give attention to the correct pronunciation of the names of common yogic terminology and postures. Slowly, we will progress towards chanting a few Sanskrit mantras, some short sūtras from Patañjali’s Yogasūtra, building towards our “peak” practice—the recitation of a few traditional Sanskrit verses (śloka) from yogic scriptures.
You will walk away with:
• A deeper appreciation for Sanskrit’s spiritual and cosmopolitan history
• A better understanding of Sanskrit’s literary past • A brief introduction to Sanskrit grammar
• An understanding of how to read Sanskrit in transliteration (i.e. in the Roman alphabet)
• Knowledge of the most commonly mispronounced Sanskrit words in the yoga world
• Confidence in their ability to correctly pronounce yogic terms in Sanskrit