Personal & community | Veda Studies

Learning to Swim in the Middle of the Ocean — With Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian (Umaji)

by Sophia French | Jul 21, 2026 | Personal & community

Umaji studied Veda formally after chanting and teaching mantras for years, but she loves the experience of unlearning and relearning. She tells Veda Studies how the ancient poets of India got her interested in Sanskrit grammar and prosody. By Sophia Ann French...

Understanding a Living Tradition — with Thanahlakshmi Krishnan

by Sophia French | Jun 16, 2026 | Personal & community

Thanahlakshmi feels that even though she was born into the Hindu tradition, she only realised the spirit of self-enquiry when she started studying Veda. By Sophia Ann French Thanahlakshmi Krishnan was born in Singapore, studied in Australia, and works in HR...

The Eloquence of Silence — With Nicola Durvasula

by Sophia French | Jun 2, 2026 | Personal & community, Veda Studies Teacher Community

PHOTO credit: Kirti Kumari (Nicola’s profile picture above) In exploring sound and Indic philosophy through art and music, Nicola discovered an underlying silence, and in that quietude, she found the essence of spirituality. By Sophia Ann French Nicola teaches a...

The Creative Intelligence of Veda — With Graziella Schazad

by Sophia French | May 20, 2026 | Personal & community, Veda Studies Teacher Community

Reciting mantras showed Graziella the difference between how perfection is defined in music and the perfection required for reciting Veda. By Sophia Ann French Germany-based Graziella Schazad is a multi-instrumentalist, performing artist and workshop facilitator...

The Brazilian Desī — With Sasha Alano

by Sophia French | May 11, 2026 | Personal & community, Veda Studies Teacher Community

Sasha has been studying Indic Knowledge Systems since she was 16 years old and feels that studying Veda is finally integrating all her knowledge and tying it together. By Sophia Ann French “I’ve been in love with India ever since the day I stepped into India...

Continuing Sādhanā – Guest Lectures for our Teacher Community

by Shantala Sriramaiah | May 8, 2026 | Guest Lectures, Personal & community, Veda Studies Teacher Community

In our tradition, the path of a teacher is also the path of a student. The Taittirīya Upaniṣad pairs the two as a single obligation: svādhyāya-pravacanābhyāṁ na pramaditavyam, do not neglect study and teaching. Neither one closes once the other has begun. To teach...