Calling those who love to sing, chant, and who are curious about the spiritual and meditative aspects of a yoga practice!
What is Kirtan?
Often described as ‘medicine for the soul’, Kirtan is a collective musical experience with call-and-response chanting of ancient mantras, accompanied by instruments.
It’s an important aspect of the devotional or ‘bhakti’ branch of yoga which holds much potential for awakening and transformation. The ultimate purpose of a Kirtan practice is to facilitate the awakening and nurturing of your devotion and connection to the Divine within you.
It is joyful, playful, energetic and powerful.
What to expect
Mel & JB will lead and facilitate the chants, accompanied by harmonium (Mel) and guitar (JB).
The very simple mantras are typically in Sanskrit, and we’ll give you a copy of them to follow along with. The first few rounds of each mantra are always call-and-response, so you can get comfortable with the words and melody.
If you play an instrument, we encourage you to bring it along – simple chords will be provided as well! Guitarists – please bring a capo also. This is very much a collective experience, rather than a performance. Part of the beauty of Kirtan is all of our voices becoming one, signifying the one-ness inside all of us.
We’ll chant for about an hour. Afterwards, share a sweet treat with the group to further deepen the sense of community that Kirtan brings.
Please bring a bolster or a cushion to sit on – our groups can get big!
Why practice Kirtan?
If any of the following apply to you, you should try Kirtan:
- You love singing and/or playing music!
- You’re curious about different forms of meditation
- You’re curious about the spiritual aspects of a yoga practice
- You’re craving community connection
- You want to try something new!
Important note
Kirtan chants typically use the names of various deities from the Vedas – ancient Indian texts that influenced both Yoga and Indian religions like Hindiusm. As a result, these deities also appear in Hindiusm as well.
Kirtan, like other Yoga practices, does not have to be religious – it is a form of meditation and spirituality outside of religion. As non-religious people ourselves, we view these deities as simply representations of all the different layers of the Self when chanting (rather than worshipping the deities themselves).
However, if this conflicts with your religious beliefs then Kirtan may not be the practice for you (we recommend Om Chanting instead!).
Cancellations
Please cancel via Momence if you can no longer make it.
If you cancel at least 12 hours prior, email to request a money credit to use towards any other purchase at Stone’s Throw Yoga.