The Sacred Language of Yoga

Sanskrit is the sacred classic language of India. Just as Latin, Hebrew or Arabic are for other cultures. Sanskrit was the language of royalty and the elite. It was , and still is, a highly regarded cultural refinement.

Sanskrit is not just a language. It was designed to hit the many chakras (energy centers) in your throat, mouth and tongue. It is a way of awakening the body, mind, and spirit to a higher state of consciousness by opening these chakras and nadis with sacred sound vibration (nadam).

You have over 250 chakras (not just the seven you usually see on charts) and over 72,000 nadis all over your body. When these subtle energy channels of the body are opened, you experience Yoga through the effects of prana and pure sound.

This is why chanting sanskrit mantra is so effective for opening your heart and the upper chakras. For this reason, I tell my students to pay attention to the physical vibration they feel in their bodies during opening slokas.

Yoga is a very subtle practice. It affects you on so many levels. Yoga allows us to shed the layers of misunderstanding, illusion, pain and ignorance that cover our hearts. Opening your heart is more important than opening your body -- and is one of the goals of yoga practice.

I dedicate today's blog to my friend Chris. One day soon, he will tire of my nagging and actually attend a yoga class. ॐ

Just Do Yoga.