YogaLingo is the fast and fun way to learn Sanskrit for Yoga. The YogaLingo App is not an App to teach yoga – there is no App for that! It is however a fun training App to help you memorise the Sanskrit names for yoga poses. Available for download on the Apple App Store, YogaLingo is a great resource for yoga students, trainee teachers and teacher trainers alike. Whilst it is currently only available on Apple devices, the App will be available for Android devices in future. There’s a free version of the YogaLingo App with all the functionality so that you can try it out before committing to buying the premium version with all the content.
In the Basics section, you’ll learn the key terms and phrases that are frequently used in the names of Yoga Poses. Play with the interactive flashcards to deepen your knowledge of the featured 140 yoga poses and then hundreds of questions and learning games await you in the Practice section. A great feature of the flashcards is the search function so that you can search for the pose that’s best for a bad back or not so good for sore knees. When you’re ready, you can test your knowledge to find out how far you’ve come on your learning journey and you can also set your own personal learning goals in the Profile section. Feel free to then share your results with your teacher trainer and your friends on the course so that they can see how far you have come!
So why is there a need for an App like YogaLingo and why do we need to learn the Sanskrit names for yoga poses at all?
Yogamatters found out more in conversation with the creators of YogaLingo, Veronique Gauthier-Simmons and Peter Simmons.
So how did the desire to create this App come about?
Peter: Besides being a yoga teacher, Veronique has also been an online learning designer for the past 10 years and has recently worked as a freelance contractor for clients like Google and the Financial Times. I have a background in IT project management. We wanted to combine our skills to work together on a joint venture – and when we discussed the vision of YogaLingo, we knew immediately that this was the right thing.
Veronique: I’ve always had a passion for languages and when I did my first yoga teacher training, I was excited to be learning Sanskrit, the language of yoga. I made myself some flashcards with the poses and Sanskrit names on to aid my learning and when the other students saw them, they all wanted some too. The App is a more sophisticated version of those original flashcards. Although there are apps where you can read the Sanskrit name of the yoga poses , there is no app to help you memorise them. YogaLingo is a training app and we both wanted to make learning Sanskrit fun and effective.
Peter and Veronique
Why is Sanskrit important? Why do we need the Sanskrit words at all?
Peter: I first came across Sanskrit in my 20s in India when the enlightenment teachings I was fascinated with intertwined with yogic teachings. Sanskrit is an integral part of yoga tradition. If you want to take your yoga beyond a physical practice, then the knowledge of Sanskrit can take you deeper into the spiritual word that underpins yoga.
Veronique: To learn about any ancient culture, it’s important to have a grasp of the language of that culture. Yoga is so strongly linked to Sanskrit. Even if the app only teaches the Sanskrit names of yoga poses -and not Sanskrit in general- learning these Sanskrit words is a way to open up to this cultural heritage. Also, each sound in Sanskrit has a specific energetic effect on the body and I believe that to gain the full experience of a pose, you need to experience the resonance of the Sanskrit word for the pose.
Finally, what excites you about the YogaLingo App?
Veronique: I know I would have benefitted from an App like this when I was training as a yoga teacher and I wish I had been able to offer it back then to all those students who wanted to borrow my flashcards! Seriously though, I’m so excited that this App may ignite a passion for Sanskrit in yoga students and teachers alike and may unlock the secrets of the asana hidden within this beautiful, ancient language.
Peter: Yes, over time, we’re planning to publish blogs about specific poses, so that students can dive deeper into the pose through a more in-depth analysis of the Sanskrit name of the pose. For me, this App is simply a tool, a great tool, a specific tool for a specific audience with a specific learning application. I think this is the right time to be launching such an App as there’s a growing realisation in the yoga community of the importance of this sacred language. We’re excited about adding further content to the App too as time goes on eg. helping the students learn the chants that are frequently part of yoga classes or adding additional information about Mudras etc.
So watch this space….and happy learning!
This blog post was first published on September 10th on https://www.yogamatters.com/blog/exciting-new-yogalingo-app/