Mantra Yoga: Sounds of Sanskrit
An 8-week immersion for Yoga teachers, practitioners, & those interested in sound healing
With Cynthia Russell, DMA
Saturdays, September 21 through November 16th, from 10:30 to 12:30 pm
*Including an extended day of practice Saturday November 16th, and no class on October 12th
$450, sol member discount applicable –
20 hours YTT credits and CEC’s for yoga teachers
Come explore this powerful form of Yoga healing. It is simple, elegant, and transformational.
This eight-week immersion focuses on the Sanskrit alphabet as a core mantra practice to bring balance and harmony to body, breath and mind. Each session includes:
- chanting the alphabet and practicing the writing of each letter of the alphabet, a practice known as Likhita Japa.
- pranayama practice as it is aligned with the energies of the letters of the alphabet
- chanting key selections from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras: Samādhi Pāda. This is a vibrational practice of bringing the essence of the aphorisms deeply into the mind and body
- Mantra Puruṣa, the core practice of embodying the vibrational energies of the Sanskrit alphabet
- Interweaving the creative soul practice of SoulCollage® and the use of the practice to guide your journey throughout the 8-week program
More about the immersion:
Home practice is recommended and encouraged. It is in the daily refinement of our energies that these practices will flower and emerge in our mind and body.
These texts and materials will be required.
- Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound, by David Frawley
- Sanskrit Alphabet Study Book 1, by Medha Michika (light blue cover)
- Handwriting Practice Paper or a Lined Journal/Notebook
If you are attending for YTT credit or Yoga Alliance CEC’s:
The following evaluations will be required to receive a 20-hour certificate of completion.:
- A daily log of your personal practice: mantra and likhita japa. To be shared with Cynthia at every meeting
- Memorization of the Mantra Puruṣa and the locations of the alphabet on the body. You will be asked to lead the group in the Mantra Puruṣa towards the end of our time together. If you are practicing it every day, you will easily absorb the practice. Memorization will come effortlessly.
- Final project: an essay or other creative expression of your overall experience. Due to be presented in one of the last two sessions
- Attendance at all eight sessions is required to receive credit. If you do miss a session, make-up sessions can be scheduled for an additional fee of $100, and must be within the eight-week period of the course.
Cynthia Russell, musician and educator, received her Yoga training through Yoga Connection in Tucson, AZ, and through workshops offered by Rama Jyoti Vernon and other wonderful teachers along the way. She is continuing her studies through The American Institute of Vedic Studies under the guidance of Dr. David Frawley. Teaching in many settings throughout her career, Cynthia has learned to feel how the voice and body dance together to vibrate the essence of the soul. Her degrees in vocal performance and music education provided unique opportunities to observe other singers (of all ages) and to come to deeply discern vocal health and wellbeing as expressed through the human voice. Cynthia now offers these skills and experiences in the Yoga setting where the sounds of the Sanskrit Alphabet and the ground of the Eight Limbs of Yoga influence her offerings at Sol Center and beyond.
She fell in love with the sounds of Sanskrit while studying the Yoga Sūtras with Rama and continues to develop ways to share this love with others. She believes it is the vibrations of the sounds themselves that hold meaning and knows from her own experience that the more she engages these sounds the more wisdom and knowledge is imparted by them. Deep and lasting healing follows the dedicated practice of these sounds.