The year is winding down. Another year of life, love, and yoga – what a blessing. Someone said to me recently, “I don’t know how people manage in life without yoga,” and I have to agree. Even aside from the teachings and practices of yoga, just having a regular class schedule has given me such a feeling of stability and grounding. The practice of yoga is always there, waiting, ready to serve us, nourish us, energize us, cleanse us, and guide us. And the practice can be as simple as one fully conscious breath in the midst of any ordinary activity: Breathing in, feel yourself expanding. Breathing out, feel yourself releasing and relaxing. Repeat. The more we do it, the more it stays with us.
This past year, the practice of kirtan – the singing of yoga mantras in community – has really lit up my life. It’s been a challenging year in some ways, and yet the music, the mantras, the coming together of friends to sing and play together have uplifted me time and again. One of my teachers said to me, “It’s not that kirtan makes you happy. It reminds you that you are already happy. It reveals the joy that is already within.” The moment she said this, I felt the truth of it. (Thank you, Sylvie!) I look forward to more kirtan in the year – and years – ahead.
On that note, I’d like to invite you to join our last kirtan of 2019. It takes place this Saturday, December 21st, 4:00-5:30pm, at Mill Road Community Space (8 ch. Mill, in Chelsea). Admission is by donation (suggested $5), and all proceeds go to SaludosNiños, to support impoverished families in Guatemala. Many thanks to Laura Fowler-Massie, friend and fellow yoga teacher, who is spearheading this aspect of our kirtan. In honour of the Solstice and the lengthening of daylight, we will feature a special mantra dedicated to the Sun/Inner Light. And our event will feature three special guests – BrendaLee Wilson, Lesley Fantin, and Bruce Minnes – who will grace us with a few seasonal favourites and a guided meditation.
To close, I’d like to share this message from my daughter Livi (age 10). Livi wrote this to invite her choir friends to this weekend’s kirtan, and has given me permission to share it with you as well:
“I would like to invite you all to my band’s kirtan! Kirtan is when people gather to sing songs, which are actually yoga mantras, in Sanskrit, an ancient language from India. Why do we sing these songs? To bring out our good qualities, and also just because it’s really fun! Our band name is SOULHUM. My mom plays harmonium. I’m on vocals. Cherisse, my sister, does percussion (drums and tingshaws), and our bandmate, Scot, plays cajon and djembe. We’re performing on Sat. Dec. 21, from 4:00 to 5:30, at Mill Road Community Space. I’ll have a bake sale! I love to bake. It’s fun baking for you, and I hope you can come!”
Wishing you all a joyful, peaceful Holiday Season and a bright New Year full of life, love and yoga! Namaste.