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The Kirtan Revolution Brings an Ancient Practice to a Modern Audience

By Shannon Sexton & Anna Dubrovsky — 2011

An American kirtan revolution turns chanting God's name into something hip as well as holy.

Read on www.yogajournal.com

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Spirit: American Kirtankar, Krishna Das

When one hears a chant like Aum Namoh Bhagvate Vasudevaya, it is not a Grammy award ceremony that comes to mind as the setting of such chanting; but that is precisely what Krishna Das has been able to do—take cherished age-old Indian kirtans to a global stage such as the Grammys.

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Anjula Ram Talks with Krishna Das

Anjula: For you who don’t know, Krishna Das is known as the rock star of Yoga. He’s a kirtan singer. Could you just break down a little what kirtan is? Krishna Das: Kirtan is a chanting practice. It’s a spiritual practice, a meditational practice, but it involves singing and chanting.

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The Secret Life of Kirtan

Kirtan master Krishna Das talks about what happens when he chants, what the mantras mean, and why sound is a powerful medium on the spiritual path.

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Krishna Das

Krishna Das leads kirtan (chants invoking the name of God) all over the world. After meeting Ram Dass in 1968, he went on to the life-altering epiphany of being with their guru, Neem Karoli Baba, Maharaj-ji.

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The Power of Love: A Q&A with Krishna Das

Kirtan master Krishna Das spoke with us about spiritual practice, suffering, and finding love within.

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Krishna Das Talks About His Music, His Guru, and His Practice

He’s driven a school bus, dabbled in the blues, and meditated in the jungles and ashrams of India, but today Krishna Das is known as the King of Kirtan.

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Kirtan 101

Want to energize your spiritual life? Whether you’re melding your voice with a hundred others in traditional call-and-response or chanting mantras in your bedroom as a devotional prelude to meditation, kirtan can be a powerful and surprisingly effective form of spiritual practice.

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Kirtan: The Easy Meditation That Can Improve Your Brain: Discover How 12 Minutes a Day Can Improve How You Think and Feel.

Discover how 12 minutes a day can improve how you think and feel.

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The Benefits of Chanting: How Kirtan Can Heal You in Both Body and Spirit

Yoga is on fire in the West, and so it kirtan, or yogic chanting. Kirtan combines music and mantra — words and sounds that vibrate at the highest level of awareness. It is an effortless and joyful way to meditate.

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The Power of Kirtan

As yoga has become increasingly popular in the United States, so has the ancient practice of kirtan (KEER-tahn), or yogic chanting. The call-and-response format of chanting is a type of yoga in itself and has many of the mind-calming benefits of a yoga class or sitting meditation.

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EXPLORE TOPIC

Kirtan Music