Sunday, October 18th, 2015
Earnest, Pennsylvania
Kirtan Inside Outside
Bandhur atmatmanas tasya…
I referenced this quote from Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad-Gita for a group of soon to be yoga teachers at Penn State College. We are talking here about the mind and how it can be your best friend or worst enemy. Another verse describes how the mind can either degrade or elevate the consciousness. Therefore, the message is to harness the wild mind and to direct it to a progressive higher consciousness. This chapter has all to do with meditational yoga. I explained “In order to benefit from yoga in full, the Gita recommends an insertion of bhakti, devotion, into the practices.”
I was happy to see and hear everyone take to the process of kirtan, chanting, and lest we forget – dancing.
Vivasvan, Tre’von, and I then rushed to the farm community of Gita Nagari near Port Royal. Arriving in the nick of time, 4 PM, for the Sunday Open House. We were warmly greeted and taken to the temple building where the microphone was placed before me for leading another kirtan and then class. I was keen to keep some continuity in my message. I spoke on Chapter 6, again, entitled ‘Jnana Yoga’, wherein determination, patience, and disregard for mundane things which arise from mental speculation, were topics for discussion.
People at Gita Nagari are more familiar with kirtan than the first group. Nevertheless, it was enjoyed at both sessions all the same.
Whether indoor or outdoor, kirtan, chanting, has its natural attraction. When Tre’von and I took to trekking earlier on in the morning, we came near a barn with a cow sticking her head out curiously to see us. We both broke into another song beginning with the name Govinda, a name for Krishna referring to Him as the tender of the cows. The cow came out of the barn to listen and then a herd followed and remained still as if they were yogis themselves, motionless and serene.
May the Source be with you!
12 miles / 19 km
Earnest, Pennsylvania
Kirtan Inside Outside
Bandhur atmatmanas tasya…
I referenced this quote from Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad-Gita for a group of soon to be yoga teachers at Penn State College. We are talking here about the mind and how it can be your best friend or worst enemy. Another verse describes how the mind can either degrade or elevate the consciousness. Therefore, the message is to harness the wild mind and to direct it to a progressive higher consciousness. This chapter has all to do with meditational yoga. I explained “In order to benefit from yoga in full, the Gita recommends an insertion of bhakti, devotion, into the practices.”
I was happy to see and hear everyone take to the process of kirtan, chanting, and lest we forget – dancing.
Vivasvan, Tre’von, and I then rushed to the farm community of Gita Nagari near Port Royal. Arriving in the nick of time, 4 PM, for the Sunday Open House. We were warmly greeted and taken to the temple building where the microphone was placed before me for leading another kirtan and then class. I was keen to keep some continuity in my message. I spoke on Chapter 6, again, entitled ‘Jnana Yoga’, wherein determination, patience, and disregard for mundane things which arise from mental speculation, were topics for discussion.
People at Gita Nagari are more familiar with kirtan than the first group. Nevertheless, it was enjoyed at both sessions all the same.
Whether indoor or outdoor, kirtan, chanting, has its natural attraction. When Tre’von and I took to trekking earlier on in the morning, we came near a barn with a cow sticking her head out curiously to see us. We both broke into another song beginning with the name Govinda, a name for Krishna referring to Him as the tender of the cows. The cow came out of the barn to listen and then a herd followed and remained still as if they were yogis themselves, motionless and serene.
May the Source be with you!
12 miles / 19 km
No comments:
Post a Comment