The Ancient Language of Yoga

In this bustling season of weddings, I had the honor of attending a traditional Indian wedding over the weekend.  The wedding was a beautiful display of Indian culture – complete with colorful Saaris, elaborate Henna, jeweled third eyes, and curries galore.

As a yoga instructor, this was an excellent opportunity to steep myself in the very culture where yoga originated.  I was particularly fascinated by the Sanskrit terminology used all around me.  Sanskrit, the ancient language of yoga, is the a Hindu language that is used nowadays only in very formal settings, as well as in rituals and ceremonies (think Latin for us English speakers).  As a matter of fact, the entire ceremony was in Sanskrit.  When the “priest” chanted “Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” (“peace, peace, peace”), I was hearing this mantra for the first time outside of a yoga class, and I felt a deeper meaning — this was the real thing.  Some even greeted each other with “Namaste.”  A very common yoga word, Namaste means “the light within me salutes the light within you,” and is a customary closing in a yoga class.  Hearing it as a respectful greeting between people in this Indian community opened my eyes to its broader context.

In the western yoga world, terms like “Namaste” and “Om Shanti,” populate much of modern media and have become relatively cliché.  As Americanized as yoga has become, recognizing and honoring where these traditions have come from had a profound affect on me.

Even as a yoga instructor, studying the history and lineage of the yoga practice and philosophy is very different than experiencing the culture first hand.  I’ve been given a peek at the bigger picture, the deeper history, and it will forever resonate around my yoga mat.