I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when we walked into the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors exhibit. I had seen some of the art online, I had expected to be taken off guard a little, but I had not expected to come face to face with many of the teachings that I had read about in vedic literature all in one space. To really look at an art gallery and see how the soul makes a difference in life, how connecting with the soul can make a difference in life…to see the soul literally journey from the very beginning of life to the end of it, and still go beyond, was amazing. It was a new way to reinforce things that I had already known but had not thought of in such an artistic way, but Alex Grey had. Bursting with light and showing that all of us have a potential and a purpose over simply the muscles and bones of this body, Alex Grey has begun to show the world that we have a consciousness which is important, which makes up the beauty that we are as human beings. I had never seen such a tribute to what we really are before. Continue reading ‘Fusion Kirtan at Alex Gray’s Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM)’
It was good to be back in front of Radha Govinda for a spiritual re-charger. There are no hard and fast rules for kirtan but there’s always something special that happens when the kirtan is done in front of the deities. Not only were these wonderful deities, but they are my home-town deities. I can’t think of any deities that I love more than these, and when I think about Krsna, I see Govinda in my mind and I think about all the wonderful things that he has done for me. Continue reading ‘Kirtan at Radha Govinda Mandir - Brooklyn NY’
East West Yoga was a force to be reckoned with. There to support our wonderful friend and fellow Kirtan enthusiast, Kamaniya, I wanted to make sure that As Kindred Spirits represented as best we could and showed everyone that kirtan is kirtan, no matter who you do it with. Some people feel that kirtan is all about the kirtan leader but the meaning of Kirtan is the congregational chanting of the sacred names of god. So, kirtan is not about the kirtan leader, or the instruments, but about the congregation. It’s about the community that is established. We all supported her as best we could and the result was a bond that was created with everyone in the room that had the energy and the force behind the kirtan up to a level that I had never seen before outside of a temple. Continue reading ‘Kirtan from East West Yoga featuring Kamaniya’
After another day of work I met up with Gaura and Rasa and we went to the Jivamukti Yoga studio together. After the weekend that we had I could only wonder what kind of crowd would be there to hear the kirtan that night. I often find myself thinking about how different people perceive kirtan as they listen. I know that when I hear kirtan it feels as though my very soul wants to dance and I think it’s interesting and wonderful to hear stories of how other people feel when they hear the kirtan as well. After the performance the last Friday at Astanga Yoga, I got a chance to talk to some of the attendees and we spoke a lot about how kirtan was such a wonderful tension breaker from a hard week of work. Some people said it made them feel freer, some said that it made their heart soar, and some still said that it just took them to a more peaceful place, but I was glad that kirtan could do all that and more for so many people. Continue reading ‘Kirtan at Jiva Mukti Yoga NYC’
“This is the first hindu program to ever be held in the chapel” Vineet, the organizer of the Diwali celebration that night said enthusiastically while we set up the stage for the program that night. I looked around thinking they had gotten the name wrong. What they called a “chapel” was as much a cathedral as I had ever seen. Chapel was definitely a modest way of putting it. The scenery of Princeton University was a wonderful place for taking pictures and I imagined that I could feel the pride that was held by the students who learned in this place and honed their intellects into something that would make their University proud in return. Continue reading ‘First Ever Princeton University Diwali Kirtan’
Walking up the stairs to the second floor yoga studio of Astanga Yoga NYC on 430 Broome Street felt like I was going home in a way. During previous months some of the As Kindred Spirits group were holding kirtan programs there every other Friday. I felt apprehensive and enthusiastic all at the same time. I wondered if our old friends would be there. I wondered if we would have a nice sized crowd because we had been gone for some months, but all of it paled beside the thought that everything would be okay because Gaura would be there. My big brother, my friend and sometimes my confidant, I am always amazed by the things that I learn while doing kirtan with Gaura and I was sure that this experience would be no less. When I reached the top of the stairs I was greeted with a bear hug, a bright smile, and the words “Are you ready for another interesting night?” My smile slipped just a little and my eyes widened. The other thing I forgot to mention about Gaura was that sometimes…he scared me. One of Gaura Vani’s best characteristics is that he’s all-inclusive, but this often leads to me being brought far outside of what I am used to in terms of traditional kirtan. So far in the years that I have been doing kirtan with him this has never been a bad thing…but one never knows when it could start. Continue reading ‘Photos and Recordings from Astanga Yoga NYC Kirtan’
RSS Feed
