4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (UTC+5.5)
Chanting Teacher Training Program
Chanting Teacher Training Program
January 2024 – November 2024
Applications for 2024 now open!
The tradition of chanting 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.
Veda Studies and Indica Yoga are very happy to bring you this Teacher Training Certification Course to skill future teachers through a rigourous selection, training and preparation process which covers both mantras from the Veda as well as the Hindu daily prayer tradition.
Together with the graduates from our first Teacher Training group of 2022-2023, you will become part of a community of teachers that will continue to be supported after the training, through ongoing events and a platform to connect and engage.
Dear interested student,
Some highlights of this highly structured Teacher Training Course will be an immersion in the tradition I grew up in, watching my mother build a devotional chanting community, sharing my 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 and refinement in chanting, getting organised and skilled to lead chanting classes are some of the key elements of this training.
The intensive teacher training will run online from January 2024 to November 2024. The first information session was held on 18 March. Interested students can have full visibility into the program before applying. Please request a replay in case you weren’t present for this session.
I am very grateful to offer this in collaboration with INDICA Yoga and Center for Consciousness Studies and Inner Transformation (CCSIT) @ INDICA who bring the experience and expertise in the preservation and dissemination of Indic knowledge systems through authentic, immersive and transformative learning experiences.
This teacher training program is the first in a series of programs for Yoga teachers being developed by INDICA on Sanskrit, Vedanta, Textual Yoga, Ayurveda, Plant Based Diet etc, all of them in turn being modules of their soon to be launched Yogacharya program.
I hope you will be inspired by its content.
With gratitude,
Shantala Sriramaiah
Program content
The group will meet online twice a week (2 hours each) and one Saturday a month (2.5 hours). Each month we will have one week off to allow time to practice and integrate the teaching. There will be no classes in the months of April and August allowing space and time for students to assimilate the teachings.
All the dates are published along with the curriculum. In addition, we are honoured to invite two guest lecturers who will contribute to your learning. We will also provide access to the recordings of the guest lectures from the previous year.
- 08 contact hours of live online teaching
- 14 hours student presentations, Q&A sessions
- Two guest lectures (3 hours total):
Timings
Mondays & Wednesdays (4pm-6pm Brussels time)
3 weeks/month
+ 1 Saturday a month – 2 to 2.5 hours
April & August no classes.
Dates are published with curriculum
Student requirements
The program is intensive, and it is recommended that you be studying this program exclusively to benefit from it fully. Applicants who already have an established chanting practice and have studied successfully with Shantala are invited to apply.
- Applicants should have completed the Veda Studies Foundation Course.
- Proficiency in any two Sūktams as taught by Shantala.
- Svara competency – a high standard in maintaining svara will be an expectation. (Audio recording of any sūktam to be sent along with application)
- Mahāprāṇa sound proficiency.
- Knowledge of Veda chanting rules as taught in our lineage.
- Sanskrit basics – varṇamāla & basic sandhi.
- Discipline to practice independently and consistently.
The Challakere Brothers’ lineage of teaching invites practitioners to reflect upon one’s lifestyle for those who wish to seriously dedicate themselves to learning, teaching, and preserving the Veda. A vegetarian and alcohol-free lifestyle is therefore encouraged.
Program objectives
At the end of this program, students will:
- Be skilled to teach chanting practices, both from the Veda & from the daily prayer tradition in a South Indian lineage.
- Be grounded in theory – nomenclature of the Veda, Vedic texts and Indic knowledge systems.
- Understand all the chanting rules as presented in the treatises of Śīkṣā, with particular emphasis on Taittirīya Prātiśākhyā.
- Learn how to guide and lead chanting practices for groups & individuals honouring the Hindu tradition.
- Understand common mistakes made by students and practice identifying them and giving feedback in your study group.
- Understand and differentiate between Mantra, Sūktam, Praśnaḥ, Upaniṣat, Stotram, Śloka, Nāmāvali, Sūtra, Stuti etc.
- Appreciate the chanting level expected from a teacher and practice towards refinement and perfection.
 |
Blessings from The Challakere Brothers: “Greetings to everyone, I would like to congratulate Mrs. Shantala on launching the Indica – Veda Studies Teacher Training Program. I sincerely believe that this program will be of great value to those learning. Shantala is a diligent student and teacher of Veda. I wholeheartedly bless this program and wish that it may benefit all those who participate. May everyone be blessed.” |
Monthly Curriculum
Orientation programWelcoming session for participants
|
JanuaryInvocation, Qualities of a teacher
|
FebruaryKnowledge systems & vocabulary
|
MarchVedāṅga, Śīkṣā, Taittirīya prātiśākhyā
|
MAYBrāhmaṇa, Āraṇyaka, Upaniṣat
|
JuneMantras for peace
|
JulyChanting traditions & daily prayers
|
SeptemberJapa, festivals, Hindu calendar & deities
|
OctoberYoga & health in Veda
|
NovemberPresentations & closing
|
Course Fee
► €3900 one-time fee
► €1400 X 3 times
► €475 X 9 monthly payments
Indica and Veda Studies are offering a limited number of (partial) scholarships – you will have the opportunity to indicate your requirement in the application process.