My teacher, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati spoke often in his yogic lectures about what he called ‘the play between the point and the zero.’ He would draw a circle on the large chalk board to represent the zero and then he’d place in the very center of the circle, a point. In those early years, I […]
Nadam
Good Sanskrit Pronunciation vs. Chanting from Your Heart
Good Sanskrit Pronunciation vs Chanting from Your Heart Questioner: Dear Manorama, We met in January 2015, for a Sanskrit workshop. I am teaching an “introduction to yoga” class in which I talk about mudras and mantras. I have two people who were afraid to chant mantra because they were told it is dangerous if you […]
Manorama: So What Actually Is Prana?
Prana means breath, life force, energy, and soul. But to truly understand prana requires that we make some clear distinctions. Prana: Sanskrit & Its Yogic Origins The word prana derives from: Sanskrit Prefix Sanskrit Root Pra √an Pra as a prefix to verbs means: forward, onward Pra as a prefix to nouns: intensifies the root, […]
Where is Your Energy?
You are beautiful. You are powerful. You are free. You are a Luminous Soul. ~ Manorama Once when I was working with a private student in NYC I noticed that she was talking non-stop and her eyes were darting here and there. Her energy was wild. What I mean by wild is that she engaged her […]
The Vibrational World of Sanskrit
There are many amazing things about Sanskrit. One beautiful aspect of the language is how many of her sounds are what is called soft. Hard and soft refer to how much a sound vibrates. When a sound is hard the vocal cords come together and release producing a less resonant sound. In a soft sound, […]
Learn How to Fight the Good Fight
Many students ask me, “How can I work with Mantra Yoga and Nadam in my practice?” Mantra Yoga and Nadam is such a vast, huge, rich subject. It is the means to learn about the mystical sound of silence that resides within you. “Stay engaged and do something.” ~ Manorama This first principle from the […]
Nadam: Mystical Sound of Light
Rishis of old, speak of the mystical sound that lies within every manifest being. In Sanskrit, this sound is called OM or Nadam. It is the sound of silence and is linked with pulsation, light and essential rhythm. A yogi-in-training must practice listening to this inner sound during meditation, in order to develop his/her practice […]