05 dec Yoga Mantra Workshop: Meaning and History – Sunday, July 27th, 2025, 10:30-12:00
Sunday, July 26th, 2025, 10:30-12:00
Have you ever wondered what the Sanskrit mantras we chant in Ashtanga literally mean? Would you like to learn more about their history in Sanskrit literature and in Hindu religion? Many of them have been used in other non-yoga contexts and have histories going back even to the R̥g Veda, the most ancient Sanskrit literature. In this fun workshop open to everyone we will talk about some of the most common mantras chanted, the opening and closing mantras, the Gayatri mantra, the Tryambaka mantra, and more. Come with any questions you have and feel free to ask about other mantras you have heard!
Dr. Carmen S. Spiers is Junior Professor of Sanskrit at Aix-Marseille University, and has studied Sanskrit for over twelve years with specialists in universities in the United States, France, India, and the Netherlands. She got her PhD in Sanskrit Studies in 2020 from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris and won a prize from the Sorbonne for her thesis. During and after her PhD, she lived in India for four years as a researcher at the French Institute of Pondicherry, before coming to Leiden University to lead a EU-funded research project (2023–25) on manuscripts of the Atharva Veda.
