Kirtan - music meditation for healing (Little India)

Many of us think of yoga as physical exercises to enhance one’s physique, with an occasional short meditation for its calming effects. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. How to we deal with our intense human emotions or trauma that accumulated as we progress in our lives?

According to ancient yoga, the human body is made up of the multiple layers—physical, mental, emotional; and there are many practices to bring light to our being.

Emotions are vital and sacred; like pockets of energy waiting to be released; emotions are not obstacles but our guiding lights to finding the ultimate bliss in life. The ancient yogis gave us Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, to channel that energy and guide us back to our source.

Bhakti is about a relationship with the universe and it is all encompassing that it embraces every color on the emotional spectrum. In Bhakti Yoga, we lead with our hearts. We sing, we dance, we play music, write poetry, cook, paint and do everything with love —as part of our interaction with the Divine.

Kirtan, the practice of chanting mantras, is perhaps the most important technique in bhakti yoga (Man means “Mind” and Tra means “to Control”).

The practice is simple but internally it works magic in our hearts. Externally, we’re just repetitively singing with simple melodies and a few Sanskrit words. But it helps us to put our analytical minds aside and singing from within. We sing from our heart that is crying out for love. We channel whatever emotion we’re feeling into our voice.

Deep healing happens, walls will melt, wounds will heal, trauma will heal, hate & unforgiveness will dissolve. Long-submerged emotions come to the surface.

As we sing, we immerse ourselves in an endless river of love from the universe. And we enter into a meditative & blissful state that allow our hearts to heal and re-open the infinite universal source of love within us.

There is no need to understand the language of the mantra. No need for mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment. It is automatic, from the spiritual platform, and anyone can take part without any previous qualification.

Join us for Kirtan to heal our hearts:

Every First Friday of the month

730pm – 9pm

For 1 March, 3 May & 2 Aug location:

Ashtanga Yoga Nilayam Studio

68B Race Course Road Singapore 215871

It is on the 3rd floor of the shophouse, the door (which is camouflage to look like a wall) is in between the restaurant 'Sakunthala'.

A homecooked dinner is served after Kirtan.

Drop a donation on the actual day. All donation proceeds to the expenses of hosting these programs run by volunteers.

Purchase a free ticket on Eventbrite to book your spot. Please cancel if you cannot make it so that someone else can have the spot.

This event is organised by a group of volunteers who just love kirtan so much that they like to share their joy.

- We will be barefoot

- Please wash your hands before entering the studio

- We will be sitting on the floor but plenty of chairs available if you prefer chairs

Things to bring:

- Water bottle

- Scarf/jacket if you are afraid of cold from Aircon

What we will be doing:

- Short lecture about the practice

- Singing in the musical meditation

- Enjoy a homecooked Sattvic dinner together

Host or Publisher Hwee Koh