Yoga schools their teachers and students came along to display and discuss the many paths and schools branching like a giant tree from the Yogic roots sprouted by the original teacher of Yoga, Lord Krishna.

The Yoga Expo is directed and produced by devotees who put in a great effort to ensure the day is enjoyed by everyone.

Blog #5

The Yoga of Kirtan Book – review by Antony Brennan.

‘The Yoga of Kirtan: Conversations on the Sacred Art of Chanting’ is a new book by renowned writer Satyaraja dasa. Read along as Satyaraja and a variety of world class performers reveal the histories, the secrets, and the traditions of Kirtan.

Singing the names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is becoming increasingly popular. Satyaraja dasa interviews accomplished and talented Kirtan singers to find out what drew them to Kirtan and what it means to them to be singing the Lord’s names.

Karnamrita Dasi, Shyam dasa Vaiyasaki dasa Yamuna devi dasa, Sri Prahlad, Dave Stringer, Krishna Das and many more reveal what they have found in practising Kirtan.

Satyaraja has such knowledge of the subject, the traditions and the performers that he is able to weave the discussions into a book that is a joy to read. The introduction describes Kirtan and its origins. Don’t be surprised that you will want to sing and maybe even dance once you start reading.

To help you along in regard to singing and dancing, Satyaraja dasa has included a CD compilation by some of the artists he interviews. “For those who want to hear the joyous sounds of Kirtan,” He writes in the introduction, “we have included a CD of some, but not all, of the artists represented here. If you have not heard Kirtan before you will get the essence from listening and participating with devotion in the songs contained in the CD”.

Satyaraja reminds us in his book that there is “No substitute for joining in a Kirtan oneself, for immersing oneself in a live Kirtan with others, to watch the faces of those who allow themselves to become absorbed, to feel one’s body move, to feel one’s heart dance.”

The Kirtan book is for everyone who has the slightest interest in the subject, and even the most learned will find many things of surprise and interest. If you haven’t been to a Kirtan you will find yourself looking for one. Those already experienced will be able to get more appreciation of the benefit of Kirtan each time they have another opportunity to participate.

You can get a copy of the Kirtan book for yourself for $50. To order your copy please send and email to Vara-nayaka at vara108@gmail.com

Blog #4

If you type kirtan into Google you get 727,000 links to look at.. Yahoo says there are 1,940,000 and that is a lot of pages. You could literally spend hours looking at web sites. There are many different cultural traditions represented and millions of words written about the histories and traditions of kirtan around the world. Some of the writing is just plain inspiring.

How about this on the web site for from 'Heart Connection Community' Kirtan in Boulder, Colorado, USA:

Kirtan provides the same deep states of relaxed alertness that meditation does, in a fun, exhilarating process. Group chanting of Sacred Mantras is simultaneously very energizing and deeply relaxing. As we sing together we begin to breathe deeply in unison. Without effort, our chattering minds are silenced and a profound state of connected stillness and bliss is felt by all in the room. Throughout the week, the peace and renewal we create in community kirtan flows through us enriching our lives and the global community.

http://www.kirtancommunity.com/

This is from an interview at HYPERLINK http://www.beliefnet.com www.beliefnet.com with kirtan singer Krishna Das:

Krishna Das: "The way I look at it is that these chants come from a place of being inside of us that's deeper than where we spend most of our time. So when we turn our attention to them, it brings us deeper into ourselves. Along with that inward motion may come a lot of experiences--happiness, joy--but essentially, those are side products of moving deeper into ourselves. These [chants] are revealed names. These names come from a deeper reality. They also say that the name and the named are the same."

www.beliefnet.com/story/138/story_13887_1.html

This is interesting from www.kirtanconnection.com:

"Kirtan is a call-and-response, participatory sacred sound practice that originated in India many centuries ago, and was practiced traditionally by a diversity of India's spiritual traditions, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, etc. In the 20th century, kirtan was introduced to the western hemisphere by many of the yoga masters that visited from India."

This is from the LA Yoga online magazine:

I’m not the only one who’s caught the kirtan buzz. Kirtan is gaining momentum in cities large and small all across the United States. Less than 10 years ago, it was rarely shared with more than just a handful of people. Today, some kirtan events each month attract hundreds. Krishna Das, the West’s most widely recognized kirtan master, recently gathered a crowd of 1,000 at Westwood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles.

It’s tempting to call it a performance or a concert, but while these events have elements of mainstream music, there’s one big difference: kirtan is a spiritual practice. It’s not meant to be a show at which the audience is entertained. In fact, the leader is simply doing his or her practice and the audience is invited to join in.

One of the unique—and frankly, most fun—aspects of kirtan is how integral the audience is to the experience. “In our culture, most of the entertainment is passive; the individual doesn’t change it, doesn’t have an impact on it. Their presence doesn’t matter,” said accomplished kirtan leader Dave Stringer. “One of the intoxicating things about kirtan is that it’s participatory entertainment. Your very presence shifts what happens. The crowd is as important an instrument as any of the others.”

www.layogamagazine.com/issue12/feature/kirtan.htm

See you here next week
Antony

Blog #3

It's the heart, not the art. That is one way to think about your participation in kirtan. It is about reviving your relationship with the divine by developing love. It is not about being a great singer or a great musician. Of course those things are nice accompaniments to kirtan but they are not essential. 

The best kirtan I have been to are those where everyone is enjoying what they are doing and thinking about the divine names we are chanting. The truth is you do not need to be an expert singer or musician to get the most out of Kirtan. In fact you don't need any training at all.

Kirtan is not about technical precision, it's about bringing the mind, body and soul together in the remembrance of our divine nature.

Almost all spiritual traditions around the world recommend singing the names of the divine, glorifying the names of the divine in order to bring us back to our original relationship. This is the essence of kirtan. Singing these names lifts the spirit and brings joy to the heart.

A blissful feeling begins to pervade the body and you can't help but smile, and you notice that all the others with you are smiling too. You can sing in kirtan by yourself but it is much better to sing along with friends. It is as if singing in a group magnifies the effect. Try it you will experience this also.

You should keep checking back here at kirtan.com.au to see when our next kirtan is. Then you can come along and experience kirtan with us. You can find out for yourself what it feels like to soak yourself in the spiritual vibrations of the divine names. You will float home, your heart will experience satisfaction and your spiritual nature will begin to reveal itself more and more.

Kirtan calms the erratic thinking our minds chase after and it  calms the body relaxing the muscles and easing the physical tension we carry around with us all day. Because we are focussing on the names of the divine our spirit soul begins to awaken spreading such joy and bliss that others can sense the transformation.

Kirtan is really effortless, there is no difficulty at all. No training is required, no ascetic practices are needed, just bring along your voice and your soul to experience something you have been waiting for all your life. What could possibly be simpler than this? Your heart is calling out to be awakened. Get yourself to a kirtan as soon as possible.

Just to help you get some experience of kirtan I have been looking around the web for something to offer you. I came across this video on You Tube of a rocking and funky kirtan going. Click on the following link and get ready to enjoy the band. Sing along as loud as you can. Get up and dance a little if you are able. Have a great time and come back soon.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pInIl_wAjc&feature=related
  
PS: If you come across any kirtan video or audio let me know by clicking on the contact button on the left and we can share it with everyone.

Antony

Blog #2

Hello, welcome back to kirtan.com.au. You might not know it but Kirtan is a form of meditation. It is actually mantra meditation set to music and given a melody. It's not hard. It's very easy. You don't have to be able to sing well and you will have a very enjoyable time.

The word 'mantra' can be translated as 'mind protection.' Meditating on an ancient mantra protects you from a variety of influences and awakens your dormant spiritual nature.

In the introduction to this web site which you can read when you click on ABOUT KIRTAN Sri Prahlad writes: "Mantra meditation frees your mind of negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, hatred, envy and greed, which affect your health, relationships, and physical endeavors; and awaken awareness of your spiritual nature as an eternal being of peace, love, and bliss."

Imagine that, such a simple process such as chanting the names of the Divine can bring you such significant benefit. There are many millions of people down through the ages and right at this moment who are practicing Kirtan, awakening their awareness of their true spiritual nature and feeling the love and bliss.

Most  people find meditation difficult and it takes many attempts before any benefit arises. The benefit from Kirtan is experienced immediately. There is no struggle with the mind and here is no dealing with difficult thoughts. Participation in Kirtan directs your mind to focus of the Divine to meditate on the Divine. The mantra used in  Kirtan calls us back to the center of our being and we begin to remember.

Make sure there is a Kirtan scheduled in your diary.

– Antony

Blog #1

I love Kirtan. If you haven't experienced it I think that you will love it too. That's why we set up this site www.kirtan.com.au so we can bring Kirtan to as many people as possible.

So what is Kirtan? Simply put it is to sing ancient songs which glorify the divine. Add some music and bring your friends along and you can't help but have a great time. Kirtan is an ancient Sanskrit word from India. You pronounce it like this "Keertan."  It means devotional chanting.  In Kirtan we chant to the melody of the music, and when we really get going we get up and dance.

Our goal at kirtan.com.au is to bring you "Everything Kirtan." This includes events like our recent Sydney Harbor Cruise and the New Years Eve party at Govinda Valley. You can read about them and see pictures and video by going to Recent Events. We plan to open our store where you can purchase books and CD's. We will have Kirtan downloads and much more.

If you click on Upcoming Events you will find out where the next Kirtan will be held. I hope to see you there. Make sure you put those dates in your diary. If you haven't  been to Kirtan then you're missing out on something will really enjoy and obtain great benefit.

OK now click on Contact Us and send us an email telling us what you think.  If you've been to one of our Kirtan events we would love to hear from you. Tell us what happened and how much fun you had there.  If you haven't been to Kirtan yet we'll we still want to hear from you. Ask us any question you might have and we'll see what answers we can come up with for you.

When you turn up at the Kirtan you'll notice that people are already becoming happy. Especially if they know what to expect.

In next weeks blog I'll tell you how you can obtain some of that benefit I told you about.