By Harmke, The Netherlands
Table of Contents
Introduction
I had never expected to rediscover my voice, to experience more freedom in self-expression and to discover myself more deeply. But chanting Sanskrit every day, on a rooftop in South India, with the sun blazing overhead and the city humming below, did something I couldn’t put into words… until now.
What began with the first steps in chanting, unfolded into a journey of personal growth, without the need to push or perform.
It was a hot summer, we were sweating on the top floor, but that did not matter. My heart was beating from an enthusiasm of learning to chant powerful Sanskrit chants.
We had begun with fifty-one Sutras of Sage Patanjali (the first chapter, Samadhi Paada), focusing on precision in pronunciation and rhythm. Each day, I could feel the energy of the chant more clearly; it felt like I was connecting with something infinite.
While a subtleness inside me was evolving, on the outside I wasn’t ready to let my voice be fully heard. I knew I had to go through this unease, and that is where the opening began.
From shyness to trust: opening up to my voice
In the beginning, I was quite shy about chanting alone. Sitting in front of the group and letting my voice be heard felt uncomfortable. But at the same time I wanted to move through that discomfort, so I persisted.
As the days passed and we practised the Sutras, I started to notice that each time I had to chant alone, fear would rise. But with conscious attention, I could stop the worry and allow my voice to be heard. Eventually I opened up, and began to share my voice, full of aliveness.
Chanting gave me a way to express myself openly. Where once there was insecurity, ease began to emerge. And this personal growth didn’t stay limited to the practice. It began to ripple out into daily life.
I found myself listening more, even while speaking. I became more present with others. And the root of it all was this change that chanting helped uncover: I started trusting myself.
Because chanting brings you in touch with who you truly are. You start to recognise your own vibration, beyond your name, your appearance, or the roles you play.
Your inner knowing gets discovered through breath and sound.
I remember one of my first experiences chanting in a group. I told my teachers I found it awful. “Is this really chanting?” I asked. It did not sound like music, it was not beautiful.
When it stops ‘sounding nice’, it starts to feel true
Once I dropped expectations about melody or pitch, something changed. It was no longer about sounding right.
Later on it appeared to me that the more you let go, when expressing from within, the more beautiful and authentic the chant feels.
Try it for yourself. Let go of how it “should” sound. Be with your own sound and let it unfold. That is when the magic begins.
A simple practice with sound and breath
As I found more freedom in expressing my voice, I also became aware of what carries that voice: the breath.
Chanting in Sanskrit also works as a form of Pranayama. With every exhalation, the breath is pushed out and simultaneously, vibration moves through all the cells. The inhalations become deep, subtle and continuous.
You can try it for a moment:
Sit comfortably, with a straight spine but not stiff.
Inhale through the nose, letting your belly expand.
As you exhale, chant Om, steady and unforced. Let the exhalation carry the sound.
Stay aware of the whole body, without tensions. The mind is not distracted by anything other than the sound and the breath.
After a few rounds, stay in presence and simply sit.
The aliveness and openness that chanting brings in the energy field creates space for Prana (life energy) to flow freely, and blockages can be cleared. But it will only happen when you breathe and chant from the core.
And while this opening in energy is very subtle, I felt it in my body too.
A different kind of speech therapy
At one point in my life, I was given exercises by my speech therapist to help correct the position of my teeth. These exercises were meant to retrain how my mouth functioned and gradually bring the teeth into alignment.
They helped to some extent. But after being introduced to the alphabet of Sanskrit sounds, I discovered a great benefit. Next to being a preparation for mantras, it was a kind of speech therapy in itself.
The Sanskrit alphabet carries a holistic approach to pronunciation. It helps the vibration to enter the system in a precise way. “A – I – KSA – TRA – GNJA” are just a few examples, from basic vowels to composite syllables.
Reciting these sounds correctly engages the whole vocal system, something I had never experienced in Western languages. With Sanskrit, sound is produced with awareness of the placement of the tongue, shape of the lips, the involvement of the throat, chest and belly.
When you learn from a chanting teacher who is native and precise in their guidance, it can have a deeply therapeutic effect, not only on your speech but on your whole being.
The whole body will start to vibrate
When chanting happens in a holistic way, the experience begins to change. All the cells in the body start to align with the vibration of sound. Because of that alignment, the body no longer feels like ‘my body’. It doesn’t feel separate from what is ‘outside’.
Next to this spiritual impact, there are important health benefits. This coherent functioning in the physicality allows the nervous and hormonal systems to find balance, and toxins are naturally released.
At that time I used to chant every morning for about twenty minutes. I started to feel the effects: my digestion improved, my belly felt more relaxed, and emotionally I became more stable. Having a consistent practice really helps, especially during Yoga Teacher Training Courses at Yoga Gita Ashram, where we chanted together for an hour a day.
The key to sacred vibrations
One very important hint our chanting teacher Sandhya gave us stayed with me:
“It’s all about you Being with what is.”
When you chant, are you there, fully present and pleasant?
A constant awareness connects you with the divinity of the creation.
That is the power of chanting when done with full presence.
Concluding words
Chanting didn’t change me overnight. It opened up a space through breath, vibration, and silence, where I could meet myself more fully.
When approached with awareness, chanting supports health, the state of mind and personal growth. It’s a valuable practice, open to anyone, wherever they are in life.
May chanting reveal its own magic to you too, perhaps in ways beyond what I experienced.
Curious to explore chanting with my teacher Sandhya for yourself? You will find upcoming online sessions and courses on the chanting page.
About the author
Harmke is a writer, photographer, and coach in conscious living, connecting her background in Psychology and Learning & Development to Yoga. Through her reflections, she shares Yogic methods, insights or understandings to inspire self-discovery and connect with the true Self. She is dedicated to serving the mission and vision of the Yoga Gita Ashram, under the guidance of Sage ViGo.
