‘Should i use sanskrit in my yoga classes?’

What is your own experience with taking classes and the use of Sanskrit?

Did you ever feel excluded from the practice when a teacher only used Sanskrit words you didn’t know the meaning of? Or maybe you took a class abroad in an unfamiliar language and were actually happy to recognise some of the Sanskrit words.

The thing is: it’s entirely up to you as a teacher if you use Sanskrit in your classes or not. But, before you make a decision, it’s good to look at the benefits of using words in this ancient language.

I personally have moved from using hardly any Sanskrit at all, to using it consciously together with the English translation.

The reason I started using it again, was mainly because I felt using Sanskrit is a way to honour the roots of the practice. But I also became more aware of the power of the sound of the words: Sanskrit is said to be one of the more vibrational languages as it’s made up of so called ‘soft’ sounds that vibrate more.

Since everything in the universe is vibration of atoms, using a vibrational language can bring you closer to your own essence. It can bring us home.

But, there’s a big caveat: if we only use Sanskrit words and don’t add the English translation, our students can feel lost, excluded even. A simple solution is to use the English name first, followed by the Sanskrit name.

For exmple: ‘Step back to downward facing dog, or Adho Mukha Svanasana’

I’m curious to hear if you use Sankrit in your classes or not, and why. Let me know by replying to this email : )