Sing Your Heart Out in Paris
Krishna Das! For Kirtan junkies and those new to the practice, July is going to be loud
When was the last time you sang, full-throated, at the top of your lungs? For fun? The shower doesn’t count 😜
There is something deeply satisfying about singing with a group of people. Whether it’s the national anthem before a sporting event (Allez les Bleus! Let’s go Giants!) or chanting Om at the beginning of a yoga class, the sensation of contributing to — and being enveloped by — radiating waves of sound is elemental.
Singing is “just like talking, except longer and louder, and you move your voice up and down.” —Buddy the Elf
And of all the types of singing, Kirtan may be the simplest as it begins with call-and-response. No lyric sheets to memorize, no melodies to know off the bat, no need to even be in tune. You follow the guide’s1 words and sounds, and repeat them back, again and again, in wave after wave of vibrations. Kirtan is a form of yoga, and is thought to incite feelings of devotion (bhakti) and create the same sense of calm as a meditation or yoga session.
After the jump: two mega Kirtan events and a selection of Paris studios that host more budget-friendly Kirtans on a regular basis if you’re looking for weekly sing-a-longs 🎶
Krishna Das Kirtan (Paris)
No previous experience with Kirtan is necessary, and all are welcome.
If you’re a devotee of Kirtan, there is no better guide for singing your heart out than Krishna Das who, according to his own press, is the “number 1 Kirtan Rockstar in the world” 🤩
Saturday July 6th, 2024
19h-21h30
65€
Krishna Das x Jivamukti Yoga Paris Workshop (Paris)
An “up close and personal” workshop during which you’ll dive deeper through satsang and a discussion of the practice of Kirtan. Krishna Das often shares stories of Maharajji, life lessons and the importance of integrating spiritual practices into our daily lives.
Sunday July 7th, 2024
16h-19h
85€
SING! SING! SING! LET LOOSE YOUR VOICE FOR PEACE OF MIND + BODY
How about a Kirtan at Centre Élément on July 7th? This will be led by Mahadev OK, Ramanaji Das and David Amsellem. 24€.
A écouter: Le plaisir du chant et les pouvoirs de la voix (France Bleu)
Yoga & Méditation Paris in the 11e hosts regular Kirtans, and the next one is Saturday July 13th from 18h-19h45. 18€.
We know that sound and voice have an impact on the body and its systems. Explore more of those relationships in Tom Lemann’s Yoga de la Voix training this October at Mayashala.
Once a month, Sivananda Yoga centers around the world chant the peace mantra, Om Namo Narayanaya. The next opportunity in Paris to lend your voice to this global intention is Sunday July 7th. FREE.
How to achieve the health benefits of singing? Focus on wellbeing instead of performance (BBC)
The leader of a kirtan is known as a kirtan wallah.