Hanuman Chalisa Study & Kirtan

Kirtan is coming together to chant mantra collectively.  It is a path of yoga, called Bhakti Yoga,  which is the yoga of devotion and the heart. In Bhakti Yoga, we chant devotional songs to connect to a space of Grace. The grace that flows, simply and powerfully by saying the name… the name of the Divine.

Just bring your voice, an open mind, and an open heart. We will have the opportunity to release: negative self-consciousness, inhibitions, doubts, fears, and shadows in our own egos. Chanting together opens pathways for self-realization, peace, fun, and joy.

Kirtan is Nada Yoga, which is the yoga of sound. Nada (नाद) meaning sound in Sanskrit. We will be using the most powerful, accessible, and healing sound tool available to humans- our own voice. Singing mantra, ancient sacred sounds, in a group is a beautiful opportunity to lay down fears, doubt, and pride. We sing together, not to KNOW, but to FEEL the wisdom of ancient sages that have come come before us. This is an amazing opportunity to expand your heart, compassion, and your own humanity.

AND… you do NOT need to “be able to sing”!

The yoga of sound is only about making sound, not performing or coming from any training or experience. The Kirtan opportunity at Yoga Together, will be led and facilitated by someone who has told themself for a lifetime- “I can not sing” or “do not have a good voice”. So if you have any inhibitions about singing out loud or letting your voice be heard, you are not alone. The Kirtan, “call and response” will be lead by someone who also thinks he can not “sing”! Quite possibly, in unison, we will have the opportunity to help each other let go of such self-defeating dilutions and mental blocks.

Thus, all are welcome and all can feel comfortable in this space. The more curious the better. Kirtan requires no previous experience.

Kirtan is a simple and energetic spiritual practice. The practice itself involves repetitive call and response singing between a leader and a group. Mantra (sacred names, or names of devotion for the Divine) is sung back and forth in a group. Kirtan awakens Bhakti, a kind of reverential and loving understanding of that divine energy within the heart.

As well as awakening our hearts and our Bhakti, via chanted mantra, this will be a guided community study of the Hanuman Chalisa. The Chalisa is a devotional hymn of forty verses, composed in the 16th century by the Hindu saint Tulsīdās. There will be a brief reading from the Chalisa in translation, or inspirational text about the Chalisa, followed by one round of singing the Hanuman Chalisa together in the group. Which then will be followed by general Kirtan, chanting together a variety of mantra and devotional verse.

“Chanting just hits you and you want to be a part of it. That’s what cuts through all the stuff… You get lit up. You don’t have to know what it means.”

“Keep singing. It uncovers the love The love of who we truly are.”

(-Krsihna Das)