Tuesday, January 2, 2007

A Blissed Out Kirtan New Year's Eve

"Shoot, I'm late" as I strap my purple conga on my back, grab my rattle and jump into Paul's SUV. We're heading to FRESH YOGA in New Haven for their Kirtan and 108 Sun Salutations to welcome in the new year.
We get there and the room is PACKED! Paul and I tiptoe over to the corner. I don't feel bad about being late, Mark hadn't even arrived yet. The room is an old factory and the only lights are christmas lights on the floor and some sporadic candles. Densie is singing various chants as there is upwards of 50 people in various stages of sun salutations.
Paul and I and Dwight start quietly drumming. Mark gets there and starts playing his udu and gives me his sweet toca djembe with a great low base tone. Denise breaks out into Hare Krishna and we just jammed out! At this point Paul is on my conga and Dwight has a 12" Remo djembe. My heart chakra starts opening as it always does during this chant.
Everyone finishes their salutations around 11:45 and we spent the next 15 minutes playing and chanting:"Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu" (x3)"Om Shanti Shant Shanti" " May all beings in all the worlds be happy and peaceful. Om peace, peace, peace"
It was a beautiful way to ring in the new year. My friend Adam shows up from my drum circle and he grabs a doumbek and we just break into an impromptu drum circle kirtan jam.
The beautiful thing was that most of the people there had never heard a drum circle jam or KIrtan chanting and it was so moving for me to see the effect the drums and chanting had on the people in attendance.
This is denise's website if anyone would like to hear some of her kirtan chanting mp3 samples:
http://www.singingshaman.com I love you all!
Jacqhttp://www.gaiastar1212.com