namasteph yoga blog » Yoga Music

Pavan Guru Meditation

Stephanie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:45:16 +0000

I am doing a 40-day kundalini yoga meditation for a fantastic teleclass I am taking on “The Art of Soul Listening.” It’s a meditation using the Pran Bandha Mantra, sometimes referred to as “Pavan Guru” or “Pavan Pavan.” This is the first time I’ve done a kundalini yoga meditation daily and the experience has been very interesting to say the least. I feel like I am purging a lot of emotional crap (and that is good, but a little overwhelming at times!).

The funny thing about doing the meditation daily is that it is making me want to do yoga more. For whatever the reason, the brief meditation practice makes it easier to get motivated to do my home yoga. I don’t necessarily do the yoga right before or after the meditation either.

To make it easier to perform the meditation (since you have to switch from chanting to deep breathing to breath of fire), I made an audio that chimes at the appropriate times. It includes a live loop of mantra chanting, and you can download it free here.

Krishna Das in Concert

Stephanie — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:49:55 +0000

My friend got two free tickets to the sold out Krishna Das concert in Los Angeles last night, hurrah. It was at the YogaWorks in Larchmont Village. The place was totally packed wall-to-wall with yoga people, sitting directly on the floor with perhaps a cushion or blanket. We lucked out and got a spot on the raised platform near the wall – the poor guys in front of us were older and saying that sitting without chairs was really not happening for them at their age.

I have not heard Krishna Das in concert before but he was terrific; a beautiful soulful deep gravelly voice and a sense of humor. I’m still a bit torn on the kirtan thing because when the songs go on repetitively for 15-20 minutes a piece I find myself itching for something more, I’m not sure what. But the band was good and the vibe was nice. They also passed out sheets with the chants written out, thank goodness. Overall, a huge thumbs up.

Temple Bhajan Band

Stephanie — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:00:26 +0000

I saw the Temple Bhajan Band last night at the Sivananda Yoga Center. I enjoy chanting and singing, but I wouldn’t call myself a “fan” of kirtan specifically. The band was actually much better than I expected (well, to be honest, I don’t know what I expected). The singing was terrific, the drumbeat quite hypnotic, and the energy positive.

The lead guy (Sura, I guess he’s called) has a terrific sense of humor and told little anecdotes in between songs. As he explained, in these chants, you are basically singing the different names of God. He said it’s all the same God, and everyone from every religion can participate. I liked his philosophy and his vibe.

Towards the end, we all got up and danced like crazy. My calves actually hurt today…I must have been jumping around a lot! Following the concert was FOOD. Well, who can beat that for a $10 donation?

The only gripe I have is that people get a little crazy on the tambourines sometimes. I had to move because I had some women sitting behind me, rattling the tambourine so loud and fast and off the beat that it hurt my ear. What is it with Hindu philosophy and tambourines? I could personally do without them myself. Oh well.

Otherwise, it was a ton of fun and I would recommend you see them when you get a chance. If you don’t normally do the sanskrit chanting thing, try to set aside your reservations and just enjoy the music and the beautiful voices.