For Yoga Teachers

45. Seven ways to introduce Sanskrit in to your yoga classes

• Episode 45

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Introducing Sanskrit in to your yoga classes can be daunting for all the reasons we talked about in episode 41, which was ‘Should yoga teachers use Sanskrit?’

However, it doesn’t have to be daunting. (Promise!)

This episode is 7 simple ways to add Sanskrit in to your classes, let's take a look: 

  • Go slow and steady - no need to rush
  • Build confidence in your pronunciation
  • Say the Sanskrit with the English
  • Suggest a mantra for your yogis
  • Lead a chant
  • Lead Pranayama techniques
  • Pick your time, and yogis, carefully


On The Base, we’ve got a pronunciation guide in our resources section for you to come back as often as you need to, to help with getting the pronunciation bang on, so Team Base keep your eyes peeled for that!

If you’re not on The Base yet, use the code COMMUNITY for 25% off for your first three months!


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[00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to For Yoga Teachers. This podcast has been created to help yoga teachers teach with passion, avoid burnout, and earn a fair living. We recently had a mini series of quandaries and concerns and questions that yoga teachers often have. Like should yoga teachers use Sanskrit? 

Should yoga teachers demo while teaching should yoga teachers care about money? And should yoga teachers care about competition from other yoga teachers. And now, we're starting a mini series to answer a lot of those questions, starting with should yoga teachers use Sanskrit. 

The episode entitled should yoga teachers use Sanskrit, prompted so many of you [00:01:00] to get in touch to say that you would love to use Sanskrit in your classes, but you're really not sure where to start, or what to say, and you don't want to risk making your yogis feel like they have to understand sanskrit in order to practice yoga. So, this episode is the help that you need. 

It's seven simple ways to introduce Sanskrit into your yoga classes. As ever, here's a sneak peek as to where we're going. 

And the first tip is to go slow and steady. There's no need to rush. 

We'll look at building confidence in your pronunciation. 

Saying the Sanskrit with the English. 

Suggesting a mantra for your yogis. 

Leading a chant. 

Introducing Sanskrit via pranayama techniques. 

And picking your class or your workshop and picking your yogis very carefully when you start [00:02:00] introducing Sanskrit into your classes. 

On the base, we have a pronunciation guide in our resources section for you to come back to as often as you need to, to help with getting your pronunciation bang on. So Team Base, keep your eyes peeled for that. 

If you're not on the base yet, you can use the code community for 25% off your first three months. 

Okay. Let's get cracking with the seven simple ways to introduce Sanskrit into your yoga classes. 

First things first. 

Slow and steady, there's no need to rush. And honestly, yoga teacher. This is really, really key. The rest of the six tips can be taken really slowly in your own time to help you build your confidence. To help you understand when adding Sanskrit is adding to [00:03:00] your teachings, not taking away. 

So I'll say it again. Go slow and steady. You have the rest of your yoga career to work on introducing Sanskrit. 



Building confidence in your pronunciation. 

You want to make sure that what you're saying is right, right. 

In episode 41, we talked about Sanskrit and cultural appropriation. Well, you could argue that westernised pronunciation of Sanskrit. Uh, such as shakra. is exactly that. But you're not on your own here. Wonderful expert teacher and author, Hali Schwartz is leading us through a one day Sanskrit chanting and philosophy training at yoga hero. So if bringing Sanskrit into your classes is a focus for you, or you want to know more for your own knowledge, this one day it is absolutely perfect for [00:04:00] you, and all the information is in our show notes. 

Say the Sanskrit with the English. 

When we talked about whether yoga teachers should use Sanskrit or not. One of the main concerns was that if people don't know what it means, then they might leave the class feeling stupid or worse, it could lead to an injury. 

One way to ensure that this doesn't happen is to add in the English as well. Something like come to Samasthiti even standing pose, standing strong and tall at the top of your yoga mat. This hasn't taken ages to say, but it covers all bases. Of course while you're in the flow, especially if it's a speedy ish flow, you probably won't have time to say the Sanskrit and the English and the guidance, for each pose. 

But if you have a flow that repeats and it isn't too [00:05:00] complicated, how about saying the English pose name and the guidance first time around and then the Sanskrit name, the second time around. 

Suggesting a mantra for your yogis. This is a lovely, lovely way to introduce Sanskrit. Especially if your class is a little slower or quite introspective, or it has some real meaning to it. 

You could introduce a mantra that you encourage your yogis to repeat to themselves at specific points in your class. Or you could suggest it in Savasana and encourage your yogis to repeat it as they go through the rest of their day. From the Sanskrit glossary of yoga terms by Bihar yoga. 

A mantra "is a tool that liberates energy from the confines of mundane awareness and expands the consciousness when repeated." I mean, wow. What a great [00:06:00] opportunity to add Sanskrit to your classes, and to give your yogis an opportunity to expand their consciousness. Talk about win, win. This could even be as simple as Tat Tvam Asi meaning you are that; you are already everything that you ever wanted and needed. 

Leading a chant. 

I would imagine for some of you, me included, this is the most nerve wracking option, but it doesn't have to be a super long chant. You know, it could be Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha for example. 

And this would free you up to explain the chant, and it's deeper meaning, lead the chant, and let people repeat it if, and when they wish. 



Pranayama techniques. In episode 41, I mentioned that for me [00:07:00] Pranayama is one of the words, one of the reasons, that it is important to keep Sanskrit alive. That saying breathing techniques is safe and clear and tells people what they're going to be doing. But that Pranayama or, indeed. Prana A Yama. Means expanding the subtle healing energy or not restraining our vitality, which is so meaningful and so inspiring. 

By teaching Pranayama, it gives you the opportunity to explain the meaning of Prana A Yama and often the Sanskrit terms, the Sanskrit names for the pranayama techniques also have a deeper meaning too. If you're keen to learn more about Pranayama you most certainly want to learn from an expert, most certainly. Take a look at the traditional Hatha Pranayama, [00:08:00] and Chakra Kriya training led by Hali Schwatz at yoga hero, in may.

And finally. Pick your class or your workshops and your yogis carefully. Our first tip was to take it slow and steady. This is another very practical tip that when you first start to slowly and steadily introduce Sanskrit into your teachings, choose your offering your class, your workshop, and your yogis very carefully. For example, a fast power flow class 

probably won't give you the time to add in some extra bits and bobs, but a slow flow class might, a meditation class might. Similarly, you know, if there's always someone that comes to your Wednesday night class and they have a resting confused face. They give you quizzical looks when you introduce something new, that might not be the ideal [00:09:00] time. But if there's a bunch of yogis who love it, when you add in some philosophy or some anatomical knowledge, They might be really receptive to hearing the Sanskrit. 

I do hope you can join us on the first June for Hali Schwartz is day of Sanskrit, whether you're keen to sprinkle Sanskrit into your classes now, or it's something that you'll explore in the future. 

It's a real, most not miss day. It will really clean up your pronunciation of Sanskrit. 

Let's recap those seven simple ways to introduce Sanskrit into your yoga classes. 

Go slow and steady. Remember there's no rush. 

Build confidence in correct pronunciation. 

Say the Sanskrit with the English. I 

suggest a mantra for yogis 

lead a chant. 

Lead pranayama [00:10:00] techniques. 

And pick your offering and your yogis very carefully. 

I hope that's given you some food for thought and some action steps. I'd love to hear from you and how you get on. 

Definitely keep me posted. But above all yoga teacher, happy teaching.