The Meditation Center

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: An Evening with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT-500 "Silence, Transitions, and Transformation, Liminal Spaces of Spiritual Unfoldment" - January 11, 2024
2024-01-11 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom – January 11, 2024
An Evening with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT-500
“Silence, Transitions, and Transformation, Liminal Spaces of Spiritual Unfoldment”
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Sunita Gangopadhyay
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation with Stephen Parker (Stoma)
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT-500
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks
Join Stoma on Thursday, January 11th, to talk about silence and the creativity arising out of the liminal spaces ..the energy of spiritual unfoldment.
Dr. Stephen Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., he began teaching hatha yoga in 1974. During that time he also studied Sanskrit with Swami Veda and South Asian languages and culture for his B.A. at the University of Minnesota.
Stoma is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500). A member of the International Association of Y.T., he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhaka Gram ashram in Rishikesh, India. He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, yoga psychology, and spiritual practice in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Caribbean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong, and India. In 2004 he helped originate and teach the first course on yoga in an American medical school at the University of Minnesota Academic Medical Center. In 2007 he received preliminary vows of renunciation from Swami Veda and the Shankaracharya of Karvirapitha.
Stoma has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in St. Paul, MN since 1985. He also serves as Adjunct Assistant School Professor of Counseling and Psychological Services at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He teaches on the faculty of the Introductory Workshops of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis. In addition to authoring journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Parker edited volume two of Swami Veda’s definitive scholarly work on the “Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali” and he has been a peer review editor for the “Journal of Men’s Studies,” the “American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,” the “International Journal of Yoga T. and Yoga Mimamsa.” He is also the author of “Clearing the Path, The Yoga Way to a Clear and Pleasant Mind: Yoga, Neuroscience and Emotion”(2017) published by AHYMSA publishers.
To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here (suggested donation $15.00) for Thursday Satsang or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page.
Or donate through PayPal.
Note: There is parking available for TMC visitors in the St. Boniface lot across the street from the Center.

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Lori Beron
2024-01-14 08:20 - 09:30
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Lori Beron
8:20 A.M. – 9:15 A.M.
Join for Morning Prayers: 8:20-8:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Meditation: 8:30-9:15 a.m.

Join Swami Radha Bharati on Zoom for a guided meditation on Sunday from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Book Study Group / Satsang Via Zoom with Swami Ma Radha Bharati, Michael Smith, and Jim Nelson
2024-01-14 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-01-21 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-01-28 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-02-04 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-02-11 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-02-18 10:00 - 11:30
Sunday Book Study Group/Satsang Via Zoom
with Swami Ma Radha Bharati, Michael Smith, and Jim Nelson
10:00 A.M. – 11:45 A.M.
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Swami Radha, Jim, and Michael will continue the study of spiritual topics in 2024. The Book Club is continuing to read “Sacred Journey_ Living Purposefully and Dying Gracefully” by Swami Rama. Join us for very interesting discussions. Everyone is welcome.

Sacred Journey
Living Purposefully and Dying Gracefully
The Book Study is continuing the reading and discussion in 2024.with Swami Rama’s SACRED JOURNEY. This book complements the Ten-Year Plan, outlined by Swami Ritavan, which focuses on Vanaprastha and devising a blueprint for the rest of one’s life.

Wednesday Mornings In Person and via Zoom – Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop-In) with Sig Martell and Rosann Chamberlain
2024-01-17 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-01-24 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-01-31 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-02-07 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-02-14 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-02-21 10:30 - 12:00
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS In Person and Via Zoom – GENTLE HATHA YOGA (DROP IN)

Time: 10:30am to Noon
Instructors: Sig Martell, Rosann Chamberlain, and Susan Guthrie
Fees: $12.00/class ($10.00 for seniors and students)
DROP-IN HATHA CLASSES (ONGOING)
Everyone is Welcome! These classes are for all levels. Instructors excel at leading the class in relaxation, gentle asana (yoga positions) and pranayama (breath). Relieve stress, achy joints, improve balance at all levels and increase your sense of well being. No registration necessary, just show up.

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: "Panel Discussion and Q&A with Members of the TMC Spiritual Committee and Senior Teachers January 18, 2024
2024-01-18 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom – January 18, 2024
“Panel Discussion and Q&A with
Members of the Spiritual Committee and Senior Teachers
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Susan Guthrie

7:00-7:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati

7:30-8:30 p.m.: “Panel Discussion and Q&A with Members of the Spiritual Committee and Senior Teachers

8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

8:40 p.m.: Snacks

To begin the New Year 2024 bring your questions and thoughts regarding strengthening your spiritual practice for the year. Join a panel of senior teachers for a lively discussion and on the problems and promises of keeping a meditation practice. How does one keep meditation “fresh”? Why aren’t I “enlightened” yet? What are the tricks for keeping a regular meditation time? Am I making spirtual progress? What does spiritual progress look like, feel like?

Formulate your own particular questions now for Thursday Satsang.

AHYMSIN Community Mantra Japa Practice via Zoom with Chris Young - January 24, 2024
2024-01-24 19:00 - 20:00
New AHYMSIN Community Mantra Japa Practice via Zoom
with Chris Young
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
We will meet every other Wednesday to recite the mantra together.
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः ।

“Om Gam Gaṇapataye Namaha”
Om, Gam, salutations to Lord Ganesha

Gayatri Prayer

गायत्री मातः। हे गुरो। श्री गुरो।
सद् बुद्धिं मे प्रयच्च।
चित्तं मे निर्मलं शान्तं प्रसन्नं भूयात्।
सर्वे मे भावाः शुध्यन्ताम्।
मैत्री भावनया क्षमां याचितुं आत्मबलं मे देहि।
ॐ तत्सद् ब्रह्मार्पणम् अस्तु॥

gāyatrī mātaḥ | he guro | śrī guro |
sad buddhiṁ me prayacca |
cittaṁ me nirmalaṁ śāntaṁ prasannaṁ bhūyāt |
sarve me bhāvāḥ śudhyantām |
maītrī bhāvanayā kṣamāṁ yācituṁ ātma balaṁ me dehi |
om tat-sad brahmārpaṇam astu ||

Mother Gayatri, Oh Gurudeva, Shri Gurudeva
Grant me pure buddhi.
May my mind become immaculate, quiet, peaceful, clear and pleasant.
May all my emotions be purified.
Grant me the spiritual strength to ask for forgiveness with a sentiment of amity.
Om. That (alone is) Real.
May (all this endeavor) be (accepted as my) surrender and offering to Brahman.

Chris will guide us in the recitation of the Gayatri Prayer and of 1 mala of the new mantra,”Om Gam Gaṇapataye Namaha”.

Chris Young was initiated into the Himalayan Yoga Tradition in 2005, but has been connected with The Tradition in some way since birth, with his parents being early members and faculty of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis. Chris occasionally leads Kirtan at the Meditation Center’s Thursday satsang, and helps with some IT aspects of the HYT Teacher Training Program. Chris finds the thread of yoga and meditation that has been taught through the Tradition and its teachers, and cultivated through practice, to always keep him returning to his heart’s path – the path of Yoga – and he is grateful to be a part of the local and global communities that are working to further the mission of The Himalayan Yoga Tradition. He is the father of two amazing boys, he enjoys singing and playing music, and is ready to help with your ocular asanas through eye-roll-inducing dad jokes.

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: "Continued Panel Discussion and Q&A with Members of the TMC Spiritual Committee and Senior Teachers January 18, 2024
2024-01-25 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom – January 25, 2024
“Continued Panel Discussion and Q&A with
Members of the Spiritual Committee and Senior Teachers
followed by a Full Moon Flower/Water Puja Emilio Bettglio
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Eric Ness
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “Continued Panel Discussion and Q&A with Members of the Spiritual Committee and Senior Teachers
followed by a Full Moon Flower / Water Puja with Emilio Bettaglio
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks

Details to come. A continuation of the January 18th Q&A and a Full Moon Flower/Water Puja.

Global Full Moon Meditation In Person and via Zoom from Chicago, January 25, 2024, 9:00-10:00p.m. CST
2024-01-25 21:00 - 22:00
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Global Full Moon Meditation
In Person and via Zoom
9:00-10:00 P.M. CST

This Full Moon Meditation via Zoom will begin guided by Stephen Parker (Stoma,) followed by a silent meditation until 10:00 p.m. In Minneapolis you can sit at The Meditation Center on Thursday, January 18th.
This event is courtesy of the Chicago Himalayan Yoga & Meditation Center – HYMC.
To get the Zoom link and for more information aregarding the global full moon meditation schedule
visit HYMC’s website here.
“You are lovingly invited to sit in meditation for an hour wherever you are, in your home or with friends. Total beginners and longtime practitioners, non-initiates and initiates are welcome. If you cannot sit for the entire hour, sit as long as you are able; as Swami Veda has said, ‘Let the quietness of the mind continue even after you rise..’” (Courtesy of AHYMSIN.org January 2023 newsletter).
Everyone is welcome!
“Yoga Philosophy views the mind as Universal field; its waves passing through us and becoming our individual minds. This Universal mind is a radiant force and is also known as a Universal Guru within.”
“When all sit together at the same time even in different parts of the world, they connect to the Universal Guru mind and generate a strong field, like so many magnets being joined together and forming a much stronger magnet; the strength of each then equals the combined strength of all.”
– Swami Veda Bharati –

Postponed until later in 2024 - Sunday In-Person Meditation II Series: Superconscious Meditation with Aaron Means PsyD, Sundays: January 28, February 11, 18, 25, and March 3, 2024
2024-01-28 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-02-11 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-02-18 10:00 - 12:00
Postponed…class series will not be meeting until later in the year.
Sunday In-Person
Meditation II Series: Superconscious Meditation
with Aaron Means PsyD
Postponed until later in 2024
Sundays: January 28 – March 3, 2024
10:00 a.m. – Noon
Instructor: Aaron Means
Meditation II focuses on powerful and practical yoga practices that quiet and focus the mind; decreasing our emotional reactivity which often creates stress and pain in our relationships. Students will also receive 8 free CD’s or MP3’s of Swami Veda’s penetrating and inspiring lectures on yoga psychology and philosophy. These audios create an interactive atmosphere for discussion of questions and insights generated by the lectures.
Aaron Means began practicing yoga in 1994 while in college to ease his own afflictions at the time. Soon thereafter he studied and practiced yoga and meditation while living at The Meditation Center and other associated Himalayan Yoga Tradition institutions in the US and India. Aaron completed his first yoga teacher training through the HImalayan Institute Teachers’ Assoc. in 1997, and started a RYT training program in 2019. He has periodically taught yoga and meditation in the community throughout the years, as well as at The Meditation Center. Aaron (Arunadeva) has been a student and initiate of Swami Veda Bharati since 1997. His teaching style is reflective of what he has learned under his spiritual preceptor (Swami Veda), as well as studies of psychology, compassion, and mindfulness.
Aaron earned a doctorate in clinical psychology (PsyD) in 2015, and has been a practicing licensed psychologist in the Twin Cities since 2016. He is married with two children and enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, playing tennis, and strategy board games.

Thursday Evening In Person: Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In) 5:30-6:45 p.m. Everyone is Welcome
2024-02-01 17:30 - 18:45, 2024-02-08 17:30 - 18:45, 2024-02-15 17:30 - 18:45
Thursday Evening In Person Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In)

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Instructors: Varies…Chris Young, Michael Snodgrass, Sunita Gangopadhyay, Susan Guthrie, Eric Ness
Fees: $10.00/class
Thursday Evening DROP-IN HATHA CLASSES (ONGOING)
Everyone is Welcome! These classes are for all levels. Instructors excel at leading the class in relaxation, gentle asana (yoga positions) and pranayama (breath). Relieve stress, achy joints, improve balance at all levels and increase your sense of well being. No registration necessary, just show up.

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: "The Song of Silence" with Swami Ma Radha Bharati and Emilio Bettaglio, February 1, 2024 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
2024-02-01 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom – February 1, 2024
“The Song of Silence”
with Swami Ma Radha Bharati and Emilio Bettaglio
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “The Song of Silence”
with Swami Ma Radha Bharati and Emilio Bettaglio
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks
The spiritual theme for the month of February 2024 is “Silence.” Join Swami Ma Radha and Emilio as they discuss the purpose and the benefits of the practice of silence for us on our spiritual journeys.
Swami Radha and Emilio will read passages from Swami Veda’s profound writings on silence. Between readings we will show the 2007 Dunrovin video clips of Swami Veda speaking on the topic of silence and its purpose. In this lecture Swamiji speaks about the intentional practice of silence as a way to elevate humanity to the next level of being. He discusses the cultivation of the independence of mind by disidentifying with unhelpful thought patterns through cleansing and purifying the mind. Swamiji expounds on the themes of wisdom versus knowledge; contemplation vs logic as a source of wisdom; and achieving freedom from our fears through the practices of silence, stillness, self -examination, and contemplation.
There will be time for discussion. Bring your questions on Thursday regarding the practice of silence that you always wanted to ask.
To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here (suggested donation $15.00) for Thursday Satsang or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page.
Or donate through PayPal.
Note: There is parking available for TMC visitors
in the St. Boniface lot across the street from the Center.

Yoga Sutras” Winter 2024 Series - Vibhuti Pada with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., 500-RYT
2024-02-05 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-02-12 19:00 - 21:00
“Yoga Sutras” Winter 2024 Series – Vibhuti Pada
Via Zoom
with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., 500-RYT

Mondays: February 5, 12, March 4 and 11, 2024
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Class will not meet on February 19th or 26th
Begins at 7:00 p.m. with Meditation guided by Stoma
Study of the “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., 500-RYT

Chapter 3, the Vibhuti Pada
Stoma reads from Swami Veda’s unpublished commentary of the “Vibhuti Pada”.

Cost: $55.00 for the series
$15.00 for drop-in
If you live in a time zone that does not allow for you to attend the Yoga Sutras sessions in real time, register for the 4-week series and you will be sent Vimeo links to the recorded sessions as soon as they are uploaded to Vimeo

Register here for the 4-week series or for a single session
Register here for a Single Session on February 5, 2024
Register here for a Single Session on February 12, 2024
Register here for a Single Session on March 4, 2024
Register here for a Single Session on March 11, 2024

The Winter 2024 series of the “Yoga Sutras” with Stoma is being offered to anyone who desires to learn more regarding the gifts of meditation and yoga given through this text.

Everyone is welcome!

Join Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) for this special ongoing study of the text, the “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.” We are continuing the study of the the third chapter, the “Vibhuti Pada.” Stoma reads from Swami Veda’s unpublished commentary of the “Vibhuti Pada”.

We will be using the text, either “The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali,” or “The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali with Bhasvati,” both by Swami Hariharananda Aaranya. Or you can use any commentary on the “Yoga Sutras” that you have available.

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: "What is Mauna Amavasya on February's New Moon Day" with Swami Ma Radha Bharati and Emilio Bettaglio, February 8, 2024 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
2024-02-08 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom – February 8, 2024
“What is Mauna Amavasya on February’s New Moon Day”
with Swami Ma Radha Bharati and Emilio Bettaglio
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Sunita Gangopadhyay
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “What is Mauna Amavasya on February’s New Moon Day
with Swami Ma Radha Bharati and Emilio Bettaglio
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks
We are continuing with the spiritual theme of Silence for the month of February 2024, Join Swami Ma Radha and Emilio as they discuss the practice of silence called “Mauna Amavasya” during the new moon day of February 2024.
Swami Radha and Emilio will read more passages from Swami Veda’s profound writings on silence. Between readings we will show the last three 2007 Dunrovin video clips of Swami Veda speaking on the topic of silence and its purpose.
There will be time for discussion. Bring your questions on Thursday regarding the practice of silence that you always wanted to ask.

Mauna Amavasya (Silence Day) is an annual observance. The observation of Silence Day is a practice that Swami Veda Bharati invited us to practice.

Swami Veda has said – “…I would like many of my friends to set aside at least one day to share the silence with me just as you have shared the full moon day for an hour each month for more than a decade now.

If you plan from now, you can arrange your worldly affairs in such a way that they do not interfere with your one-day vow of silence.

On that day, no driving (except for emergencies), no TV, no conversation, just self-observation, contemplation, japa and learning (1) to give love in silence while (2) learning to love silence.”

By way of this period of mauna and reflection, please read and listen to this short address given by Swami Veda in 2010 in California. Such a reminder will return you to the innocence and purity of stillness and silence. Honor that sentiment of love this week, and receive the blessings of the Lineage, with gratitude, srb.

Message from “Mauna Amavasya, Silence Day – February 11, 2021.” Courtesy of AHYMSIN.org

______________________________

“Oneness in Silence”
Asilomar-Contemplative Alliance Conference
Monterey, California – October 11, 2010
Swami Veda Bharati
(an excerpt)

“…In such silence a field of divine unity is experienced which is not a unification of many parts but parts exist in that one infinite field. For thousands of years many traditions have taught systematic methods as to how to enter this interior ekanta, solitudinous silence.

In my ashram we have people who do ten days of silence, forty days of silence, ninety days of silence, but it is done methodically, and is scientifically guided. In that silence sooner or later the true face of God makes its appearance. It is not a face with features. It may be, as described by Arjuna, the light of ten thousand suns shining simultaneously in the sky.

In our interior sky which is more minute than the minutest atomic particle, and, more expansive than all the expansive space. All within us becomes filled with that light, with that noor, with that jyotih of which the Vedas have recited, of which the “Quran” has spoken, of which the Christian saints have sung hymns and psalms…”

Read or listen to the entire talk here.

"Mauna Amavasya Day" a Silence Day on Friday, February 9, 2024
2024-02-09 06:00 - 21:00
Mark your calendars…
Friday, February 9, 2024
“Mauna Amavasya Day”
Join Swami Radha and Emilio Bettaglio for a day of immersion into the vastness of blissful silence during the auspicious day of “Mauna Amavasya,” on Friday, February 9th. “Mauna Amavasya” is observed during this special day of No Moon which offers transformative opportunities through silence practice.
‘You may join for the entire day or at any point during the program for however much time you are able to stay. The schedule will start at 6:00 a.m. with Morning Prayers in the Himalayan Tradition, and will include practices such as silent Joints and Glands, Pranayama, unguided meditation, silent flower havan, guided subtle body practices. The program will conclude after evening meditation and evening prayers at 8:00 p.m.
RSVP here if you intend to come for any part of the day.
Tentative schedule:
6:00 -6:15 a.m.:Morning Prayers in the Himalayan Tradition
6:15- 7:00 a.m.: Silent Pranayama and Joints and Glands Practice
7:00-8:00 a.m.: Meditation (Not Guided)
8:00-9:15 a.m.z: Breakfast
11:00-11:30 a.m.z; Silent Community Flower/Water Puja
12:00-1:00 p.m.: Lunch with Vegan Soup, Bread, Fruit
1:00-6:00 p.m.: Individual Participation in the Flower/Water Puja, Open Sitting in Meditation, Ganapati Mantra Practice, Subtle
Body Practices
6:00- 6:30 p.m.: Light Supper
8:00 p.m.: Meditation and Evening Prayers.
The focus throughout the day will be on Ganapati Mantra for enhancing and stabilizing our practice as we travel through this “Decade of Loving Transformation.”
This will be an in-person only event.

Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and Via Zoom: "An Evening of Spiritual Music with Chris Young, "Songs Dancing into Silence" - February 15, 2024, 7:00- 8:30 p.m. CST
2024-02-15 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and Via Zoom – February 15, 2024
An Evening of Spiritual Music with Chris Young
“Songs Dancing into Silence”
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Susan Guthrie
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Meditation Guided by Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Special Spiritual Music with Chris Young “Songs Dancing into Silence”
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks
The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.
~ Mozart~
Hushhhhh…Listen! Did you hear the music in the last space?
~Swami Veda Bharati~
Join Chris in this evening of spiritual music, it being an opportunity, a vehicle, to receive an experience of Beauty; a time to drop the worry and the hurry, set aside the intellect, and simply be… with people who are beautiful, in a setting that is beautiful, and with beautiful music.

“Kirtan is a spiritual practice that originated in India centuries ago. The word “kirtan” means singing, chanting, and praising the Divine. It is a sacred practice anyone can do; no special training is required. The music does the work for you, carrying you to a state of tremendous joy and mental clarity…

…But the most important instrument in kirtan is the voice,’There is a sacredness in everyone’s voice. It is like hearing your own soul’, shares Milwaukee-based kirtan wallah Ragani. who leads one of the largest ongoing monthly kirtan events in North America. Your voice comes from within; it is uniquely yours. Unlike an instrument which acts on you, emanating from the outside in, the voice acts internally, emanating from the inside out. When you sing kirtan, you can literally feel the sound resonating inside you. ‘massaging’ your inner organs with sacred mantras…”
(Kirtan! Chanting as a Spiritual Path, pages 7 and 9)
