Kirtan

What is Kirtan...how can it help me?

This is a beautiful practice lovingly known as the ‘Yoga of the Voice & of sound’. It is one of the 9 forms of Bhakti Yoga - Bhakti meaning devotion, Yoga meaning Union. Essentially this practice is a mediation on the heart through the voice. It is about coming back to the self to know our own true nature. We often have barriers to who we truly are in modern society. Kirtan is about the dissolution of those barriers so that we can know our true nature, which is love & bliss. 

Kirtan means to come together & sing the name...the name of what? ...whatever you believe divinity to be for you - from the stars in the sky, a God or Goddess, to the  elements, or the very earth we walk upon. Sometimes we just need to listen to our own voice & be present for ourselves. 

As a child I was silenced by the adults around me when I needed to be heard the most. I also had a music teacher who told me my voice wasn’t good enough for primary school choir. These experiences coupled with what was going on in my life at the time, left me with a deep wound around the use and sound of my voice, and the lasting feeling that neither of us were good enough. 

Upon discovering Kirtan, it filled me with a feeling & a sense of connection to something that was far greater than I was alone, for the first time in my life - the representation of the goddess and the divine feminine. Something I felt I had been denied by those around me most of my life, as well as disassociated myself from.

It was during this beautiful practice that I realised ‘She’ was very present - the name I most wanted to sing was Her’s - and the voice I finally wanted to use was mine.

When Kirtan came into my life, I never expected the huge impact & integral part it would play.

It changed me & my path. It freed my voice & gave it back to me. I was able to connect to my voice again & ultimately to know my own truth & story . 

This beautiful practice helped me to feel whole and connected and it still does. 

Kirtan truly is one of those things you really have to experience & feel to understand.

Everyone’s experience is uniques & individual, yet we are unified as we all chant together as one voice, as a ‘Uni -Verse’. 

It’s about showing up in devotion to whatever reason brought you to this practice, and you don’t have to be a great singer by any means!

It can be emotive, blissful, deeply meditative, you may connect with suppressed pain or feel absolute joy. It can be freeing, soothing  & connecting! You might just be surprised by what comes up for you.

I use Kirtan as part of my workshops, Women’s circles & as stand-alone meditation offerings & facilitate Kirtan chanting groups locally (keep an eye on my social media for details).

Here’s a couple of things my clients say...

“Kirtan allows me to let go of the rules of modern life that I subscribe to, allowing me to let go of everything & surrender to the meditative communal bliss of chanting”.

“It can make me smile or cry, whatever indeed at the time - It’s so healing. I love the sense of community & connection that I remember feeling singing as a child at school - I’ve missed that feeling”