For thirty six years I have been on a long journey as a student and teacher first of yoga and then Vedic Chant. I have studied and taught both, independent of one another and also linked together when I feel it will be more effective in meeting the needs of students.

The practice of yoga asana and pranayama supports good chanting and the recitation of the Veda, even in a small way, can strongly influence body, breath and state of mind. In addition, the principles and practice of both yoga and Vedic chant can be adapted and applied to many situations regardless of the age, skill or cultural background of the practitioner.

While much is known about yoga and its application in the West, and some forms of chanting have recently become popular, Vedic Chant for the most part remains unknown. I hope the following will provide a small taste of what I have learned from my studies and my experience teaching Vedic Chant in the United States.

It is Sunday morning at the Vedic Chant Center. This class is an offering meant, primarily, to provide new students with exposure to Vedic Chant. I arrive to find pillows and chairs set out, several regular students gathered, some talking to new visitors. As I extend my greetings, the feeling is welcoming and after everyone is settled, I begin to orient the morning’s class. I say that chanting will be taught through the process of listening and repeating and suggest that everyone participate in any way that is comfortable. This could mean simply listening for the whole class or, joining in when the moment feels right.

I begin warming up our voices, gradually raising the pitch with simple sounds, extending memory by increasing the length of a phrase, and for the sake of maintaining the level of energy I hasten the speed at which we are reciting. I listen carefully to each repetition searching for signs that tell me how I might proceed during the next hour. Is pitch being maintained? What length of phrase can be accurately repeated? Do the voices sound confident or hesitant? Often, I come to these sessions with a chant in mind and at other times I wait to be inspired by what I hear during those first moments.

Sunday sessions are an opportunity for everyone to learn. For older students it involves refining existing skills, discovering how to support the group with their own voices and demonstrating what they know as I call on some of them to teach. For new comers it is a chance to be exposed to as many aspects of Vedic Chant as I can include in one hour while keeping the program both accessible and challenging. Some who attend are familiar with the Sanskrit language of the Vedas and others will be hearing Sanskrit for the first time. Toward the end of class, the more experienced students and I recite, from memory, something more complicated and fast paced allowing listeners to feel the effect of Vedic Chant and to hear what it is possible through sustained effort and determination.

These sessions are also an opportunity to challenge myself by teaching newer chants from memory, further simplifying complicated chants and remaining present and engaged so that I can adjust my teaching to the needs and possibilities of the group.

Attempting to reach a high level of teaching and learning helps to keep the experience alive for all of us whether in a group class, a workshop, or during private instruction. Fortunately, in the Taittiriya Upanishad, the Veda itself provides the practical key to maintaining a standard. At the beginning of the first chapter, called Siksa Valli, we are told that to ensure good chanting we should attend to and refine six aspects of chant. These are the pronunciation of letters, the notes, the meter, the force with which we chant, the musical quality, and the punctuation - continuity or breaking between words.

These rules, along with the teaching methodologies that emerged through thousands of years of oral transmission, provide a dedicated student with both a standard to work toward and the means to achieve it. Also provided in this short passage, are clues for adapting Vedic Chant so that it can be used as a tool to influence certain situations and conditions commonly found in contemporary society, especially in the West.

For example, the West today is primarily a visually oriented culture. We take in most of our information by reading and communicate quite often by writing. Many adults feel that they have lost or have never even cultivated the skill of active listening. This skill was common in the West as little as fifty or sixty years ago. In those days we were taught the alphabet and simple math tables by listening to the teacher and repeating with the class. Giving talks and presentations was an integral part of the educational process from primary school through university. Often we recited poetry for fun and verbal games whiled away the time during long car trips. The radio was the main source of everyday entertainment and great value was placed on extended conversations with close friends and relatives, who mostly lived nearby.

How things have changed as TV and computers dominate the world of education and communication enabling us to transcend great distances with stunning immediacy but also taking us almost to the point of absurdity as we now email friends we could be meeting in person. It seems that the less we are challenged on a regular basis to relate through careful listening or to retain and correctly repeat what we have heard, the more this ability fades from lack of use.

Enter the art of Vedic Chanting! Just imagine what is required in my attempt, even in the simplest way, to attend to those six elements mentioned earlier. As I link to correct pronunciation, changing tones, rhythmic interplay, force of recitation, correct relationship between notes and the appropriate times to pause or move on, my entire system is engaged and I am influenced at every level. My mind is called upon to respond in new ways and I begin to perceive my usual habits of listening, remembering and repeating. Over time, my listening skills become more refined and I notice improvement in my ability to retain and reproduce what I hear.

Though my mind is pivotal, consciously engaging my body and breath is also key to good chanting and I feel the effects in all of these areas. Maintaining a stable and relaxed posture whether seated on the floor or in a chair provides the physical foundation that supports my breath. From here, I begin to feel a fuller inhale and more complete exhale that provide the internal foundation for the creation of sound. With the torso supported, my shoulders, neck and jaw can relax, my throat can open and my tongue can move more freely in my mouth enabling me to produce all of the sounds that are part of the Sanskrit language. Again, over time, the attention gently placed in these areas of the body can positively influence those who may begin chanting with tension in the jaw, shortness of breath or a feeling of disconnection from the muscles of the abdomen. Having encountered these conditions in myself and in students, I have had the opportunity to see them change through the consistent practice of Vedic chant.

Let’s take a look at how these tools can effect other situations such as the ability to influence our level or quality of energy. During an ordinary day we all have times when our energy might need to be calmed or stimulated, increased or reduced. Often, this is accompanied by a lack of ability to focus, as our minds are drawn in too many directions or, perhaps we get stuck and fail to go in any direction. When these situations develop as persistent patterns, we often refer to them with words such as hyper activity and depression.

At this point, or even prior to symptoms becoming a “condition”, appropriately applied chanting practice can have a positive influence. To create an energizing effect we can chant at a higher pitch, at a faster pace, use chants with more complicated wording or engage a louder voice. To create a calming effect we might chant at a lower pitch, at a slower pace, use a chant with fewer word changes and maintain a softer voice. Of course the application will vary from person to person but by using these general principles we can apply chant to situations requiring a shift in energy whether at the physical, mental, or emotional level. In addition, chronic or acute anxiety, negative thinking, mental dullness and lack of confidence, are all candidates for the appropriate application of chanting practice.

Other situations that benefit from chanting might be the limited ability to process auditory information, the loss of memory that can come with age,
minor speech impediments, and fear of public speaking, As an indirect way to approach and change unhelpful breathing patterns, Vedic Chant can provide an enjoyable experience along with a therapeutic effect.

And then there are the more subtle aspect of Vedic Chant. Somehow, the process of listening and reciting opens the door to feelings and connections that may not be recognized or accessible during ordinary activity or even through other practices. There is an element of mystery that is an integral part of the experience of Vedic Chant whether I am a chanter or listener or both. Though much of the effect can be identified and explained logically, there is a point at which rational thinking and even words themselves become inadequate and the experience moves beyond description and explanation. Included in this would be the element of healing that often accompanies Vedic Chant.

Here, now, are some words from those whose practice has inspired them to express and share their experience of Vedic Chant.


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“Vedic chanting changes me from inside my core like no other activity.
If I am depressed, chanting uplifts me. If my mind is dull, chanting makes me alert.If I am tired it gives me energy.If I am preoccupied, chanting focuses my attention in one direction.
When I chant I feel I am giving and at the same time being given to.”


“Vedic Chanting is an invitation to step into an ancient river that is always new, refreshing and very enjoyable. Every time I chant there is an opportunity to listen deeply and hear more clearly what is actually happening.
Chanting energizes both physically and mentally,always enhancing my frame of mind. While attending to pitch, breathing, pronunciation, rhythm, group dynamics, posture and more, the thinking mind relinquishes the mundane … what a relief! I feel part of something greater than myself and I find a quality of intimacy with myself and others that is beyond the ordinary.

We often chant for the well-being of the earth and her environment,
so as we revitalize our own body, mind, and spirit, these ancient chants
go forth to harmonize and heal in all directions and dimensions.“


“Who can deny the wonderful energy of people chanting together?
I find my stamina builds with daily practice. My throat begins to relax and open.I feel more clear and energized. I find that my outward expression
flows more easily because there is less tendency to hold back my voice.
When the voice is relaxed, I am able to communicate with the world more freely.“


“Vedic Chant addresses my need to praise the wonder of life
- its abundance, power, challenge and delight.
It conveys the wholeness of the world and my part in it, with body, mind, and breath focusing together, simply attending to the chant.“



“Through Vedic chanting I am able to alter my mood, my energy and my state of being in a positive way. It gives me access to inner resources which help me face life's ups and downs with strength, courage, and faith.
Chanting helps me tap into an inner peace, joy and happiness.
Many people take antidepressants to cope with the fast pace, constant change, demands and stresses of modern life.
I prefer instead to practice Vedic Chant.“


"Vedic Chant is a river that sweeps away what's not necessary
and leaves me filled with clarity and genuine feeling. It tastes the same to me as meditation. My speech is lit up, my attention is sharp and calm, my emotional experience sobered. It is an integrated practice that links intensity with refined awareness.The actions of listening and repeating become one-pointed, engaging ear, belly, tongue, and breath, and expressing my deepest yearnings and commitment."


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yvonne henderson 11-JAN-2008 thankyou for such an inspiring article Liz Murtha 25-JUN-2007 What a wonderful exposition of Vedic Chanting. I feel truly inspired by the feedback from the practitioners, particularly the results of various chants was so well explained. Thank you for that! Liz Murtha grazia jaroff 12-APR-2007 Hi Sonia, I'll probably never be a good chanter, but, thanks to you, I have learned to listen and appreciate. Thank you. Gill Lloyd 31-MAR-2007 I found this article a real inspiration both to practise and teach. Vedic chanting is such a gift from the past for us to share in our world today. Thank you Sonia for this piece and all the work you do to spread this teaching yael goren 19-MAR-2007 Thank you for an inspiring article. As a begginer chanting student I found your words and ideas very incourging. It is a long path- the language, understanging the content and studing the philosophy behind vedic chanting. Sometimes the religious aspects in Vedic chants contradict with mine (Jewish) so it is a challenge for me to search for the "golden mean". Thank-you Mary KEIZER 15-MAR-2007 It is certainly a practice that demands presence in action. Much of which is needed in our society even more now. Thank you Sonia for inspiration. Mary Hirendra Patel 28-FEB-2007 Namaste Sonia-ji: Reading your article gave me so much happyness, I have been practicing and teaching youga for the past 7 years, and I can say it has changed my life for ever for better, for a long time I could not understand why I was drawn to vedic chants, listening to bhagavad gita, I listen to it every day at 5.00 am -6.00 and it makes my rest of the day go by so beautifully and I am very focused in my work also, this is the power of yoga Thank you for the article. Núria Vinyals 25-FEB-2007 Amb un petň. Beatriu JANAKIRAMAN MUTHUKRISHNAN 17-FEB-2007 Madam, Thank You for the wonderful article. It is an eye opener for me, a beginner in chanting to pursue seriously. Fiona Ashdown 14-FEB-2007 I love chanting and teach to individuals and groups and like yourself always feel uplifted by it. Your article inspired me to think more about what chants to use for specific needs for individuals, any advice on this would be much appreciated. warm wishes Fiona Padmini Narendran 13-FEB-2007 Sorry, I missed giving my name while posting my comments yesterday: The feedback from the practitioners encourage and inspire me to propagate vedic chanting. At this juncture ,I think it is our prime duty to think of and thank Sri Krishnamacharya who opened the doors of vedic chanting to women and also Smt and Sri Desikachar who have groomed all of us -- a very big thanks to them also. Ann Rogers 13-FEB-2007 Thank you, Sonia! What a lovely and succinct way of describing the benefits of chant and of the art of teaching chant. It inspired me to continue my efforts at this amazing gift we've been given. The connections you make with chanting and attention were particularly meaningful to me. Padmini Narendran 12-FEB-2007 The feedback from the practitioners encourage and inspire me to propagate vedic chanting. At this juncture ,I think it is our prime duty to think of and thank Sri Krishnamacharya who opened the doors of vedic chanting to women and also Smt and Sri Desikachar who have groomed all of us -- a very big thanks to them also. Sarah Ryan 08-FEB-2007 Thankyou Sonia for A beautiful exposition of what vedic chant can do for us in the west. I'm sure it will encourage many to study this amazing discipline. Lovely article Sonia.