Yoga - To Chant Or Not to Chant?

When I took my first Integral Yoga class in San Francisco, the teacher opened with breathing and chanting, which I had never heard before. It was new and a bit strange to the ear, but I couldn't help noticing the shift into calmness that it brought. The class ended with more breathing,chanting, and meditation, and I felt transformed upon leaving. When I graduated, I vowed to myself that I wouldn't eliminate the chanting for the sake of the masses. Many teachers chose not to chant when they taught outside the institute, so as not to scare people away..I loved the chanting and their melodies and being a singer, it gave me an opportunity to express that through yoga.

I began subbing for other teachers at health clubs, colleges, studios, and community centers to get my foot in the door. Almost no one had done or heard chanting in a yoga class before, and most found it odd while others really found it cool and beneficial.

When I got hired at Kaiser in Fremont, Ca. there really was no yoga available around that area, and for most,it was their first time taking a class. This gave me an incredible opportunity to teach them what yoga is, chanting, meditation, and all. Because if it's peoples first or nearly first time taking yoga, they use my class as the basis for all others. When they try other classes, they are surprised that there is no chanting, very little pranayama, and a very short savasana. To this day, even though yoga is much more available, I still get the people who are fairly new to it and most enjoy it, while I lose others for various reasons.

I realize that not everyone will resonate with this type of class, and I try my best to prepare students on the first class, that the chanting might sound strange at first, but to give it a chance. It really does deepen the experience, grounding and calming all our energies.. I have to admit, that I sometimes omit the opening chants for the pre-natal students, because most of them will only be taking yoga during their pregnancy, but will not continue afterwards.