On Chanting

When I came to yoga about 5 years ago, I was having second thoughts whether to fully accept it as a spiritual practice or treat is simply as another exercise regimen. Deep within I was actually looking for something that will fill my need for a physical training and spiritual discipline. This is probably the major reason why I was drawn to the vigorousness and creativity of an Ashtanga-inspired practice.

As I grew in the path, I started to feel the need to incorporate chanting in my classes. However, I felt incompetent as I wasn't really trained to teach chanting. My teacher at the Yoga Foundation is a very good teacher. She taught me well specially philosophy, vegetarianism and karma yoga. Though she never taught chanting in class, I could remember her telling me that chanting is just like a long exhalation. It was at the Nayon ng Kabataan after our Sunday yoga outreach program back in the summer of 2004.

Having been raised in a Catholic family wasn't really a problem but having studied in a Evangelical Christian high school was. I was made to believe that chants which didn't originate from the Judeo-Christian tradition is of the devil's and God the Father will be upset if you bow to some other gods besides him. I came to understand that it's not actually bowing or worshiping but more of acknowledging the qualities of that certain deity.

In general, we chant to offer gratitude and ask for clarity. We chant to offer thanks, to open the heart and be receptive to what's being taught. We chant to focus the mind and clear the mental palate as most of us have come from different places and resonance of work, etc., still linger in our minds. We chant to go beyond the mere thinking level and begin to truly experience the moment. We also chant to develop concentration and devotion, to help us realize that it is not we who does, that we are merely observers. We also chant to encourage humility and offer peace to mankind.

But should we simply accept the above reasons and begin chanting? My academic training demands that I also understand chanting for its practical value. The sound must originate from the vocal chord to the lips or mouth and we are following the vibration that it creates and we try to feel the experience. Chanting soothes the nervous system and in effect calms the mind. Chanting is training us to lengthen our exhalations as well and as a result, deepening our breathes.

My teachers at Centered Yoga were right when they said that we need to work within ourselves first before we can work for others. It's the same with chanting. After learning the practical and spiritual values of chanting during my training in Thailand, I was able to teach chanting with confidence to my students in Manila and they were actually very receptive. It was also good to know that it made them experience the class in a different level.

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Hari Om.