Bonjour! Comment allez-vous?

Bonjour, comment allez-vous ? C’est un plaisir de vous retrouver via ma newsletter…

Thanks for hopping over to my latest Blog…I’ve just sent out my newsletter with that opening…

It’s OK, if you’re not fluent in French, you can relax. Google translate came to my rescue…

Imagine travelling in France, and you said Mer but you meant Mère or even Maire…

I’d love to (re)ignite your curiosity or even excitement about healing chant. But also educate everyone about the importance of correct pronunciation, and why that matters…

Imagine me, travelling in France, only knowing a smattering of the language (think chips, coffee, wine, beer and cheese…OR on the ski slopes ATTENTION Monsieur!!)

Imagine me saying Mer but I meant Mère or perhaps even Maire? I could have ended up in a very weird situation…Can you give me directions to the sea – versus directions to the mother or even the mayor…

Which leads me on perfectly to why pronunciation matters in Sanskrit healing chant. You just can’t make it up…no really!

When we learn a chant (or hear a sung version of a mantra rather than traditional, simple chanting), it is normal to mis-pronounce it. We don’t know what we don’t know after all.

Some people think it doesn’t matter. That if we are filled with positive, loving intention that will suffice.

Sort of. But not really.

Intention is SO important in our chanting – it focuses the mind, and creates an alchemy of chant, sound, mind, and heart…leading to a healing resonance. However, if you are mis-pronouncing the sounds (words) you could, instead of chanting to the Divine Mother (Mère) you could be petitioning the Maire…Oops!

Yes, you’re allowed to giggle at that!

Learning directly from a teacher, whether that’s in a group or on a one-to-one basis means you have the opportunity to firstly hear it correctly, then through “Call & Response” repeat it. The teacher will hear things you usually can’t (although with more practise it’s easier to self-correct).

I’ve just finished a private chant lesson with someone. They learnt a chant with another teacher and had the “bones” of it really well. I think the teaching was in a group workshop setting, without the opportunity to refine. This includes pitch, pronunciation of certain sounds, and the ‘maha’ prana where we aspirate a sound. All these nuances change the meaning, resonance and healing potential within a mantra.

We all make mistakes in chanting – and we are forgiven.
That’s quite normal when learning anything new.

Chanting is like asana for the mouth; just as we have the physical postures in yoga, so we have these physical shapes in the mouth when pronouncing the Sanskrit sounds. It makes it a real workout for the tongue, jaw, and mouth muscles!

Do you want to be blessed by the Divine Mother…or the mayor?

As a chant teacher (both Vedic and non-Vedic*) my priority is to open the door to people who are curious about chant, perhaps needing healing or spiritual connection, and in a relaxed, easy way inspire within them a LOVE of chant. We learn the words (sounds), melody and rhythm first. The refinements gradually get introduced later on. Sure Sanskrit chant can be a challenge (particularly if, like me, you just didn’t ‘get’ languages at school), but honestly, if I can learn it, anyone can.

WHY did I decide to write this Blog? Because I keep coming across people who say blithely “oh it doesn’t matter about pronunciation.” Or, “my intention is all that matters.” Try being in an orchestra and doing your own thing…the symphony might sound a bit off…

To reassure you…it’s normal to mis-pronounce things. It’s normal to get the melody wrong, or the rhythm – and we are forgiven. The JOY though, of practicing, of feeling it slot into place, to know you’ve got it right is so rewarding. Not to mention ALL the healing benefits chant brings us.

Chant is ancient, sacred, and holds a healing resonance available to absolutely everybody. No religious or spiritual belief is needed. You can chant out loud, quietly, silently…it all works.

So, may you be Blessed by the Divine Mother, the sea (Ocean) but…maybe not the mayor?

Happy chanting folks!

CURIOUS? I have some classes and workshops coming up where you can dip a toe…Latest offerings are HERE

(** Vedic chant is the original Sanskrit chant – said to have no human authorship, where there is precision and 6 rules to follow. Non-Vedic chants are later ‘evolutions’; you don’t have to follow the rules, but you do have to still pronounce things correctly!)