by Oren Shai
One evening short time ago, I lay in savasana at the end of a vigorous asana practice. At the time I had often been meeting difficulty transitioning into the release at the closing portion of practice. So I made an extra effort to get comfortable and to let go of all movement and thought. I took a deep inhale, and a long, slow exhale as I drew my attention to my third eye center.
I was suddenly enveloped by the sound emanating from the speakers in the room. Four Sanskrit words were being repeated over and over again. Initially and briefly, I saw the words in my mind as they were sung: lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu. The written words suddenly dissolved, and a visual of my beating heart appeared vividly in my mind's eye. As the entire gross body lay on the ground, the vibration embraced one glistening organ in my chest. My heart was being massaged by the energy of those words, which were no longer words but simply loving vibration. The feeling of peace and freedom and joy grew as the flesh of my heart was lovingly held. The feeling gently and gradually dissipated, but not before being transported by the blood moving through my heart to the entirety of the body.
This experience was one of a handful of recent occurrences which opened my mind and heart to the power of sound. I have joined in kirtan a handful of times, and have enjoyed it. I wish to understand it better, and to internalize its power. I hope to learn about kirtan so as to spark my receptivity to connection with the divine--with the true self.
Though the outward expression of my inward journey began only a few years ago, I have always felt the pull to connect with a deeper version of my self. From the time I was a child I was instinctively and intensely introspective. I had a reputation for being quiet, observant, thoughtful. There was and is still an ever-present feeling that there is something inside which is so vast and so important to meet; a force which animates what I know to be 'me' and propels the combination of energy which precipitates my perception of--and interaction with--the material. I look forward to sharing my continued journey with the Bhakti Center community through shared music and devotion.
One evening short time ago, I lay in savasana at the end of a vigorous asana practice. At the time I had often been meeting difficulty transitioning into the release at the closing portion of practice. So I made an extra effort to get comfortable and to let go of all movement and thought. I took a deep inhale, and a long, slow exhale as I drew my attention to my third eye center.
I was suddenly enveloped by the sound emanating from the speakers in the room. Four Sanskrit words were being repeated over and over again. Initially and briefly, I saw the words in my mind as they were sung: lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu. The written words suddenly dissolved, and a visual of my beating heart appeared vividly in my mind's eye. As the entire gross body lay on the ground, the vibration embraced one glistening organ in my chest. My heart was being massaged by the energy of those words, which were no longer words but simply loving vibration. The feeling of peace and freedom and joy grew as the flesh of my heart was lovingly held. The feeling gently and gradually dissipated, but not before being transported by the blood moving through my heart to the entirety of the body.
This experience was one of a handful of recent occurrences which opened my mind and heart to the power of sound. I have joined in kirtan a handful of times, and have enjoyed it. I wish to understand it better, and to internalize its power. I hope to learn about kirtan so as to spark my receptivity to connection with the divine--with the true self.
Though the outward expression of my inward journey began only a few years ago, I have always felt the pull to connect with a deeper version of my self. From the time I was a child I was instinctively and intensely introspective. I had a reputation for being quiet, observant, thoughtful. There was and is still an ever-present feeling that there is something inside which is so vast and so important to meet; a force which animates what I know to be 'me' and propels the combination of energy which precipitates my perception of--and interaction with--the material. I look forward to sharing my continued journey with the Bhakti Center community through shared music and devotion.
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