An Interpretation of the Opening Mantra

At the beginning of each class, we recite a Sanskrit mantra. For many us this exercise is done by rote without any sense of what the words means. Others of you may have read an English translation, but have had a difficult time connecting with the words. In an effort to make this opening ritual as meaningful as possible, we want to share with you a thought interpretation of the mantra from John Berlinsky. John is an Authorized Ashtanga Teacher based in Marin County, California. For those of you interested in learning more about John, click here.

Interpretation of Ashtanga Yoga Mantra, by John Berlinsky Ashtanga practice is traditionally begun with the recitation of the mantra. What we call the Ashtanga Mantra is really two shlokas from different sources. The first is a verse from the "Yoga Taravalli" by Sri Shankaracharya and the second verse is from a longer prayer to Patanjali. The Ashtanga mantra has been translated a number of times with various interpretations of the individual words. Instead of looking at the mantra as a literal translation of the Sanskrit, I see the mantra as an invocation and living part of our yoga practice. Many times we routinely recite the mantra before practice without really feeling a connection to it. Regarding the mantra as an invocation sets the tone and the intention of our practice. This provides a guide to experience our asana practice in a larger philosophical context - a context directly related to the Patanjali Yoga Sutras and the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. Click here for John's full interpretation.

Comments

[Webmaster Translations]

Please let me know what are the actual verses that you say at the beginning of your class.
I will provide you with a word by translation so that you may know what each word means.

Webmaster - Translations
http://freetranslationblog.blogspot.com