27/04/2025
Song of the Soul
Back in the 2000s, I worked as a teacher’s assistant at the Anglo-American School. It was a primary school, and one day a second-grade pupil, having found out that I practised yoga, began teasing me. He sat down cross-legged in the middle of the classroom, effortlessly folded his legs into lotus position, placed his fingers in mudras on his knees, closed his eyes, and began chanting “Om”.
I stood there frozen with amazement — how could an eight-year-old boy know all this?
I asked him, “What are you singing? Where did you see this? What does this sound mean?”
Without hesitation, he answered, “I just know how to do it, and I know that the sound ‘Om’ is the Song of the Soul!” He said “song” — just like that.
I was deeply moved. It felt like a revelation: our souls carry memories from past lives, especially if we have practised before…
Mantras are divine vibrations, received by the Indian sages (rishis) thousands of years ago during deep meditation. They were considered not man-made, but rather heard — revealed to the sages. That is why mantras are also called śruti (Sanskrit) — meaning “that which was heard”.
In Ashtanga Yoga, we chant two mantras — at the beginning and end of each practice — offering praise and gratitude to the lineage of Teachers, wishing well-being, prosperity to all living beings, and harmony and peace throughout the Universe.
My classes take place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:00 at Escola da Felicidade (Funchal).
You can sign up via the link https://wa.me/351922210120
Come and join us — and let us sing these mantras together!
