The Devil is in the Details ~

I've just come back from a two day Sanskrit workshop with one of the coutry's foremost scholars of Sanskrit and Eastern Studies, Nicloai Bachman.  You can check him out on sanskritsounds.com.  Oh and he is also an Ayurvedic expert.  It was very very cool.  I met some great people who are working on their yoga teacher training.  I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who travels across the country to train - shout out to Kori from Seattle. 

I learned how to read and write in Sanskrit - I've had some experience with it already but this 12 hour workshop really wrapped things up for me.  More ways than one - it officially put me over the top for hours on my RYT 500!!!!  Sooo excited yet sooo much to learn.  I am really looking forward to teaching more, getting in front of all you yogis and yoginis and sharing all the good stuff I learnt.

I had my mala beads - not to be confused with my mala beads.  Unfortunately I don't have the font on this blog to accurately mark the vowels as long and long.  But know this- if you say phoenitically maaahlaaah beads - you are good to go.  Prayer beads.  If you say mala (short a's) you are saying human waste beads.  What ?  Human waste?  Yes - sweat, urine, poops, anything having to do with apana vayu - downward bodily excretions- -OK enough of that. 

So much of the language has been tweaked in the western society - and unknowingly in some cases completely changing the meaning of many things.  Its refreshing to have a source such as Nicolai to not only correct, but to explain in unquestioning detail why it is that way.  Fascinating.

Last one before I go.  And this one really gets people fired up and defensive - the energy centers are pronounced Chakra - not pronounced Shakra.  Period.  Cha like Chocolate.  Not Sha like Shakira.  You will get resisitance on this but stand your ground !  I had someone once put her hands on her hips and give me the side to side head shake - "Oh no - it depends on what part of India you are from!"  No - not true.  Its just plain wrong.  And by the way - we call it India - people who live there refer to their country as Mahabharata.

 Namaste !
Shanti Shanti Shanti