Friday Night Kirtan: HBD Heart

Kirtan combines music and mantra — words and sounds that vibrate at the highest level of awareness. It is an effortless and joyful way to meditate. We simply allow the music and mantra to do its magic.

Mantra healing is the practice of using a combination of sound, vibration, visualization, and our own unique healing instrument –our voices– to heal the body and the mind. The practice of chanting (and singing!) mantras can tone the body, alleviate depression and anxiety, calm the nervous system, restore health, and increase cognitive function. It’s a very potent practice.

Singing kirtan is not about singing “well” or perfectly, but about the sacred act of using your own voice to connect with the divine. It’s a very liberating practice for those who are uncomfortable with their own voices.

Music bypasses the thinking mind, the worried mind, and goes straight to that part of the brain where the emotions reside. The musical meditation of kirtan soothes the nervous system. Kirtan calms the mind without struggling to concentrate.

Because kirtan has its roots in India, many of the songs are sung in Sanskrit or Gurmukhi, the language of ancient India, the language of mantra. David leads the chants in a call-and-response style. He calls out a line and the participants respond back.

Kirtan is a bit like singing around a yogic campfire – creating feelings of oneness and joy. As you sing with each other in a group, you may experience a deep connection with each other, the self and the light within, the soul. This oneness and heart connection is one of the greatest gifts of this practice. When the music stops, the mind is silent and calm.

No singing experience is necessary. All ages welcome.