Sweet Sunday Kirtan

We guess you can relate to how much fun it can be to sing along with your favorite songs under the shower or, even better, together with friends on a road trip. Fortunately also many yoga studios have discovered the benefits of singing, chanting and sharing together. In the Yoga traditions such gatherings where you come together to sing is called a kirtan, or chanting circle. Kirtan is traditionally an ancient practice that originated in India but has gained popularity in the western world as well in the last years because of its many benefits.

Kirtan is chanting mantra in a group setting. The word kirtan comes from Sanskrit and means either ‘narrating of an idea’ or ‘story or to praise the divine’. It is a part of the path of Devotional or Bhakti Yoga. It is a powerful practice to open the heart and connect with the Divine (or your higher Self, Universe, however you want to name it or see it). Mantra literally means ‘liberation of the mind’ and you can feel that when you practice. The sound and melody of every mantra creates a specific vibration in your energy body in which impurities and thought patterns dissolve. The more often you repeat the mantra, the more the mantra reveals its quality to you.

We love to hold the integrity of a real kirtan, which is actually a prayer. We are not in it for ourselves, but to offer something of ourselves to a higher purpose. The Bhakti Groove consists of a happy bunch of mantra music players, both experienced musicians as beginners. Our perspective is that we are not 'performing' or seeing ourselves as artists. We just love to share this sacred practice as a prayer and invite you to participate.

By singing the holy names we create an atmosphere in which Divine energy can come down in the form of grace. This can be felt in the silence after the mantra.

Please note that this practice is not about how your voice sounds or any other external factors. It’s all about where the singing comes from, the intentions you put into it, it is about singing from your heart and connecting from there.

“The words of these chants are called the divine names and they come from a place that’s deeper than our hearts and our thoughts, deeper than the mind. And so as we sing them they turn us towards ourselves, into ourselves. They bring us in, and as we offer ourselves into the experience, the experience changes us. These chants have no meaning other than the experience that we have by doing them. They come from the Hindu tradition, but it’s not about being a Hindu, or believing anything in advance. It’s just about doing it, and experiencing it. Nothing to join, you just sit down and sing.” ~ Krishna Das

Do you want to experience the benefits of a kirtan yourself and connect with others through the power of music? Come join us and sing along in our monthly kirtan at Yogaschool Noord