Aloha from Frankfurt

My wife and I are traveling in Frankfurt. We get very spoiled by the nice Hawaii weather. Between the jetlag and the bratwurst, finding time to do a daily yoga practice is challenging, but doable. It is difficult to find yoga studios here, but they exist. It feels like yoga is slowing being discovered here like it is in the US. Until I find a class, I will be practing on the top floor of our brother in law's house.


Auf Weidersehen,

Yogiromero

Why do we use sanskrit in yoga class?

Ever see that Dunkin Donuts commercial where overweight patrons are at a cafe wondering in what language their coffee size is ordered? Vente...Is it Italian? Is it French? It's Fritalian! Anyone who has had the real deal cappuccino Florence would simply roll their eyes (there the size is the cup they give you). The commercial also implies that the joe you get at DD is the same as in Tuscany. Not the case!

Unfortunately, we are seeing the same phenomenon in many yoga studios and fitness clubs around the US. Why do we have these crazy Sanskrit names when we can just say Dog or Triangle pose? What would be the English equivalent of Baradvajasana? Twisting Military General pose? Or Vasistasana? Indian Sage-king Who Sired 100 Children and Wrote A Great Book On Yoga pose? We can get the Octo-mom spin-off yoga class on that one.

All joking aside, we use Sanskrit in yoga because it is the language of yoga. How many English words would it take to convey the idea to keep the face in savasana while doing a backbend? We all know that in corpse pose, the face is soft and content. Simply saying "savasana" conveys that idea in one word.

Also, when I go to Frankfurt, Germany next week, I will go to a yoga class and have no clue what instructions are being told, but I will understand the pose name in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is to yoga what Italian is to Opera, what Latin is to Science, what French is to formal cuisine. It makes the teaching accessible throughout the world regardless of what language you speak.

As Sanskrit is ancient, there is much in the esoteric value of the sounds of the words as well. You cannot translate OM, but saying it properly, you FEEL the word. It is called the pranava, the sound of prana. When you do the invocation at the beginning of class, you FEEL the vibrations opening your body to the practice you are about to do.

So heed your doctor's advice and avoid Dunkin Donuts.

Peace Within,

Yogiromero