Welcome to this five-session introduction to the Sanskrit alphabet.


Sound Was Danced Into Being

There was a moment — outside of time — when Lord Śiva, in the form of Naṭarāja, beat his ḍamaru drum fourteen times. From those fourteen beats, the Sanskrit alphabet was born. Sound became language. Language became the universe.

This five-week course is an invitation to enter that story — not as a student memorising letters, but as a practitioner coming home to something ancient that lives inside you already. It is a joy to share this technology with you. I hold these sacred sounds with deep respect, and I look forward to exploring them together.

We won't approach Sanskrit as an intellectual exercise. We'll learn through felt sense, sound, breath, and repetition — discovering the alphabet the way it was always meant to be discovered. In the body. In the breath. In the room between silence and sound.

By the end of five weeks you won't just know the Sanskrit alphabet. You'll feel where each sound originates, understand the mythological forces that shaped it, and be able to chant it as a complete, living practice. Five weeks is just the beginning — mastery of pronunciation and embodiment takes time. We start where we are, and we continue with patience and loving perseverance. It's a blessing to do this in good company, in satsang.


About learning with Rachel;

“I“Rachel is grounded, funny, warm, kind and wise. She has a special gift for bringing people together and creating a positive learning environment for different learning styles. I’ve really enjoyed the multifaceted approach to learning and engaging with yoga. Rachel creates space to experience the physical practice while also exploring how it impacts mind, body and soul.”


Anne, Executive Coach & Yoga teacher

“The decision to learn from Rachel was not a difficult one her reverence for the origins of this ancient practice and attention to Sanskrit pronunciation touched me deeply. Under Rachel’s guidance, I learned (amongst many, many other things!) the basics of Sanskrit pronunciation and Vedic chanting which has given me more confidence to chant mantra in my classes and share this knowledge with others. “

Deepika Mistry Yoga Teacher


"Rachel is a highly skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate yoga teacher and over the last 3 years has been a mentor and support to me through my own teaching path. Her training is delivered with heart and has given me the confidence to better understand the richness of yogic philosophy and how to bring it into my teachings. I have undertaken many training sessions with her, all which have helped me to deepen and embody my own personal practice with greater ease. ”

- Ruth Pirie Studio Owner

What you'll learn

Week 1 — Śiva & the Ḍamaru: The Origin Story We begin where it all started. Through the mythological story of Śiva as Naṭarāja, we explore how the Sanskrit alphabet was born from the beat of his drum. From there we drop into the body — discovering the five places of articulation, the physical origins of each sound in the mouth. This is the foundation everything else is built on.


Week 2 — The Mātṛkā: The Divine Mothers We meet the vowels — known as the mātṛkā, the divine mothers, and the domain of Śakti. We learn to chant the sixteen vowels, also understood as the sixteen phases of the moon and the sacred sounds of Viśuddhi cakra, the throat centre. Sound as feminine, lunar, and alive.


Week 3 — The Consonants: Śiva & the Power of the Breath The consonants are traditionally associated with Śiva, the divine masculine. This week we explore the consonant families, and learn about mahāprāṇa and alpaprāṇa — the quality and weight of breath that shapes each sound. Chanting is understood here as an active, purifying practice.


Week 4 — Semi-vowels & Sibilants We complete the alphabet, moving through the semi-vowels and sibilants — sounds that bridge and refine. We deepen our felt sense of how each sound lives in the body and begin to experience the alphabet as a whole.


Week 5 — Mantra Puruṣa: The Body as Sound We close with mantra puruṣa — an ancient practice of mapping the Sanskrit sounds onto the body. Each syllable finds its place. The alphabet is no longer just something we chant; it becomes something we inhabit.