Vedic Chanting is truly a "yoga of sound" and a universal and joyous form of meditation which opens the heart and brings support and equilibrium. Instead of learning to move your trunk and limbs as you do in yoga postures, you very gradually learn how to move your diaphragm, mouth, tongue and lips in order to produce harmonious sounds that influence your whole system in a very positive fashion. Because it uses only three notes, this kind of chanting is accessible to those who have never chanted or never thought they could chant. In the process of learning Vedic chanting, you also learn how to develop your listening skills.

Two levels of chanting instruction are offered at Upstate Yoga Institute:

An introductory class taught by Martine every other Tuesday from 7:15 to 8PM (see schedule for dates).This class can be joined at any time. All you need to do is contact us by e-mail ahead of time. 

And a monthly advanced class co-taught by Martine and Kerry (see schedule for dates). The pre-requirement for this class is some reasonable degree of familiarity with the basics of Vedic Chanting.
 
In both classes, the profound wisdom of the Veda is gently presented as new chants are introduced.

Teachers' background and qualifications : Martine and Kerry are experienced yoga teachers who were introduced to Vedic Chanting 25 years ago by their own teacher, Mary Louise Skelton. Since Mary Louise's passing, they have continued their chanting studies with eminent Vedic Chant teacher Sonia Nelson ( http://www.vedicchantcenter.org/ ). In 2004, Kerry and Martine were fortunate to spend two weeks in Chennai, India, studying chanting intensely with Sonia and her teacher, T. K. V. Desikachar. Kerry is a very accomplished musician and Martine is a linguist who has studied sanskrit.