Social JusticeYoga

          Welcome to Part 3 of Sounding Off: Alchemy. If you’re new to the Sounding Off series, you can quickly get caught up on the series archive

          In the first two parts of this series, we covered ancient yogic traditions like Vedic oral recitation and guru-śiṣya paramparā (master-disciple lineage). We discussed Sanskrit mispronunciations and debunked the illusion of antiquity in modern yoga. 

          This week, we’re jumping a few centuries forward, to medieval South Asia – where yogic tantra flourished. As you explore the content in the tabs below, consider the question that we seek to answer, each in our own ways:

          Should we really be speaking Sanskrit in our yoga classes?

    Sanskrit is spiritually nuanced or even transformative in a way that modern spoken languages are not…

          Saṁskṛta or Sanskrit means “well-prepared,” “polished,” or “perfected” – and it’s not hard to see why.  This language is rife with evocative words that carry double or even triple meanings, and its collapsible verb endings eliminate all the extra syllables and bulky clauses required by English. As such, Sanskrit verse is compact, nuanced, poetic, and therefore very difficult to translate. Many yogis claim that Sanskrit words capture yogic concepts more eloquently than modern spoken languages ever could; for example, spiritual ideas like ahiṃsā, brahmacarya, and dharma are far too complex to be expressed concisely in English. Thus, one might elect to say a Sanskrit word rather than trying to find or develop an accurate English translation.

          Moreover, in many Tantric yoga traditions, Sanskrit mantras are said to carry transformative properties that can aid yogis on their spiritual paths. Many of the surviving Tantric yoga texts from medieval South Asia (roughly 5th – 15th centuries CE) describe yoga as a practice of alchemy, prescribing a series of rites by which practitioners can transmute and purify their energies – both subtle and physical.  Through proper use of Sanskrit mantras and other Tantric formulae, these texts claim, yogis can transform their bodies, for the sound of Sanskrit can alter physical matter. Interestingly,  these Tantric texts identify the yogic body and the elements contained therein (water, fire, earth, air, and aether, or ākāśa) with various metals, such as mercury. Thus, just as alchemists seek to transmute mercury into gold by manipulating the elements (often through herbal or metallic medicines), yogis seek to attain supernatural powers, perfect their physical bodies, and even gain immortality through Sanskrit mantra. For yogis who believe in these alchemical principles, translation is a poor substitute.

    BUT mindless memorization of Sanskrit words promotes misinformation…

         One of my favorite Sanskritists, Wendy Doniger, warns that translation cannot be both beautiful and faithful – and I am inclined to agree. Indeed, when we cite the aesthetic beauty and supposed spiritual properties of Sanskrit, we often make excuses for incomplete linguistic research.

          Let’s take, for example, our beloved namaste. I have heard an array of definitions for this term in my years of practicing yoga, and for a long time, I used to conclude my classes by saying: “the divine light in me respects and honors the divine light within you. Namaste!” But let’s look at the etymology of the word:

          नमस्ते (namaste) = नमस् (namas) + ते (te)

          नमस् (namas): bowing; to bow; adoration (by word or gesture); a gesture expressing deferential respect.

          ते (te): you; second person pronoun.

          When we put those together, नमस्ते (namaste) means “bowing to you,” perhaps with adoration or deferential respect. Nothing in this word translates as “light” or “divine” within anyone. In modern spoken Hindi, namaste is synonymous with “hello;” it is used as a simple, largely secular greeting!

          Unfortunately, when we can’t comprehend a language enough to even recognize its basic grammatical functions, we are prone to making erroneous (and oftentimes embarrassing!) errors in translation. Personally, I think this common namaste mix-up is harmless, but when used in certain contexts or in certain company, such insensitive use of spiritual terminology can create awkward situations and even offend your students.

          Moreover, if we can’t understand or even read written Sanskrit, how do we expect to grasp these nuanced spiritual concepts? Ahiṃsā, brahmacarya, and dharma are not just yogic terms – they are complex ideologies that are informed by and entrenched within broader frameworks of power in South Asia. Ahiṃsā, for example, featured prominently in the discourse of Indian Independence, championed by nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi. And yet, even for “non-violent” yogi Gandhi, ahiṃsā was not just a precarious culmination of self-restraint but also the inevitable eruption of violence that follows. In the context of Indian nationalism, you’ll rarely see ahiṃsā translated as simply “non-violence.”

          These concepts cannot be divorced from their histories; if we are to draw on their spiritual weight in our yoga classes, we must also be able to accurately translate, define, and contextualize their manifold meanings.

    AND misinformation breeds pseudoscience and ‘conspirituality.’

          The yoga community is plagued by less-than-factual, conspiratorial bogus. My personal favorites include: “twisting postures detox your liver” and “harmful bacteria can’t survive in 95-degree heat.” These claims are easily debunked by modern science – yet, we yoga teachers happily peddle this snake oil to our students because it wears the guise of ayurveda or yogic alchemy. Let me put it this way: just because some old guy wrote it in Sanskrit doesn’t mean it’s true!

          You can incorporate the alchemical principles of Tantric yoga into your personal practice as you see fit, but understand that many of these ideas are not supported by scientific empiricism. To help limit the spread of misinformation, and to prevent the further proliferation of conspirituality (conspiracy + spirituality), we yoga teachers have a responsibility to provide accurate, thorough information to our students – and that often means we must trust the findings of scientific experts over the musings of medieval philosophers.

Visit the Inspiration tab to read about my embodied experience of Alchemy in modern yoga →

Check back next Wednesday, July 17 for Part 4 of Sounding Off: Austerity!

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