“Kirtan is food for the spirit, a life raft of song.”
This training is for those who aspire to lead Kirtan; those who wish to enhance their Yoga teaching with chanting; and those who simply wish to immerse themselves in the vast ocean of Bhakti.
Embark on a journey into the multi-colored, many roomed mansions of the heart through the practice of Kirtan; or chanting the ecstatic songs of ancient India. Using call-and-response singing and storytelling, recording artist Jai Uttal will invoke a space of prayer and heartfelt expression, joined by his good friend, tabla maestro and vocalist Daniel Paul.
In the practice of Kirtan we are able to come into contact with the wide palette of feelings inside of us and to begin to freely express them and share them with others. Rather than being obstacles in our path, these emotions become the fuel to connect us to the Spirit, to our eternal beloved. This deep river of passionate surrender and prayer is known as Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion or personal relationship with the divine.
In this workshop Jai will explore how we can approach the path of Bhakti Yoga in our own lives, with our own personalities and identities. We will begin to understand a new meaning of aesthetics, an internal aesthetics, wherein we create our most beautiful prayers to spirit without the slightest concern for other’s opinions or criticisms. We will touch on the vast beauty of the Indian Raga and Tala systems and direct participants to further study in those areas. Jai will open the floor to all kinds of questions, and, with a very flexible and lighthearted approach, will answer from his personal experiences and ideas and the stories of ancient India.
No previous experience is needed for these workshops. This is an exploration of the heart, independent of vocal or musical technique.