Many students attending my classes for the first time have asked me this question. My answer is simple: quoting a Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, "Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self." (Bhagavad Gita 6.20-23).
But What Does This Mean in Practice?
During my first years of yoga in London and later in Paris, as I was slowly discovering this incredible discipline—without yet realising the profound impact it would have on my life—I often attended classes in beautiful, stylish studios in the city centre
Teachers frequently played playlists that varied from rock to pop, and occasionally, a Westernised version of a mantra. I often found myself humming along to familiar tunes in my head, and it felt like a very complete experience.
From Music to Silence
Years later, when I started my first yoga teacher training in India, Rishikesh, I began practicing in silence—or rather, without music. Instead, I was surrounded by the sounds of nature, children running in the streets, and tuk-tuks passing by.
There was only the teacher’s voice, guiding us through the poses, techniques, and my breath. Apart from that, there was my mind, filled with thoughts floating and appearing.
At first, I didn’t know how to quiet my mind and find my anchor in all that silence, filled with thoughts. I had to find it within myself.
And so, day after day, practice after practice, I focused on my breath, the sensations in my body, the discomfort of a pose, or the pleasure of stretching. It no longer mattered what was happening outside—not even if a fly hovered around my face for what felt like an eternity—because I had found the tools to concentrate inward rather than outward.
A New Awareness
Humming along to the music during yoga classes had certainly helped time pass more quickly. But I realised that this is not the purpose of the practice.
The journey is what matters, not the destination.
With every movement, every conscious breath, we discover ourselves. We remove, one by one, the veils of the ego and get a little closer to our true essence—Ātman in yoga.
I must admit that even today, after years of practice, there are moments when my mind wanders. But I am aware that I have everything I need within me.
A More Conscious Practice
Coming back to the present, when students, after asking me why I practice without music, tell me that, for the first time, they were able to enter a deeper state of awareness—almost as if they were meditating— I understand that this is exactly what I want to share.
Even though music is an essential part of my life, I choose to let it rest honourably outside my āsana and prāṇāyāma practice, allowing the voice of my inner self to speak.
My name is Sara. I am a yoga teacher, singer and devotional musician. I offer yoga classes and workshops, mantra chanting circles (kirtan) and retreats to create an holistic and unique experience.
Certified Yoga Alliance Teacher RYT 500h,ERYT® 200h and Continuing Education Provider YACEP
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