Join us every Friday night for Kirtan, call-and-response chanting. Each week the kirtan is led by a different person from our Brooklyn chant community, the Vanaras, plus special events with other artists. Kirtan is a yogic practice where a group chants mantras together in a call-and-response arrangement. The leader, also known as a "Kirtan Wallah," chants a mantra to the group, and then the group repeats that same mantra back by singing the response portion. In the simplest sense, this practice is a form of meditation, with the sounds serving as a place to gather our awareness and concentration to be fully present in the moment. The supporting music offers its beautiful flavor of melodies and instrumentation that makes the practice sweet and fun. No previous singing experience is necessary for this practice. Just come and join in the fun!
Join us every Friday night for Kirtan, call-and-response chanting. Each week the kirtan is led by a different person from our Brooklyn chant community, the Vanaras, plus special events with other artists.
“Chanting is a way of getting in touch with yourself. It’s an opening of the heart and letting go of the mind and thoughts. It deepens the channel of grace, and it’s a way of being present in the moment.”
Brooklyn Yoga School is a school for Classical Yoga that operates entirely on donations. Located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, BYS offers a variety of classes for new to experienced students. Chosen Best Cheap Yoga 2011 by New York Magazine. Classes are in the style of Classical Yoga as taught by Sri Dharma Mittra including yoga postures (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation (dhyana), relaxation, chanting (kirtan), and yogic philosophy. Our workshops focus on the various aspects of a yoga practice, and in the past have hosted special guest teachers Sharon Salzberg and Krishna Das. BYS also offers an in-depth 200 Hour "Living Yoga" Teacher Training program with founders Lily Cushman and Jeremy Frindel.
The brand new live chant CD recorded at BYS is now available to purchase! Listen to a sample below. Click here for purchase details.
What is Kirtan?
Kirtan is a yogic practice where a group chants mantras together in a call-and-response arrangement. The leader, also known as a "Kirtan Wallah," chants a mantra to the group, and then the group repeats that same mantra back by singing the response portion. In the simplest sense, this practice is a form of meditation, with the sounds serving as a place to gather our awareness and concentration to be fully present in the moment. The supporting music offers its beautiful flavor of melodies and instrumentation that makes the practice sweet and fun. No previous singing experience is necessary for this practice. Just come and join in the fun! Listen to a few sample kirtans clip below:
Krishna Das "Heart of Devotion" Workshop at the Brooklyn Yoga School
Is kirtan a form of Yoga?
The practice of kirtan is an aspect of the Classical Yoga path known as Bhakti Yoga. The path of Bhakti Yoga sits alongside Karma Yoga (service), Jnana Yoga (study), Hatha Yoga (postures) and Raja Yoga (meditation) as different yogic pathways to ultimately reach the same goal of happiness and liberation in our lives. Each of these different paths uses a distinct set of methods so that students with differing tendencies can work with practices they naturally gravitate towards. In Hatha Yoga this is yoga poses; in Raja Yoga, it's formal sitting meditation and self-study; in Bhakti Yoga, it is chanting kirtan and pujas (prayers and offerings) that are the most common practices used to cultivate devotion as the doorway to liberation.
Who are the Vanaras?
The Vanaras are a group of friends who have been gathering to chant together for many years. They include Anjula Prasad, Ambika Cooper, Devadas, Jeremy Frindel, Lily Cushman, Nina Rao, and Shyama Chapin. On each Friday, one of the group leads kirtan at BYS, and every month or two, the entire group comes together for a 3 Hour group kirtan focused on one theme or mantra. For more information on the individual artists, including various CDs available, visit VANARAS MUSIC.
“The words of these chants are called the divine names and they come from a place that’s deeper than our hearts and our thoughts, deeper than the mind. As we sing them they turn us towards ourselves, into ourselves.”
