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As a Miami native, my first language is literally Spanglish. My household was Spanish-speaking once I was growing up, and my education, entertainment, and public spheres were English-speaking. This twofold speaking—and pondering—isn’t unusual, but it might probably include a certain variety of challenges. It’s not a lot a language barrier per se, but language confusion. Aunque Spanglish es real.  

For instance, I could be combating pondering of a word in a single language while speaking in one other, and resort to code switching. That is la práctica of jumping from Spanish to English and back to Spanish, dependiendo on what word best expresses what I would like to say.

There are other considerations, just like the simultaneous translation in my mind of two languages so as to be sure I’m saying exactly what I intend to say. There’s also word coinage, which is inventing a recent word that isn’t Spanish or English but is a derivative that morphs the 2. For instance, there isn’t any common word in Spanish for “clicking” on a button in your computer mouse or phone. In Spanish, you’ll be able to conjugate a word right into a verb by adding three letters at the top. So in Spanglish, we make the English word “click” right into a verb and say clickear (pronounced cleek-eh-ar). Speaking in Spanglish is fun and freeing and in addition difficult.

The Advantages of Teaching Yoga in Spanglish

Spanglish as a primary language could make things interesting within the context of teaching yoga. After I opened my yoga studio in 2005, I taught in English. It never occurred to me to show in one other language because I hadn’t experienced that. Then I saw a few of my Spanish-speaking students looking around at other students as a substitute of following my direction. This prompted me to include Spanglish into my classes.

As I started to translate the poses and directions, increasingly more Spanish-dominant students began coming to the studio, aware that we were a bilingual staff willing to adapt to their needs. Their faces would light up at being included and given the advantages of yoga in a more accessible and intuitive way. Since yoga isn’t a typical resource for those whose first language is Spanish by way of exercise, philosophy, or rest, with the ability to hear it in their very own language makes it more familiar and easier to understand.

In 2007, I led my first yoga teacher training. I noticed that a few of the text and dense terms used to elucidate complicated concepts in English created an extra barrier for my Latin American students, who appeared to struggle to grasp yoga philosophy, and I put numerous thought into translating these words.

Although this challenged my capability for explaining the philosophy of yoga in Spanish, the scholars resonated deeply with the essence of the teachings, helping me understand that no matter our external differences, all humans can profit from the identical universal teachings. For this reason deeper understanding, connection, and inner similarities, the scholars in my class—whether English or Spanish speaking—all appeared to experience a way of belonging.

After 24 years of teaching this fashion, I still sometimes feel stuck because I’m not as fluent as my ego thinks I ought to be. Nonetheless, I’ve come to see Spanglish as a blessing. It gives me the liberty to precise who I actually am, because I’m drawing on each worlds as a bridge of familiarity and luxury. I thrive and feel welcomed right into a family where I routinely slot in. And I can create those opportunities for connections for my students, too, just by virtue of embracing my very own Spanglish-ness.

One other vital profit to a multilingual class is that it naturally opens the mind and generates focus because the words and expresiones used are unexpected and spontaneous. ¿Ves lo que pasa in your brain cuando algo is different? For many who don’t understand Spanish, taking a category where the teacher sometimes cues in Spanish requires the usage of contextual clues to figure things out. Although the flow between the languages and the poses happens pretty easily for the coed, the teacher, then again, is juggling internally between three languages (don’t forget Sanskrit) and it takes numerous effort for the transitions to be seamless in execution. It will probably also help people who find themselves recent to a language accept and perhaps even embrace it more, just by being exposed to it. It creates an intimate and private experience.

For instance, many English-dominant students have told me they like these classes because they’ll learn Spanish while doing an activity. It takes the pressure off but in addition makes it more divertido. And for many who fluently speak and understand the language, they feel grounded of their roots and capable of cultivate a deeper reference to yoga—even when there’s some Sanskrit thrown in there, too, for good measure.

The studio becomes an unintentional multicultural meeting point for many who otherwise wouldn’t are available contact with one another. Sometimes once I teach a difficult inversion, reminiscent of Handstand, I turn the category right into a workshop and partner students with each other in order that they could connect in a way that wasn’t sure by language or culture. They laugh, open up and support one another. Through yoga, we are able to all find a typical language.

The Challenge of Supporting Yoga in Spanglish

Unfortunately, the marketplace for yoga in Spanglish doesn’t seem very big immediately–despite my anecdotal experience. After so a few years of observing this industry, I actually have noticed that yoga studios and types don’t appear to see the financial value in supporting yoga in any language apart from English. But there are 42.5 million Spanish speakers within the U.S. as of 2022. There is a large opportunity for growth.

Mike Valdes Fauli, president of the multicultural division at Chemistry Cultura, cited vital statistics in his recent article in Variety titled “Why U.S. Brands Should Lean into Spanglish.” “The info is in—and tells us that language is fluid for younger generations who toggle forwards and backwards between English and Spanish, sometimes in the identical sentence. Brands should artfully and thoughtfully adopt this approach to change into organic participants within the Spanglish conversation” wrote Valdes Fauli. He cites a report conducted by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce that found a full 20 percent of Gen Z Latinos prefer Spanglish over a person language.

Embracing Our Similarities

There are 22 countries (when you include Miami as its own country) that talk Spanish as their official language. Although they’ve differences amongst dialect, food, music, etc., it’s the common language that unites and bonds them. This influence inspired me to look beyond the standard practice and infuse yoga with much more Hispanic culture by occasionally mixing yoga poses, Latin music, salsa dance moves, and expressive Spanish phrases.

Sometimes I get just a little too excited while teaching yoga and salsa in Spanglish! (Photo: Courtesy of Mammoth Yoga Festival)

Employing this type of free-spirited mezcla helps students put aside self-conscious thoughts of how they’re dancing and immerse themselves within the music and the moment. Laughter, connection, and most significantly, positive vibras create a way of bonding. Latin culture, broadly speaking, is passionate, vibrant, fun, and community-oriented. We bring all of that onto our mats during a Spanglish yoga class and playlist, which you’ll be able to experience for yourself ahora mismo within the video embedded below.

Let’s feel la esencia of the legendary Cuban singer and Queen of Salsa Celia Cruz’s famous expression, “Azucar!”, which my mom and I say each time we dance together. (Apparently this expression began when a waiter asked how she wanted her coffee y ella obviamente dijo, “con Azucar!” which implies “with sugar.”) So let’s stay sweet and dulce together. Y siempre honoring our yogic roots con un namaste!

Experience a Spice Up Your Life: Salsa + Yoga Class in person on the Mammoth Yoga Festival on September 16, 2023. Join us! Conecta con nosotros!

About Our Contributor

Rina Jakubowicz, founding father of Rina Yoga and Super Yogis, is understood for her vibrant and uplifting approach for college kids of all ages. She has been teaching yoga and life coaching in English and Spanish (and Spanglish) for over 24 years and has been a featured presenter at Wanderlust Festivals, Yoga Journal Conferences, Kripalu Center, Himalayan Institute, Omega Institute, Yogaville, Sedona Yoga Festival, Telluride Yoga Festival and Mammoth Yoga Festival. Rina is the perfect selling creator of The Yoga Mind: 52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen Your Practice with over 23K copies sold worldwide and has a world following. You will discover over 200+ of her videos at ER Yoga online. Rina is grateful for her teachers Swami A. Parthasarathy, Sarkis Vermilyea and Ceci Lester. She lives in Los Angeles and Miami together with her husband Eric and Rhodesian Ridgeback dog, Roo. For more information, visit www.rinayoga.com