I’m Mark – I lead Kirtan at triyoga Ealing twice a month alongside Nikki Slade. I first came across Kirtan in Rishikesh India. I walked into a large room of around two thousand people, all singing together, dancing and clapping; the energy was incredible. It was so powerful and opened my heart – I spent a very beautiful next few weeks in India before coming back to the UK. When I came back I straight away looked for Kirtan and started to go to see Nikki, Sivani Mata and other great leaders in London, nothing gave such a feeling of joy and as I dived more and more into the practice my experience really deepened. I learnt how we can use mantra to sink deeply into our own being and allow what comes to be felt fully in the space, it became as important to my mediation practice as sitting.
Fast forward to June 2017 and out of curiosity I tried a taster day of leading Kirtan run by Nikki. I found it took the practice from a meditative experience into one where the sharing and communication to and with the whole group was profoundly powerful. After the day I debated doing the full course in September – I wasn’t working much at the time and so the usual mind chatter of “why are you doing another course” and “this doesn’t make sense” etc. went round and round. So I thought to myself ok, put it out there, if I’m meant to do the course I’ll get one of those lovely 0% interest credit deals. And sure enough the following week it came through the door for the exact amount I needed for the course!
So that was it, I booked the course and rocked up in September not quite knowing where this was going, what was going to happen or in fact why I was doing it really. But there I found myself in a room of fifteen people all sat with our new harmoniums in front of us – a mix of yoga teachers, healers and therapists and lovers of Kirtan like me.
It’s hard to quite put into words what happened in that course but I think most would say from the group it was more than a course, it was a journey of the soul. It was a far cry from the last time I did any kind of group singing (a bit of Karaoke and a one off panto starring role at school performance as the lead in Beauty and The Space Beast (Rutland Amateur Theatrics Society aka RATS!) There was so much development of dropping the idea of a performance or “nice sound” to really understand and channel the mantras, to work with a group and develop together created bonds that I know will be for life.
Since then I’ve experienced leading at large events including a collaboration with The Study Society and The Southbank to simply having friends over to the house to sing together and share food and from yoga retreats to festivals. I’m so grateful; I love this practice and the community. I believe that Kirtan can and does change the way we connect to ourselves and the world which we share.
Check the link to see all the kirtan classes we offer at triyoga.
