Berrin shares that reciting mantras showed her how to turn prayer from words just uttered as an intellectual practice into actions for daily life.
By Sophia Ann French
Turkey-based Vedic Astrologer, Pilates/Yoga teacher and Veda chanting teacher, Berrin Boyar, discovered Indic spiritual practices while teaching English at a university in Izmir. She was introduced to Indic systems through yoga and initially practised it as physical exercise, but with time, she felt a deeper, more profound connection to the practice. “I was attracted to yoga more and more as I kept practising, and by the time I attended a Teacher Training, I felt deeply connected to the tradition. It was no longer just a physical exercise. My teacher at the time was a native of Turkey, but she had immense knowledge about Indian traditions. That informed my journey into these traditions,” says Berrin.
She started with yoga but says the turning point was when she discovered Jyotiṣa. “It was during the pandemic. I read a blog about an American Vedic astrologer and decided to reach out to her. She did my first reading and told me that this is what I’m supposed to do in my life. She recommended that I study Jyotiṣa as a remedial measure. She even told me I will meet my teacher soon. I recalled reading about the American astrologer Steven Highburger in the blog and looked at his website and details. I felt warmth in my heart as I browsed his site and decided to write to him to ask for details about the courses he offered. That is how my Jyotiṣa story began. The courses included Vedic psychology, and we studied the concept of manas (mind). He told us an effective way to work on our mind and our karma is through Vedic chanting,” recalls Berrin. This inspired her to seek a Vedic chanting teacher because, in addition to reading birth charts, she wanted to offer her clients remedial measures, such as chanting mantras. As fate would have it, a friend of Berrin’s from the Jyotiṣa community mentioned Veda Studies, and that brought Berrin to the Veda Studies community. She started attending community events, took the Foundation Course, studied longer sūktams, and recently graduated from the Indica Veda Studies Teacher Training Programme Level I (2025-2026).
Learning to Pray with Meaning
Berrin was born into a Muslim family in a conservative town in Turkey, so she is no stranger to prayers. She saw a parallel between studying Veda and her native prayers, and while she agrees both are beautiful, she felt deeply connected to the formal structure of Veda recitation. “In Turkey, we have really beautiful Arabic prayers, and I adore some of them, but there is no formal teaching. It is similar to reciting Vedic texts — a teacher chants and the student repeats, but there is no correction. We just memorise the prayer, and that’s it. My mother still recites Arabic prayers, and it works for her, which is beautiful, but I needed to know how to turn prayer into embodied, lived knowledge. I’m from an academic and teaching background, and I grasp concepts relatively quickly. Chanting reminded me that intellectual understanding and embodied learning are different things. I felt everyone around me had only an intellectual understanding of prayer; they didn’t embody the prayer. When I started my official training in Veda, I saw that it is really all about connection — first you learn the rules, then you practise by repeating and finally, embody the knowledge.
She loves that the mantras we study at Veda Studies are specifically selected with purpose and feels the benefits of chanting in her daily life. Elaborating on the benefits, Berrin says that, “I noticed there was a huge gap between my spiritual and material life. In fact, I started disliking my mundane life. I can’t remember who said this, but I was told I was chanting mantras that are not conducive to householder life. This makes sense to me now. When I followed the Veda Studies syllabus, especially during the TTC, I started to feel more grounded because all the texts we learned are for householders. I started to feel the difference. I can tell you now that there is no gap between my spiritual and material life. Reciting mantras is like drinking water or eating food; it is just part of my daily life.”
Learning to Teach
When Berrin started studying Veda, she adapted to the sounds quickly as she feels she has a good ear for sound, but learning correct svara was a challenge. “I had this misconception when I started that I don’t belong in this community. I made mistakes constantly and couldn’t correct them immediately, but I realise now that with enough practice, you can correct everything. The TTC is not for the faint-hearted. If you commit to such an intensive programme, make sure you have the right level of commitment, dedication, discipline and time. I always create time and energy to practise. The good news is, we have so many study buddies in the community who make the journey easier. One of the biggest benefits I received from this teacher training is personal transformation. I used to be quite self-conscious of how I sounded and whether I was doing things correctly. During the teacher training, something gradually shifted in me. I understand that chanting is not only about me. It’s not about performing or showing how well I can chant. I began to see it as a service. I believe it’s protective energy, like protective armour, and I feel it in my bones. I see everything from the perspective of Jyotiṣa. I know my birth chart, how fragile I am in body, mind and soul. I need some kind of protection, and I feel that I’m protected thanks to the mantras. I always want to be of service and chant for community and my family, because I don’t just pray for myself; I pray for everyone — all living things. I also want to express my gratitude to Veda Studies and Indica for granting me a partial scholarship to attend the TTC,” says Berrin.
She looks forward to sharing what she learned in the teacher training and already has a small community in Turkey. “I’m already teaching one-to-one sessions, but I would like to offer chanting to larger communities, because I’m the only person in Turkey now who can teach Veda chanting in a very structured way with respect for tradition. It feels like a huge responsibility, so I am starting with small groups, but I do want chanting to become a meaningful part of what I already do,” says Berrin.
To get in touch with Berrin, email her at [email protected]