The Invocation to Patanjali and an invitation to sit for a moment. . .
While you are out, I mean in. . .you might consider a few non-asana explorations of yoga. (Thanks Barbara for inspiring me to add this post for students.) Below you can learn the two chants that we often start class with. You might also consider reading (or re-reading) Light on Life or the Tree of Yoga by BKS Iyengar. Both of these texts beautifully capture why we practice. You can get Light on Life on Kindle and on Audible (read by my teacher Patricia).
You can listen to a beautiful recording
of Geeta chanting the Invocation to Patanjali here:
You can listen to Geeta chanting the Guru Stotram here:
If you want to follow along you can read the transliteration of the Sanskrit and read the English translation here:
Invocation to Patanjali
Yogena cittasya padena vacam
malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena
yopakarottam pravaram muninam
patanjalim pranajaliranato’smi
abahu purusakaram
sankha cakrasi dharinam
sahasra sirasam svetam
pranamami patanjalim.
Let us bow before the noblest of sages Patanjali, who gave yoga for serenity and
sanctity of mind, grammar for clarity and purity of speech and medicine for
perfection of health. Let us prostrate before Patanjali, an incarnation of
Adisesa, whose upper body has a human form, whose arms hold a conch and a disc,
and who is crowned by a thousand-headed cobra.
Invocation to the Guru
Gurur Brahmaa Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwarah
Guru Saakshaata Parabrahma
Tasmai Shri Guruve Namah
Guru
is Brahma (the beginning or creator), Guru is Vishnu (that which sustains us),
Guru is Maheshwara (Shiva) (our dissolution),
Guru is Supreme Brahman Itself (the omniscient and omnipotent one)
Prostration unto that Guru
Why we sit at the start of class and chant….
At the start of each of our classes we sit. For beginner levels we start with sitting in silence. For Intermediate and Advanced classes we sit in silence to begin followed by the chanting of AUM and often times with the Invocation to Patanjali and the Guru. These are not religious chants but it is fair to say that they have a spiritual bent. They are not intended to change your faith or belief system, the practice of yoga as Geeta Iyengar beautifully stated in class one day should move you closer to your own faith, however you define your faith. These chants honor the teaching tradition and lineage of yoga. Chanting them at the start of your practice, or simply chanting AUM at the start of your practice, and even just sitting in silence for a few minutes gives your mind a chance to transition from being outwardly focused to being inwardly focus. It is a doorway for your mind to step through. It is also a recognition that the subject and practice you are getting ready to embark on is an auspicious subject that is worthy of your full attention. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali begins by saying: With prayers for divine blessings, we embark on the auspicious subject of yoga. The next sutra says yoga is the quieting of the mind and the following sutra says that when this happens, our consciousness is able to rest in our own true nature.
When we take time to chant or sit quietly we are pointing our mind in the right direction at least. We may not arrive at a stilled mind but at least we are turning in the right direction and that is a start. By taking time to sit quietly and chant, we are pointing it towards a more one pointed state rather than a fractured state. This sitting time or time in silence is invaluable. Especially if you are feeling frantic or anxious or ungrounded. Sit for a few minutes. Give the body and mind a moment to settle. Chanting AUM especially will give the mind a place to go rather than spinning in uncertainty or fear. Turn off any distractions and just as you let a tea bag steep in hot water for 3-5mins to infuse the flavor of the water, let your mind steep in the sound of AUM and the nurturing sound of quiet.
Aum Peace Peace Peace