So ye’ve all recovered from my solo Kirtan demo on Sunday. I have anyway :). You weren’t expecting THAT in your Bikram Yoga class now were you (don’t tell Bik :)). I thought I’d elaborate on my explanation about the Dhyana Slokas which come from the Bhakti Yoga path. Meditation verses are another instrument to help train the mind. They can help bring concentration into the moment and to act as a shield against the onslaught of distracting thoughts that repeat themselves uselessly. They help keep you in the present moment.
Note: it was a demo :). You saw how nervous I was, no tabla or even cd to support me, I was never going to put You in a position where you felt out of your depth or totally uncomfortable by asking ye to chant too; Besides without having seen the words before and having time to distinguish them the first glance at the sacred Sanskrit written word may look, well, like Sanskrit 🙂 !
If you were already practicing this for yourself, the repetition would help you decipher the sounds and your feelings about them. Trust me you would get past that discomfort. So now you know I can’t ‘sing’ for toffee. Maybe you can, maybe not. It doesn’t matter. This is the joy of Kirtan; you can’t spoil it. You chant alone, no-one hears. You chant with others, your voice blends in with all one big voice.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember what all the words mean either. It is great if you know meaning and have intention. But similarly I believe if you don’t know the meaning, the words can become an abstract mantra; If you spend too much time concerning over what they mean intellectually in the moment it will undermine the process.
But like I said ~ it was just a demo :). I hope one day ye will experience the joy of a group effort. Look out for your chance.
Om Om Om Pleased to be Happy Clappy!