Some example study tracks
based on your goals
If you are new to Veda Studies, you may have questions about where to start or what your best individual study path would be. Shantala knows from years of experience that basically everyone should start at the Foundation Level to learn all accurate details and Vedic phonetics. Even those with an extensive background in Vedic Chanting are highly recommended to begin at this level because this helps align to the teaching in our lineage and method. On the following tabs you can learn more about the Foundation Study Path, the Rudram Study Path and the Teacher Training Study Path.
To study Vedic Chanting, it is of paramount importance for students to follow the correct study path. Without the proper groundwork, intermediate or advanced courses won’t be enjoyable nor effective. Also, Shantala will not be able to explain foundation-level knowledge during higher level classes. Neither would she be able to give personal feedback. On the following tabs you can read more about the Foundation Study Path, which forms the basis for every student who wants to learn Vedic Chanting. Yet, here at Veda Studies you can also enjoy learning non-Vedic chanting.
Whether you are at the Foundation level or have already completed the Teacher Training, Veda Studies offers several self-paced courses and live online programs that are available to everyone. Several of them are totally free and come with your free Veda Studies membership (no strings attached).
The (near) weekly Community Events brings people from all over the world together for a 45-60 minutes session on a variety of topics. The Practice Practicalities are held about once per month and dive into specific practical matters of studying Vedic Chanting. Finally, throughout the year Shantala starts multiple longer courses about which you may want to have a bit more information before signing up. The course info sessions are not just a Q&A meeting, but Shantala will also give an actual look into the course and the chanting objectives. Therefore they are interesting for everyone. She will also explain the pre-requisite coursework that you need to enrol.
The self-paced Gāyatrī Upāsana Course is also available for everyone, including total beginners. If you purchase the self-paced course you will be automatically invited for the free 20 minutes practice sessions that are held multiple times per week by Shantala or one of her team. Since they are in different time, there will hopefully be at least one session that works for you.
All students are required to take beginner’s level courses, even those with (extensive) chanting experience. These 4 courses align students to the tradition & method of teaching in our lineage. Especially those who have studied chanting extensively before are recommended to take the Live Foundation course to receive personal feedback on their practice.
The learning path starts with the free Vedic Chanting Introduction Course, which is available to everyone in their Veda Studies account. The next step is the Veda Chanting Essentials course. From here you can continue with self-paced study by following the Vedic Chanting Foundation Course and the Invocatory Prayers Course. Be aware that the self-paced study path does not include personal feedback by Shantala.
Students who want personal feedback on their chanting progress, should follow the live-taught Vedic Chanting Foundation Course. This 6-weeks course takes place during a weekly 1h15 Zoom meeting. All sessions are recorded and you will get unlimited access. So, if you miss a class you can always catch up. Many have done so in the past, especially those living in unfavourable time zones (East and Southeast Asia & Australia / New Zealand).
The online live course includes access to the three self-paced coursed: Vedic Chanting Essentials, Invocatory Prayers, and Vedic Chanting Foundation. It also includes membership to the online Foundation group, so you can exchange ideas and experiences with fellow students. Please check out the events calendar page for the first upcoming live Vedic Chanting Foundation Course, or the on the course overview page for the self-paced equivalent.
The Foundation Study Path takes normally 6 to 8 weeks.
Many students would like to study in the year-long Śrī Rudrapraśnaḥ course with Shantala to learn to chant the most famous mantra & prayer to Lord Śiva or Rudra. Considered the most important sādhana a yogī can undertake, it provides the means for gaining eligibility for the knowledge unfolded by the mantra, revealing the truth of oneself. This hymn is considered to be very efficacious in neutralising the result of wrong actions.
Śrī Rudrapraśnaḥ consists of eleven sub-divisions called anuvāka-s. This hymn is a source of inspiration for the famous genre of nāmāvalis (name mantras). Even in the Vedas, one does not see a section like Śrī Rudram consisting of many names of the divine along with the word, namaḥ, salutation. The famous five-syllabled mantra namaśśivāya, is from this great hymn.
To study in this program, it is essential students have gone through the Foundation level and have received personal feedback from Shantala during the Live Vedic Chanting Foundation Course or after following the self-paced Vedic Chanting Foundation course. Also, students are required to know two Sūktams, have the ability to maintain svara, and have familiarity of some chanting rules.
Having finished the Foundation Level, and having learned two sūktams, completing the full Rudram Study Path takes about 1,5 years: 1 year for the Śrī Rudrapraśnaḥ course and half a year for the Camakapraśnaḥ course.
The tradition of chanting sacred texts has been passed down through Śruti Parampara over millennia in India. To this day it continues to be a profound practice of expressing devotion, learning and imbibing the teachings of ancient scriptures and an integral part of ritual, meditation and contemplation.
In 2022 Shantala started her first time 9-months Teacher Training Certification Course to skill future teachers through a rigourous selection, training and preparation process that covers both mantras from the Veda as well as the Hindu daily prayer tradition. Clearly the program is not meant for everyone and requires substantial study. It is intensive and recommended that you be studying this program exclusively to benefit from it fully. Therefore, only applicants who already have an established chanting practice are invited to apply.
Some highlights of this highly structured program will be an immersion in the tradition Shantala grew up in, watching her mother build a devotional chanting community, sharing her experience studying with The Challakere Brothers – insights, practices, being, committing, practicing & the continuous study. Learning to teach mantras from both the Veda as well as the daily prayer Hindu tradition in South India, a strong focus on theory, memorisation & refinement in chanting, getting organised and skilled to lead chanting classes are some of the key elements of this training.
Program participants are admitted to an online community of current and past students on the Veda Studies platform. They will support each other during and after the training through ongoing events, connection and engagement. The first upcoming program will run in 2024 in three 3-months periods (Jan-Mar, May-Jul, and Sep-Nov).
Completing the Teacher Training takes time. Besides all the pre-required coursework, you must have a serious practice and the propensity to become a chanting teacher. Therefore, there are no shortcuts and you must have a minimal of 1 year daily practice before you can start the program. Everyone is required to send in one or more recordings for review before enrolment into the program.
Always begin with Foundation
Even if you have previous experience in chanting, if you have not studied in our lineage, it is a great way to align and learn our method of recitation.
Join all our free community events
We offer several ways to get to know our lineage and practice without having to sign up for a course. Join our community practice events or one of the many information sessions being held on our practices.
