Yoga for Speech-Language Development

Yoga for Motor Planning for Speech 87

(Restak and Grubin 2001). Additional research is needed to define
the relationship between Broca’s area and developmental processes
involving motor planning for speech (Love 2000).
In order to produce smooth, connected speech, the brain
needs to plan the movements of the various articulators, such
as the jaw, lips, and tongue. Over the course of motor speech
development, children produce increasingly complex syllabic
structures. Although this developmental sequence varies among
children, the typical pattern of syllabic structures in order of
emergence, where “C” represents “consonant” and “V” represents
“vowel,” is: V, CV, VC, CVC, CVCV, and CVCVC (Bleile 2004).
Numerous yogic chants contain these syllabic structures and
provide an opportunity to practice the sequencing of sounds.
Due to yoga’s geographic roots in India, most yogic chants
are written and recited in Sanskrit, an ancient, classical, literary
language of the country. Table 6.1 presents some common yoga
chants appropriate for children, along with their syllabic structures
and meanings.

Table 6.1 Common yoga Sanskrit chants, their syllabic structure, and meanings

Sanskrit

chant

Syllabic

structure

Meaning

Sa ta na ma CV “Sa” means infinity, “ta” means life, “na”

means death, and “ma” means rebirth.

Jai ma CV “Jai” means “victory,” and

“ma” means “mother.”

Om VC “Om,” also written “aum,”

is the universal sound.

Lam vam

ram

yam ham

CVC The bija, or “seed” mantras,

correspond to the chakras, or

energy centers in the body.

Sat nam CVC “Sat” means “truth,” and

“nam” means “name.”

cont.