Sacred Sound
An understanding of Sanskrit can deepen your practice and bring it alive in new ways, connecting you to the rich philosophical threads from which the yoga tradition is woven.
Studying Sanskrit can be a meditation in itself and helps to cultivate concentration. It is also fun!
Zoë Slatoff has studied Sanskrit for over 20 years, chanting and memorizing texts in India and studying grammar and philosophy at Columbia University. Her teaching combines the best elements of both methods. She is the author of Yogāvatāraṇam, a Sanskrit textbook for yoga students.
Zoë is the Clinical Professor of Sanskrit at Loyola Marymount University, where she teaches Sanskrit and Yoga Philosophy classes in the Yoga Studies M.A. Program. Read more about this wonderful immersive program (with both high and low residency options) here. Applications are now being accepted for Fall 2024.
Zoë also offers online Sanskrit courses through the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies - she is relaunching a new Level 1 on April 21st, now including live Zoom sessions, for those who want a more self-paced way to study. Additionally, she gives private lessons, both in person and via Zoom, and teaches workshops internationally. She is excited to be teaching a Yoga and Sanskrit retreat next summer with Jessica Greenfield in Portugal!
Listen to a podcast Zoë was on in conversation with Raj Balkaran, host of "New Books in Indian Religions" about her Sanskrit journey, beginning over 20 years ago when she left her engineering degree to go to India to study yoga. The discussion travels from how she first fell in love with the magical sounds of Sanskrit, to her evolving studies, to writing her textbook, to teaching online courses...
Please email for more information, or to schedule private lessons, or arrange a workshop at your shala.
